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The Recovery Page - Newsletter of the
GEAIG
Summer 1998
On the Lighter Side of Life
(line) | How Does Your Garden Grow? | Sharing On Service | Service | For Today - June 21
Reflections-Simply Spring Marathon | Newsletter Fall 98 Theme | Our Recovery Page
Newsletter’s Winter Theme
Strengthen Your Recovery By Doing
Service | Erie OA Meeting Updates | OA Contact Information
On the Lighter Side of Life (line)
"An OA friend and I were eating brown-bag lunches in the park one windy day," writes a member from Dallas. "We did our best to pin everything down, but even sitting with my back to the stiff breeze, I had trouble keeping my lunch in place"
"When I noticed the wind flinging rice cake crumbs across the table, I apologized for peppering my friend with food."
"Oh, that's all right," she said casually. A moment later she confessed: "Actually a few pieces flew right into my mouth. I've been telling myself they were sent from heaven!"
Here is a selection of 'slips of the tongue' heard at recent OA meetings:
"After a moment of medication, we will conclude with the Lord's Prayer."
"Humbly asked Him to restore our shortcomings."
"Welcome to the Monday night meeting of Odoreaters Anonymous."
"Now we'll have three minutes of positive pinches."
Lifeline-June 1990
"As I was leaving a meeting," a Michigan member shares, "someone asked why a certain member was absent. 'She had to go to the hospital," I explained. 'Her sister-in-law needs a transfusion. They asked her to donate because she has OA positive blood."
Lifeline-January 1992
"After a Sunday night couples meeting," writes L. W. from Madison WI, "a good number of us went to a restaurant for coffee. The waiter introduced himself by saying, 'My name is Tom, and I am your waiter,' and the group responded in unison: 'Hi, Tom! Welcome!'"
L. C., a New York member writes; "I was about to grab a snack, when suddenly I heard, 'Watch those steps!' Okay, so maybe the bus driver was talking to that elderly woman, but I know H.P.'s voice when I hear it!"
Lifeline-May 1991
It has been proven that laughter is one of the greatest methods of healing yourself, as shown in the saying 'laughter is the best medicine.' If anyone has a favorite joke, anecdote or witticism, please send it to the Recovery Newsletter!
First plant 5 rows of PEAS:
Next plant 3 rows of SQUASH:
Then plant 7 rows of LETTUCE:
No garden is complete without TURNIPS:
Planting Instructions:
"Sanctuary"-May/June 1997
Greater Dayton Area Intergroup
I've always liked helping others so service is a great topic to share with my other OA's. Actually outside these rooms my work is also service oriented and I just recently took on service at one of our meetings.
I'm glad to be able to help in some way. I'm glad to have the opportunity to give back some of the gifts I've received since walking into these rooms.
Service isn't just an office at intergroup or putting out chairs and literature at meetings. Service is being able to deal with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. That's one gray area in my life because I'm a hard person to deal with, I have an obsessive overbearing nature in a lot of situations. I'm learning that the more I give it to HP and leave it there, the easier I am to deal with. But often I take it back because I'm not always patient. I want to fix people and things.
In my heart I'm very grateful to all who have given their time and their efforts. We wouldn't know OA as it is today without service.
I'm grateful to both my first and second sponsors for their ongoing support when I want to do service. Without the service they've given to me in the gift of sponsorship, I might not be in these rooms here and now.
OA service, service of any kind, it's all important in recovery and in our daily lives.
Submitted by Elaine, Erie OA
I would like to share a story I once heard, it is a true story as I understand it and it seems to follow the theme of service chosen for this newsletter.
"Many years ago, just outside of Boston, MA, there was a mental institution which for its day was well advanced. But even though this one was well ahead of others in the country, they still had a dungeon downstairs where they put the ones for which there was no hope. They had a little girl named Anne, little Anne, and little Anne had those tremendous mood swings (one day she was kind and loving and gentle, and another day she became almost a little animal) she was just absolutely impossible to predict and they had her down in the dungeon.
There was an elderly nurse there who was nearing age of retirement and for whatever reason she started everyday going down there and having her lunch just outside of the cage where little Anne was being housed. She wouldn't necessarily talk to her, she might speak or say a few things, but she was just there everyday in her own way communicating to her 'you are a human being, I do love you, I have an interest in you.' One day she took some brownies and put them just inside the cage and little Anne ignored them. But the next day she noticed that the brownies were gone. The next week she took some more brownies down and the process goes on.
Well the doctors there noticed that there was improvement in little Anne. They decided they would move her up and put her in the treatment process. Later they pronounced her well. They said you can leave now, you're OK, you can function in society. But she said, 'No, you know, this has meant so much to me, it has given me my life back. I would like to stick around for at least a few years and pay back by doing some things for some other people.'
Many, many years later when Helen Keller received England's highest recognition for a foreigner, Queen Victoria asked her, 'To whom or what do you attribute your remarkable success in life, with all the handicaps, all of the things you've done?' Without any hesitation Helen Keller said, 'Had it not been for Anne Sullivan (little Anne) this would not have happened.'
The moral I've taken to heart from this story is that 'service to another,' no matter how insignificant it may seem to me or to you, may mean the world to someone else.
Submitted by Juanita K., Erie OA
For Today - June 21
First Day of Summer
We are rarely proud when we are alone-Voltaire
I want to be with others as I am with myself. There are not pretenses or defenses or self-defeating attitudes. I am learning not to hurt myself, so I play no games. I don't try to impress myself or act as if I'm important. I know better. I am closest to being myself when I am with myself. Nowhere do I follow a script or play a part or pretend to be something I'm not.
Overeaters Anonymous encourages me to be myself when I am with other members. As I share at meetings it gets easier to put aside the silly cloak of pride that doesn't fool anyone and keeps my feelings locked up inside.
For today: Being myself is like abstinence: it feels good.
Reflections..."Simply Spring Marathon"
May 2nd, 1998 brought 22 of us out of the rain and together at St. Vincent's McGarvey Learning Center where hot coffee and cold pop and water awaited us. Mel and Beverly (Beverly joined us from Jamestown, NY) opened our day and Deb kept it going as M.C.
Our group was brought new strength and hope by three speakers: Fred, Betsy, and Joyce from New York, who shared their OA experience with us. Each had a "Nugget of Wisdom," as Betsy would call it, to share. Joyce reminded us all that "we are all human and that no one is perfect" so we are not to beat ourselves up if our abstinence and our life doesn't go exactly according to plan. Fred reminded us of the "good old days of OA" and shared a very insightful analogy of the 4th step and of the 12 steps in general: "Peeling the Onion of Life...You will peel off the first layer and cry. You will eventually get used to the feeling and then peel another layer and cry again... and so it goes."
We ended the evening with the Chinese auction. There were so many items I'm sure that everyone got at least one thing to take home with them, however Fran seemed to have luck on her side as her name was drawn at least a half a dozen times. There was also a 50/50 sold and drawn, the winner (Fran) received $12.50. We closed with the Lord's prayer, a lot of hugs, and a great feeling of hope for the coming week!
At the Tuesday night meeting, in response to Fred's reminder of the "good old days of OA," Sharon brought us some food for thought; in the past OA had 'newcomer communities' who would be responsible for keeping in contact with newcomers...this community would rotate monthly giving everyone the chance to experience this type of service. Perhaps all meetings could ponder brining such a thing back within their weekly groups.
Our Recovery Page Newsletter’s Fall Theme
Acceptance–
Please do not make me scrounge for things to fill this newsletter! Please submit a little about Acceptance for the fall 1998 newsletter! Remember, this is your newsletter.
Mail to:
OA Newsletter Subscription
P. O. Box 10154
Erie, PA 16614-0154
E-mail: Juanita
Fax: (814) 725-9193
World Wide Web: Click here to visit our web site. Click on one of the e-mail links and enter your article there. You can also attach a computer file to an e-mail message.
Give your material to a member of Intergroup who will pass it on to Juanita..
As your newsletter editor, I must take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who submitted material for this newsletter. I am so encouraged and inspired at the giving spirit expressed by our fellowship!
Juanita K.
Saturday OA Meeting
The Saturday OA meeting at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Erie will meet from 10:30-11:30 AM each Saturday.
OA World Service: P. O. Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4020; (505) 891-2664; e-mail: overeatr@technet.nm.com; fax: (505) 891-4320
OA World Service Trustee: Carol Parent, 46 Bridal Court, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003-5154; (609) 354-5031
OA Region 7 Inc.: 15 East North Street, Dover, DE 19903-0899; (609) 983-6841
OA Literature Catalog: P. O. Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM 87174
AA Literature Catalog: AA World Services, Inc., P. O. Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163; (212) 870-3400
Newletter Editor: Juanita K., fax: (814) 725-9193; e-mail: custsrv@ispen.com
Newsletter Subscription Information:
Send $1.50 for a one year subscription to the Recovery Page to: P. O. Box 28, Erie, PA 16512
The opinions expressed herein are not to be attributed to the Greater Erie Intergroup or to OA as a whole, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement. The editor welcomes contributions and reserves the right to edit all articles with the intent of preserving the 12 Steps & 12 Traditions.