~ RECOVERY MEDITATION ~
Gratitude
(From Recovery Meditations ~ One Day at a Time)
"If the only prayer you said in your whole life
was, "Thank you," that would suffice."
~Meister Eckhart
I spent most of my life blaming my circumstances
and those around me for the way I felt, for my
eating problem and for my terrible life in general.
There was nothing good in my life at all, and I
viewed everything through a dark cloud of
negativity. I couldn't see anything good in my
life, and life became totally unbearable. Poor
me, I thought. It really wasn't fair that I had
been made to suffer the way I had, and I felt awash
with self pity. The more sorry I felt for myself,
the more I ate, and the more I ate, the worse I felt;
it became a vicious circle.
When I was brought to my knees by this disease and
came into the fellowship, I was forced to take stock
and look honestly at my life. For the first time
ever I considered the losses and difficult situations
in my life that I had perceived as unfair and negative.
In each case there had been amazing gains. For example,
the car accident I'd been in hadn't been my fault at
all. In fact, it became the catalyst that enabled me to
change careers. One of the bereavements that I had,
brought a wonderful and special friend into my life.
And so it went.
Before, I had bemoaned my fate as a compulsive
overeater. Now, I am actually grateful to be a
compulsive overeater, because without my disease I
never would have a wonderful program that helps me
to live my life sanely and serenely, nor would I
have all the very special people who love and
support me through thick and thin.
One day at a time ...
I am grateful for all the wonderful miracles
that have happened in my life as a result of this
program ... may I never forget to thank my Higher
Power for all these wonderful blessings.
~ Sharon S.
~ TRG WRITING SERIES ~ INSPIRATIONS ~
The Butterfly
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a
small opening appeared. He sat and watched the
butterfly for several hours as it struggled to
force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It
appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could,
and it could go no further. So the man decided
to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors
and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. The man
continued to watch the butterfly, because he
expected that, at any moment, the wings would
enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,
which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the
rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body
and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not
understand, was that the restricting cocoon and
the struggle, required for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening, were God's way of
forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into
its wings so that it would be ready for flight
once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in
our lives. If God allowed us to go through our
lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have
been. We could never fly!
I asked for Strength ....
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom ....
And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity ....
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage ....
And God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love ....
And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors ....
And God gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ....
I received everything I needed!
May your path be bright and full of light
everywhere you go. And, I pray your feet
will never stumble out of God's plan.
May the desires of your heart come true,
And may you experience peace in everything
you do. May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy
come your way. And, may you gain Wisdom
and grow in God every day.
~ Author Unknown
~ LOOP SPOTLIGHT OF THE MONTH ~
DIABETES
The Diabetes One Day at a Time (ODAT) loop
is dedicated to providing a recovery home for
compulsive overeaters who also have diabetes.
We have found that the combination of diabetes
and compulsive overeating is a double-edged
sword. These two diseases feed into each other
in some very cunning and baffling ways. Our
mission is to provide a safe and peaceful place
where we can help each other to recover from
compulsive overeating and, through abstinence
and healthy planning, manage our diabetes by
sharing our experience, strength and hope with
one another.
The very special people on our loop not only
work on their own recovery, but also strive to
carry a message of hope and recovery to others.
We try to help each other with information about
how to protect our health in the face of
diabetes and compulsive overeating, and how to
develop our conscious contact with the God of our
Understanding, by working the 12 steps of
Overeaters Anonymous and practicing its principles
in all our affairs. We strive to offer a home for
recovery that is warm, inviting, safe and serene.
We are here to share with you and listen to you 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. We talk about our
physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and how we
might use the program of Overeaters Anonymous to
meet those needs. We use the tools of recovery --
one-on-one sponsors, online recovery meetings,
literature, study loops, and other tools, as well
as the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions -- to
achieve the promises of a healthier, happier and more
spiritually-fulfilled life of relief from compulsive
overeating.
The only one requirement for membership in the loop
is the sincere desire to stop eating compulsively.
If you have this desire and would like to become part
of our recovery family, we welcome you and look
forward to walking the walk of recovery with you.
Subscription information:
Visit our website located at:
http://www.TheRecoveryGroup.org/odat/diabetics/index.html
To join Diabetes, send a blank email to:
Diabetes-subscribe-request@lists.therecoverygroup.org
Contact: ODATAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org
~ TV AND RECOVERY: INCOMPATIBLE? ~
(From OA's Lifetime)
I just noticed something as I was reflecting on
today's "For Today" reading. I haven't watched TV
in about a week, and I haven't had the urge to eat
compulsively. But I have, in the past, noticed a
connection between watching certain shows on TV,
and then having a strong desire to eat
compulsively. This morning's reading brought the
connection to light again because of one line in
today's passage:
"My food addiction was acquired so I could survive
and cope in earlier, painful circumstances." I
could relate to this line; however, when I thought
about my life today, in the present, I asked myself,
"What do I need to survive today?" The answer was,
"life as it is without eating compulsively," and
then I thought of TV.
Certain TV shows cause me to be distracted from
reality or send me into a spiral of negativity. I
have noticed that daytime dramas (soap operas)
and nighttime dramas take me away from the present
life I live - one of happiness, peace and serenity -
and they throw me back into the chaos, pain and
confusion of my life in the past. My life used
to resemble a soap opera. When I watch these types
of shows, I move far away from the reality of my
life today, far away from the recovery I've made.
While I'm watching the show, I forget where I am.
Talk shows also can affect me negatively. These
shows take me back to an unhealthy lifestyle of
gossip. This goes against what I am trying to
achieve today - acceptance of others and myself,
with love and understanding. These shows present
the illusion that people are bad, corrupt and
untrustworthy. I can't think like this and hope
to recover in OA. I have also noticed that I am
often comparing my body size and my looks to
women on TV; this is not healthy for me. I
compare myself, of course, to the women who
are wearing size zero. I catch myself thinking
about starving and over-exercising, and I totally
forget about being happy with who I am.
I read an article recently that quoted an
evolutionary psychiatrist's view that television
can distort our self-perception. It said that
humans naturally compete with others in our
environment, and we compare our lives
with "the fantasy lives we see on television."
We become dissatisfied with ourselves, and even
with our own families." OA's "Twelve and Twelve,"
on pages two and three, says, "Clearly, if we are
to live free of the bondage of compulsive eating,
we must abstain from all foods and eating
behaviors which cause us problems."
For me, this also means that I have to refrain
from certain behaviors that lead me to eat
compulsively. Since I am an "all or nothing"
person, my first thought normally would be,
"That's it. No more TV." Thanks to OA, however,
I have learned that I have choices, and I have
chosen balance. I haven't given up entirely on
TV. I have decided not to watch the shows that
trigger the desire to eat compulsively.
I want to keep my abstinence (a little over three
years), and I'm "willing to go to any lengths" to
keep it.
- Reprinted from OA's "Lifeline" magazine
~ TRG SPONSOR PROGRAM ~
Sponsorship is one of the vital keys to success in
OA and the Recovery Group. The sponsor maintains
recovery from compulsive eating by sharing the
Twelve Step program with others. The newcomer, in
reaching out for help from a successful Recovery
member, transcends the long-held idea that
self-sufficiency must be maintained at all
costs ~ and acquires a state of humility so
necessary for the practice of the Twelve Steps.
The sponsor and the newcomer benefit equally from
the relationship. The best way to learn to be a
sponsor is to have a sponsor. Methods of
sponsorship vary from person to person, always
remembering that a sponsor's primary responsibility
is to help a sponsee take the 12 Steps. If you are
ready to experience this JOY, please write to the
contact address, below. We will be happy to help
you get started.
May we, Sponsor and Sponsee, be protected together.
May we enjoy the fruits of our selfless service.
May we always be connected to our own Inner Joy and
Peace. May the Wisdom within our Spirits Be full of
Light. May we always share our LOVE with one another.
The Recovery Group's "Sponsor" website, listed below,
suggests many ways that are open to members who are
seeking sponsorship. Our Sponsor Program keeps an
up-to-date list of available sponsors and also has
an up-to-date list of sponsor biographies.
With love and great JOY in service,
Patt and Cate
TRG Sponsor Coordinators
www.TheRecoveryGroup.org/sponsors.html
Contact:
Sponsors@TheRecoveryGroup.org
~ TRG TOPIC TEAM ~
An Overview
- What is the TRG "Topics Team?"
The TRG Topics Team is made up of TRG members
who like to write on recovery and related topics.
- What is the purpose of the Topics Team?
The purpose of the Topics Team is to stimulate
discussion on the loops.
- How does the Topics Team work?
The Topics Team joins loops that are too quiet. Then
one member of the team introduces a topic for the loop
to consider. Another team member may respond,
showing how one idea can lead to another, and so on.
- Why do we need a Topics Team?
Because not all TRG members feel comfortable sending
email to a loop. They need to see how things work.
And if a loop becomes very quiet, new members never
see how easy it is to jump in and share. So the
Topics Team jumps in and shares to show folks how
it is done.
- What can we do to help Topics Team?
We can respond to topics of interest and hit "Send!"
We don't even need to wait for a Topics Team topic to
share. If we have questions about how or what to share,
we can always ask our friendly loop coordinators.
- What is the overall objective of the Topics Team?
The Topics Team is here to serve TRG, all of us,
individually and collectively. It helps us to feel that
TRG is a safe and fun place to interact with other
Compulsive Overeaters. Sometimes we need help sharing.
We get into a funk or forget that we are, each one of
us, a fountain of experience, strength, and hope. We
don't fully realize how much our shares can mean to
others. Isn't it wonderful to read a share from a
complete stranger, perhaps thousands of miles away,
and say, "Hey, that's just what happened to me," or,
"That is just how I feel!" But none of this
glorious interaction can take place unless we
participate. So participate we must! And your Topics
Team is here to help.
Let us know if you would like to be a member of the
TRG Topic Team. Write us at:
TRGAdm@TheRecoveryGroup.org
~ TRG AUTONOMY ~
At every service level, the key to Tradition Four is
autonomy with responsibility and patience. In a perfect
world, all our support groups, studies, workshops,
online meetings and projects would be able to run
autonomously without any help, technical or otherwise.
If our support groups, studies, meetings, workshops,
etc. were face-to-face, this would be no problem. If
we were to be a single meeting rather than 150
different support groups, it might be an easier task
to be autonomous. If we did not rely on technology and
those skilled enough to use it, that, too, would make it
easier to have each little section of TRG spin like a
little satellite in space tethered to nothing. As the
Recovery Group matures, we find our support groups able
to cut the apron strings from us a little more each year.
We are pleased to announce that on October 15th, with the
exception of several very large groups and a few meetings,
the support groups of TRG became autonomous.
What this means is that if a group has a problem,
that group solves its own problem. If the members of a
group want the loop to be a certain way, a group conscience
taken by those members can determine that. If a group
finds itself without a Coordinator or a Meeting Leader,
no more should they come to TRGAdm or their Division Chair
and say "Get us one." Instead, they must ask for
nominations and choose one of their own.
TRG has had many Group Consciences over the years
and is running like a top. Even though the kinks have
been worked out by the early pioneers, there are still
new things that need resolving and the way to do this in
most of our groups now is to have a discussion and see
if a G/C is in order. The protocol would be to notify
TRGAdm that one is being held and ask for them to
impartially facilitate one. The Group Conscience itself
is run very similarly to an OA face-to-face meeting and
the guidelines can be found at this URL:
http://www.oa.org/pdf/GroupConscience.pdf
~ RECOVERY TALK ROOM ~
Dear TRG Recovery Mates,
My name is Clem, and I am a compulsive overeater
doing service as a contact resource for the
#RecoveryTalk Room. This room has been created
for all those times when you would just love to
talk with someone. A place to go and get
support or discuss the days events. A great place
to meet and make friends or debate hot issues.
A place to grow..... We welcome everyone.
So when the sharing is over in your structured
OA meeting rooms, come and join us in CHAT in the
#RecoveryTalk Room.
TRG has made it easy to get there. There is a link
on the TRG main web page at
http://www.therecoverygroup.org.
Click on "Doorway to #RecoveryTalk, and you will be
transported, magically, to that room.
Or, when in your loop meeting or the main recovery
room meeting type in the text line: /Join
#RecoveryTalk and hit enter/return and again you will
be magically transported to this room.
Meeting leaders will announce the opportunity to use
this room at the end of their meetings, so watch for
this announcement.
Hope to see you there... the lights are always on
and the coffee brewing... 24/7
In Service,
Clem