Growth and Security In The Twelve Concepts of OA Service under Concept Twelve, it reads: “The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that . . . b) sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle” (p. 13). I see a connection between that and a result of my having worked Step Nine and making financial amends, which is that … Read More
Inexpensive Message I’ve found it useful to think about the groups of people I associate with and consider what I’ve done lately to be of service to them. Family, religious groups, Twelve Step groups, neighbors, friends, and volunteer site workers are some of the categories of people in this inventory. A recent look at my activities showed that I wasn’t doing much … Read More
No Better Way The only way I know to work my program is to work my program. When something is disturbing me, I need to recognize what in me is niggled. Recently, I have been feeling less than serene about the lack of long-term abstinence at our small meetings. When we do get newcomers in the door, members who have been around for some … Read More
Principled Decisions Our intergroup is quite small and the same people seem to switch hats at election time. (This is quite common in some intergroups, I know.) But after I served two terms in one position, with a break in between to serve in a different position, I declined at election time to serve in the coming year. It was a tortuous … Read More
Many Ways to Serve There are so many ways to give service in OA and pay forward all we have so freely received. Not all forms of service require years of commitment or abstinence. Will service make you abstinent? No, unfortunately, it is not a magic cure. But it is one of the Tools you can use to work the Steps. Members can give … Read More
Powerful Points I am thankful for the story “Transformational Awakening” and the thoughts shared about what a spiritual awakening has meant for the author. The list of signs was very powerful and gave me a lot to contemplate. Two bullet points in particular, “Not feeling good with my old entourage” and “Losing interest in worrying,” really stuck with me, and I have read … Read More
Best Place to Buy Q. When I first came to OA, I didn’t know very much about it, and I purchased my OA books on Amazon. Yesterday I was scolded for that purchase. I know now that OA has a bookstore, but what are your feelings about buying books there, as opposed to Amazon? A. I am sorry you were scolded for buying your … Read More
The Step Ten Connection Action plans are boring aren’t they? They’re just another way of procrastinating. The best thing is to just get on with it! I’d heard statements like these from many people in OA meetings, but I wasn’t really sure what I thought, because I wasn’t actually doing an action plan. The OA Tools of Recovery were well known to me, and … Read More
Abstinent Now I am writing to echo sentiments from “Print Preference.” I came to OA in 1986 and have abstained from sugar since then and have been maintaining a 100-pound (45-kg) weight loss. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for the gift of OA, for the gift of a life free from food obsession and bondage, and for a life in … Read More
My Plan Keeps Me Moving I normally start my day with my arthritis exercises before I get out of bed. But if I am just not feeling it, then I get out of bed, turn on my computer, pour a cup of coffee, and start my meditation and journaling. I have several daily readers from which I read, and then I do freewriting to tell … Read More