~ FOUNDERS CORNER ~

Dear Recovery Friends,

As we begin the new year, I want to thank all of you for your support of our recovery community this year. Whether you gave service by sharing regularly on your loop, leading a meeting, sponsoring another COE, working on the web, coordinating a loop, leading a BB or Step Study or being a Trusted Servant .... we couldn't have done it without you. I also want to express deep appreciation to the Recovery Administrators ~ Cate, Patt and John ~ as well as the General Coordinators who have worked day in and day out to make our recovery home the best it can be.

The year 2002 holds many good things for us. Significant projects are underway and whether those projects be web-oriented, have to do with the meetings or the loops or something brand new as upgrading our list servers everything we do makes our organization better. I would like to urge each of you to participate in some of these projects. Write a meditation. Lead a Step Study. Volunteer to do a writing series. Sponsor a COE. Lead a loop. Work the Steps with WTS. Attend a meeting. Write a letter to the editor of Serendipity. Make suggestions to the Administrators. When your coordinator asks for help, raise your hand. Even when you're not asked, let someone know when you have extra time because there's always something to do in The Recovery Group.

Thanks for being here. It is my hope that 2002 holds many blessings for you and those you love. May your recovery program result in the best YOU that has ever been. And please always remember that what we could never do alone we can do together.

One day at a time.

One Step at a time.

Happy New Year, Loopies.

@-}-}-}------
Love in recovery,
Mari

Dear God,

Good morning and an abstinent beginning to go along with a major change in attitude from my whining childish thinking yesterday, thanks. I find that if I just do the next right thing good things happen. Sometimes when I ask You for something You tell me to wait and of all three replies wait is the one that I really don't like. Just thought You would like to know.

As I sit here this morning all showered, shaved and coffee mug filled the world seems to be in order at least for me. Yesterday my thoughts were of poor me and why this and why that. The noise You heard was Danny stamping his feet all over Your earth mainly because You are in charge and not him. The entire world should rejoice that God is alive and well and He isn't me!! Today all I ask for is the knowledge of and strength to do Your will. Well, it might be a nice gesture if You would watch over my family, friends, fellow loopies, those who still suffer and the people I don't like.

I'm off to my Saturday f2f meeting and step one is to be discussed today, then on to lunch and a drive to help one of the fellowship. What a nice way to spend this wonderful day, in Your service.

And Why Not?

Danny

Plant three rows of peas:
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul.

Plant four rows of squash:
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness.

Plant four rows of lettuce:
Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be obedient
Lettuce really love one another.

No garden is without turnips:
Turnip for meetings
Turnip for service
Turnip to help one another.

Water freely with patience and cultivate with love.

There is much fruit in your garden
Because you reap what you sow.

To conclude our garden we must have thyme:
Thyme for reflection
Thyme for study
Thyme for prayer

-- Anonymous (submitted by Jeff)

Serendipity

Congratulations on two years of Serendipity! And thanks for continuing to bring us the latest news and shares from our 'local' recovery community! I wanted to contribute something to this month's issue but I couldn't think of what to write about at first. Of course, as soon as I put that out there, I realized that the name of this newsletter is perfectly reflecting some things that I am becoming aware of in my own life lately. (How like the Universe to be so ... serendipitous! LOL!)

The word "serendipity" has been presented to me over and over this past month, so much so, that here, I find myself writing about it! A dear friend of mine always talks about how serendipity plays a large role in his life. If he can't find something, for example, he thinks that perhaps he needs to be doing something else at that time, so instead of freaking out (like I might do!), he calmly goes about his business until the lost item returns itself. Or something might be going on in his life that needs attention so he prays about it and the next thing he knows, he excitedly relates the story about how the answer came to him over the radio one day in the form of a special song.

Well, at first I have to tell you that I was very skeptical about such things, but as I love my friend, I still listened to his stories. However, more and more I am learning to see things that no longer seem so much coincidental as they might have appeared to me even a few months ago! For example, I too am seeing new significance in songs that play on the radio at certain times that seem important. I am learning to trust and believe that when things happen, they are happening for the greater good, even though at the time they might not seem so.

Our landlords recently put our house up for sale (and believe me, that was a total shock to us!), and at first we were angry, sad, frightened -- you name it. In the 'old' days, I might have reacted by stuffing my whole self into the fridge so I wouldn't have to feel those negative feelings. However, I find that I am waiting now for the Universe/HP to guide us to the right situation, and that helps me to relax and remain abstinent. It no longer seems like it is a coincidence that this is happening because in the overall scheme of things, I remember that we were led here in the first place.

I was led to the loops and OA. I continue to be guided by a Power Greater Than Myself and I continue to be awed by the forces of serendipity in my life! And lately, my anger, fear and frustration about the 9-11 tragedies has been leading me to realize that love -- not war -- will prevail (indeed MUST prevail because it's obvious that violence has never been an answer in the past!) A book just fell open yesterday to a page that said words to that effect; a good friend of mine said it as well; a new magazine that was brought to my attention out of the blue stated pretty much the same thing. Coincidence? I think not! I prefer to call it serendipity -- and now I think that serendipity is God's way of providing lovely clues to us to follow our right path. We just need to be open enough to acknowledge them and trust enough to follow them!

Lorraine

~ BEFORE YOU TAKE THAT FIRST COMPULSIVE BITE,
REMEMBER... ~

We CAN live our lives without compulsively overeating!

Recovery from compulsive eating is THE most important thing in your life, without exception!

By working the 12 Steps of Recovery we can develop a way of thinking and acting which allows us to live "One Day At A Time" without eating compulsively. When we are confronted with the urge to eat compulsively and learn what we call our trigger foods are, we have ALTERNATIVES.

WE CAN ......

• USE THE TOOLS that are available to us: meetings, sponsors, telephone, loops, writing, reading OA literature, and volunteering to do service.
• ACCEPT...we may repeatedly have cravings to eat compulsively ... but experience has shown us that those feelings will pass.
• REMEMBER...that each time we face a situation without compulsively overeating, it will get easier for us to abstain the next time.
• DEVELOP...a plan for yourself, of thinking and acting by which to live One Day At A Time without eating compulsively.
• AVOID...thinking and dwelling on any real or imagined pleasure once derived from compulsive overeating.
• ACCEPT....that one bite or two will not make a bad situation better. Remember the pain it brought the last time you had a bout with uncontrolled eating.
• FOCUS...on the idea that we can enjoy our abstinent meals without having the anxiety that food once created. Abstaining from compulsive overeating allows us freedom from guilt, remorse and self-loathing about the food we used to eat.
• BE GRATEFUL...that we have a disease that can be arrested on a daily basis. We suffer from an illness; we are not morally weak people who lack willpower.
• SHARE...our program of recovery with another compulsive eater.
• MAKE A CHOICE...to work the 12 steps of recovery as a solution.
• REMEMBER...that when our resistance is low and we feel troubled and confused, there is comfort in a true and understanding friend. You have that friend in recovery.