Lessons from the Fellowship

My recent service as Virtual Services Trustee has taught me about:

• balance between service to others and self-care,
• the importance of what is good for OA as a whole instead of what I prefer personally,
• accepting help and direction and not taking it as criticism,
• how much there is to know and how little I do know,
• grounding my ideas in OA literature and guidelines and not flying by the seat of my pants,
• the importance of the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts of OA Service to the wellbeing of OA,
• the importance of rotation of service to keep Overeaters Anonymous fresh, vibrant, and responsive to the needs of its members, and most importantly,
• the value of diversity and listening with an open mind and heart to all points of view, especially when they are different than my own.

This service has shown me the love that virtual meeting members have for Overeaters Anonymous and their passion for carrying the message. I have been amazed by the level of service virtual members give to their home meetings and their willingness to help each other. The virtual fellowship is the real deal. Members on phone meetings, app-based meetings, online meetings, and loop meetings get to know and support one another just the same as in face-to-face meetings. It is a privilege to have gotten to know many of these pioneers.

Working with the other trustees has helped me grow emotionally and spiritually and has built many friendships that will last a lifetime. Their love, support, and dedication to what is best for OA as a whole has helped me grow into a person whom I like.

One of my absolute favorite things about attending Board of Trustee meetings is being part of the daily early morning OA meetings. Just imagine being in an OA meeting where all the members are abstinent and many have decades of recovery and wisdom to share—awesome!

Many thanks to you all for allowing me to serve as your Virtual Services Trustee for five years. I hope to see many of you as I continue on my recovery path discovering what my Higher Power has planned for the next phase of my life. Blessings in service to OA.

— Stephanie