A Wellspring of Hope
Newsletter of The Recovery Group


June 2004
Volume 6, Issue 6



ser*en*dip*i*ty ~ (noun) First appeared 1754:
the faculty or phenomenon of finding
valuable or agreeable things not sought for.


PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO:
SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com
with a Subject of 'Letter to the Editor'

PLEASE SEND Serendipity ARTICLES TO:
SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com
with a Subject of 'Serendipity Article'

TO VIEW Serendipity ONLINE, PLEASE VISIT:
The Serendipity Archives




FEATURED ARTICLES





~ FROM OUR EDITOR ~

Dear Serendipity Friends,

This is your newsletter, and I am, once again, writing to ask for your suggestions and your input. Mostly we want to know what you'd like to see in Serendipity each month, especially as far as "extras" are concerned. We are looking for general comments, too... If there's something you don't like, we want to know that as much as we would like to know what you _do_ like.

Your response could take the form of a Letter to the Editor, or you can send your ideas to us and ask that they not be published. Either way will work. The bottom line is that we want to hear from you.

Serendipity is your newsletter of recovery; your editors want to see that it "speaks" to each of you.....

In recovering love,
Marty

Editor, SERENDIPITY
Newsletter of The Recovery Group





~ FOUNDER'S CORNER ~ EXPERIENCE ~


Dear Serendipity Readers,

One of the blessings of my life is to be in a community which pays attention not only to our disease of compulsive eating but also to the reasons we eat. The Recovery Group is a 12 Step organization . . . that is our reason for being; however, we also have Special Focus loops which do not ignore the main focus, but enhance it. We're very proud of these types of support groups; one such loop is Grief ODAT.

Elsewhere in this issue of Serendipity is an article ("Special Focus Loop") about this very special loop. We now find ourselves in June, the first glorious month of summer. We hope that those who need to work the Twelve Steps, but who also need to focus on another aspect of their recovery, will approach summer with recovery in their hearts.

If you are experiencing a loss and this is your first summer without someone you love, and you find it difficult to focus on your recovery, I hope you will join others in Grief ~ One Day at a Time. I believe it may help.

Wishing you a happy and serene June ~

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


~ THE RECOVERY GROUP ~
ADMINISTRATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

~ FROM THE TRG ADMINISTRATION ~

It has been six months since Mari, the founder of The Recovery Group (TRG) retired and left adminstrators doing the jobs she had previously done. Dodee is the Adminstrator, Cody and Mary W. are Apprentice Administrators. They spend some time answering questions and working to help TRG continue to function. When they can't answer the questions, they have a committee of advisors to help.

TRG Adminstration oversees the Recovery, ODAT and Discovery loops, Meetings and Special Services. Dodee also coordinates the Recovery Loops and Special Services. Nancy coordinates the ODAT loops, and Cody and Mary W coordinate the Discovery loops. Meetings are coordinated by Terri, Chris and Barry.

TRG Adm is going to spend some time recruiting volunteers to finish the terms of some trusted servants who have resigned mid-term. Do you know that service is one way to make "the" program into "your" program?

http://www.TheRecoveryGroup.org
Contact: TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org

~ FROM THE RECOVERY LOOP DIVISION ~

Many of the Recovery Loops are flourishing. Newcomers has had many new members, some asking questions, some answering. OA Friends has become a group of friends, as the name implies, but new members are always welcomed. Discussions lately have been about fear and its solution, and members share their Experience, Strength and Hope (ESH). The Big Book study is now on Chapter 5, "How it Works". Working the Steps (WTS) will be completing the 12 Steps in June, and starting a new step study in July, which will be led by Rose. Anorexia and Bulimia has a strong recovery message and many members. Relapse and Recovery has new members who are re-commiting to recovery.

http://www.theRecoveryGroup.org/trg.html
Contact: RecoveryLoopsAdm@lists.TheRecoveryGroup.org

~ FROM THE ODAT LOOP DIVISION ~

The ODAT loops are here for compulsive eaters to share their program of recovery, but the members of these loops also have a second interest in common.

Silver Recovery is a place for those over 50 to talk about their program and what it means to them, as so many other things are changing in their lives. TeensODAT is a safe place for teenagers to discuss their eating compulsions, and how they work their program of recovery with their peers. Those who have had, or are contemplating having, weight loss surgery, and are also working the 12 steps have a place to go to share their experiences and feelings with others : WLS_ODAT.

Please go to http://recovery.hiwaay.net/odat/, and see if there is a special interest loop that may enhance your recovery program.

http://www.theRecoveryGroup.org/odat/
Contact: ODATAdm@lists.therecoverygroup.org

~ FROM THE DISCOVERY LOOP DIVISION ~

Things at the Discovery Loops have really picked up lately! We've added in some new co-cordinators, Marie (odatmarie@yahoo.com) with Discovery Kitchen , Estebel with Exercise and Discovery, as well as some new trusted servants to help run the loops. These wonderful volunteers are really breathing new life into the conversations going on with the loops. On COKids and 'Kids and Recovery', sharing was up a bit this month and the future looks to be promising, as long as the kids have a place to come when they feel alone, sad, and scared. We invite and encourage you to check out the Discovery loops and say hello by visiting:
http://recovery.hiwaay.net/discovery/index.html

http://www.theRecoveryGroup.org/discovery/
Contact: TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org

~ FROM THE TRG OA MEETING DIVISION ~

This month has seen several changes within the meeting division with the resignation of Danielle as Meeting Coordinator, and the appointment of Barry and Christine to take her place. Danielle has been an excellent assistant, we wish her well in all that she does and hope to work with her again within this wonderful organisation. Thank you, Danielle, and welcome to Barry and Chris!

With respect and sadness we remember Meeting Leader, Margie, who passed away in May. She will be sadly missed by those she served and also by those who served along side her. On behalf of meeting leaders past and present, we extend our deepest sympathy to Margie's family.

Since our last report several new meetings have been given a permanent leader, and the 24 hour meeting schedule is becoming increasingly operational.

We warmly welcome the new meeting leaders and as the new meetings grow, and fellowships form, great rewards come in the knowledge that those who come to depend on the meetings now have regular place of recovery that may not have been available to them before.

Meeting leaders are still needed from countries outside the USA, and anyone who is interested can contact Meeting Administration on the contact address below. Leading meetings is an excellent way to meet other OA's as well as enhancing our own personal recovery, and of course, training and support is provided to those who need help getting started.

Reading of the month: "Faith alone is insufficient. To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self-sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action" AABB p.93.

In Loving Service,

TRG Meeting Division Administrators

http://www.theRecoveryGroup.org/meetings/
Contact: MtgAdm@lists.TheRecoveryGroup.org



~ FROM THE TRG SPECIAL SERVICES DIVISION ~

This division is currently in need of an administrator. As its name suggests, it includes areas of TRG which are, indeed, special services for the members of TRG. The Recovery Meditations, Odyssey the Journal, the Recovery Sponsor program and Serendipity are but some of the services in this division. To see more of what's included in this division, please see
http://recovery.hiwaay.net/trg.html#services.

If you believe you would like to be of service to TRG in this area, and would like to know more about being an administrator of this division, please contact Dodee at:
TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org.

http://www.theRecoveryGroup.org/trg.html#services
Contact: TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org



~ FROM TRG'S SPONSOR PROGRAM ~

Dear Friends,

~ We need more sponsors! ~

Are you ready to share your recovery through sponsoring so that others who still suffer can recover? Do you have some space for some additional sponsees at this time? Have you taken the steps with WTS and now are ready to sponsor? Are you willing to share what has so generously been given to you?

..."Sponsors share their program up to the level of their own experience."

"Sponsors are members of OA who are living the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions to the best of their ability. They are willing to share their recovery with other members of the Fellowship and are committed to abstinence."
Please write to us today to join the TRG Sponsor List.

Patt and Cate, TRG Sponsor Coordinators
The Recovery Group Sponsor Group Trusted Servants

Contact: TRGSponsorsAdm@lists.TheRecoveryGroup.org
www.TheRecoveryGroup.org



~ SPECIAL FOCUS LOOP ~



GRIEF ~ ONE DAY AT A TIME GriefODAT is a support list in the Recovery Group community that gives those who are working the Twelve Step program the opportunity to process grief issues which affect recovery programs so significantly.

As compulsive eaters, most of us have experienced loss at one time or another. It is a time when abstinence can take a back seat and if we're not careful we can have a second loss. When we process our feelings to others experiencing the same feelings, something good happens. It doesn't matter whether the loss is a spouse, a child, a job or our favorite pet ... that loss must be processed and grieved.

If you have had a loss in your life and would like to join our support group, please send a blank email letter to:

GriefODAT-subscribe-request@lists.therecoverygroup.org

The Grief home page on the Recovery Website is:
www.TheRecoveryGroup.org/odat/grief/



~ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ~

~ Please consider submitting a Letter to the Editor. ~


~ RECOVERY WRITERS' SERIES ~

~ Recovery Inspirations ~

Welcome to our monthly Writers' Series. This is a special place where we invite you to join our OA writers in exploring how addiction and recovery affect our lives. In recent months we have brought you shares from Recovery Meditations, Odyssey, Danny's "Letters To God", Journey to Recovery, Reflections, The Promises and many others. In the last two months we have looked at "letting go" as well as the expectations in our lives, and how they relate to and impact our addiction. This month we wrap up our look at the "Reflections on Recovery" series with a look at a very special place - the center of our being. (Note: if you wish to read the remaining Reflections, the entire collection of articles can be found at: http://recovery.hiwaay.net/jtr/journals.html .)

«:*´`³¤³´`*:»

Where I Live Is Inside Myself


Dear Friends on the Journey,

My name is Mari and I am a grateful recovering compulsive overeater. Each day I put my thoughts, feelings and observations about my life into a journal. Doing this has made me look at myself and my disease through the eyes of reality and, in doing so, has given me hope. I call this my Journey to Recovery, and I appreciate your letting me share it with you.

"We carry our homes within us
Which enables us to fly."

John Cage
I used to think that when things were really tough in my life that I could simply pack up and move to another place and everything would be alright. I find it unbelievable that I was once so naive that I thought by simply moving from one geographical location to another, my life would magically change, my problems would disappear and I would live happily ever after.

There is no such thing as a geographical cure. It took me the better part of a lifetime to realize that. I lived in one place for more than twenty five years. I moved into that house on that little circle of other houses when my four children were very small .... and there I stayed for a quarter of a century. Probably a thousand times I said to myself that if I could just move from that house into my dream house, all my problems would be solved.

One day I did move into my dream house. And guess what? All my problems were not solved. Nothing changed. Everything that mattered was exactly the same. Oh .... I now had a beautiful home with more room. We had space for gardens and a beautiful view. There were bathrooms all over the place, and every possible convenience anyone would ever want. But nothing of importance was changed.

Why didn't I realize that? Why did I spend so many years thinking that a simple house in a different location could possibly make a difference in my life? The reason? I had a disease. I was deep, deep, deep in the disease of compulsive overeating, of addiction.

WHERE I LIVE IS INSIDE MYSELF. And if that miserable disease is living in there with me, there is no way in God's heaven a simple geographical change is going to help make any substantial changes whatsoever. When one lives inside oneself, we must change from the inside out ... not the outside in.

It is my opinion based on living in this world for a long time that the only way a person can change emotionally, spiritually and physically is by living the Twelve Steps. And by being Abstinent. And by loving oneself. They must all come together. And one of the reasons I write my journal, and one of the reasons I am sharing it with you, is so that some way, somehow all of those things can come together.

The Twelve Steps of Recovery don't just plop down in your lap one day. Abstinence doesn't just hit you over the head. And looking in the mirror and saying "I love you" isn't going to MAKE you love you. It's going to require peeling the onion ... one layer at a time .... one day at a time.

So ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ let's do it.

Let's get on with it.

Dear God,

If I am to be all I can be
In this lifetime ...
If I am to accomplish what
I need to accomplish ...
If I am to be free of this
disease I've been living with
for so long ...
I must ask for your help.
And you must give it to me.
@-}-}-}------
Love,
Mari



~ FROM THE LITERATURE ~




~~THE TWELVE STEPS ~ STEP SIX~~

Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.



~~ THE TWELVE TRADITIONS ~ TRADITION SIX ~~

The Overeaters Online Recovery Group ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.



~~ BIG BOOK QUOTE ~~
BIG BOOK READING
" "This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too. We asked God/HP to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend. When a person offended we said to ourselves, "This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God/HP save me from being angry. Thy will be done."

AABB, Pages 66-67

THOUGHTS...from Myrlene (Big Book and Recovery Group)
This is a very meaningful thing to remember, but very hard to do. I know before I had read, this several people would get on my "last nerve". I would usually get angry and maybe even say something which didn't make me feel any better, which would further the argument. Now that I have studied the BB, I know that that person is probably sicker than I, and I need to have more patience and understanding for where he/she is coming from. I can easily leave the situation and be further ahead than trying to argue with someone who doesn't know any better. Then I can also be more serene and peaceful and go on with my day.

Love,
Myrlene




~ RECOVERY MEDITATIONS ~

~ June Meditations Calendar ~
(http://www.therecoverygroup.org/meditations/june.html)

To receive the daily meditations by email, send a blank email to:
RecoveryMeditationsList-subscribe-request@lists.therecoverygroup.org




~ THE RECOVERY GROUP MEETINGS ~

THE RECOVERY GROUP ONLINE MEETINGS

The doorway to the meetings is at the top of the page at http://www.TheRecoveryGroup.org. All you have to do is click it, and you'll be in the meeting room. The times are 12 noon, 3PM, 6PM, 9PM, 12 midnight 3AM, 6AM, and 9AM. These are Eastern times, and all meetings are held in #Recovery on IRC with a doorway located at: http://www.TheRecoveryGroup.org.

Yet another way to reach the meeting webpage is directly, at:
http://www.therecoverygroup.org/meetings/

You can find other helpful information, including on-line meeting protocols at:
http://recovery.hiwaay.net/support/meetings.html

CAN YOU SPARE AN HOUR A WEEK?

We need your help for a wonderful line-up of online meetings. We will be working on a schedule of meetings every three hours around the clock every day, and are well on our way to meeting that goal. This will make it possible for those in time zones around the world to participate both as leaders and attendees. Will you help by volunteering an hour or two or three a week? It's easy, it gives you a good feeling by helping others, and it's fun!

Prospective meeting leaders must be actively working the Steps to the best of their ability and belong to at least one Recovery Loop. Although abstinence is not a requirement, many find that being abstinent allows them to better focus on the meetings. Further guidance is given after a prospective leader contacts the Meeting Admins at: MtgAdm@lists.TheRecoveryGroup.org.

If you are interested in being a meeting leader, please contact MtgAdm@lists.TheRecoveryGroup.org,
and you will be given further guidance. We hope as many of you as possible will write us back and let us know you can help. Please don't be shy ... meetings are easy and rewarding to lead.

We will get back to you as quickly as possible.



~ OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS CONTACTS ~

Overeaters Anonymous
World Service Office (WSO)
6075 Zenith Ct. NE
PO Box 44020
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
USA

Telephone 505-891-2664
Fax: 505-891-4320
 http://www.overeatersanonymous.org/index.html
E-Mail Address ~ info@overeatersanonymous.org

"I put my hand in yours ...
and together we can do what we could never do alone."
~ Rozanne, OA CoFounder ~


~ THE RECOVERY GROUP CONTACTS ~

TRG ADMINISTRATION
( TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org)

TRG ADMINISTRATOR
Dodee

TRG ADMINISTRATOR APPRENTICES
Cody
Mary W.

TRG ADVISORS: John and Patt
TRG DIVISIONS
RECOVERY LOOPS: Dodee and John
ODAT LOOPS: Nancy
DISCOVERY LOOPS: Cody and Mary W.
FOREIGN LOOPS: Dodee (Acting)
TRG OA MEETINGS: Terri, Barry and Christine
TRG SPECIAL SERVICES: Dodee (Acting)
TRG WEBSITE: Gary
Newsletter Editors ~ SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com ~ Marty and Faith
Newsletter Subscriptions ~ SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com(Subject=Email Subscription)
Letters to the Editor ~ SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com(Subject=Letter to the Editor)
Sponsor Coordinator ~ sponsors@therecoverygroup.org
Recovery Meeting Coordinator ~ MtgAdm@lists.TheRecoveryGroup.org
Technical Support ~ RecoveryTech@mail.com
Recovery Group Administrators ~ TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org
Recovery Group Founder ~ Mari


"In the deepest part of a compulsive eater's soul . . .
Is the realization that recovery begins when we find one another."


~~ The Serenity Prayer ~~

Grant us the SERENITY to accept the things we cannot change;
The COURAGE to change the things we can;
And the WISDOM to know the difference.


What we could never do alone ~
We can do together.

One day at a time, ~
One step at a time.




Disclaimer


The Recovery Group and our newsletter has as its mission and purpose that of carrying the message of recovery to those who suffer from the disease of compulsive eating. We are an anonymous organization and follow the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous; however, we are not affiliated with that group. Your articles, announcements and information are welcome. All opinions in this newsletter represent only the opinions of the writers and not necessarily that of The Recovery Group or OA, Inc.

The Trusted Servants of Recovery

Volume 6 Issue 6 © Copyright 2004 THE RECOVERY GROUP All rights reserved.