From the Chair
February is the month of love. Love of a program and steps that lead us to recovery, a growing love for a Power greater than ourselves and everything that Power wants to be for us as long as we seek it; the love of our fellows in program and everything they do for us on a daily basis; love of our sponsor and
sponsees and how we continue to grow and learn from both; and finally the love of self which comes all on its own as we develop a relationship with a Higher Power of our understanding.
The MHIG Member Survey will be rolling out soon and we want to hear from all of you!! The good, the bad and the ugly, we want it all! Suggestions on how to do things differently or better, critiques on what you believe has been done incorrectly, anything and everything. We want to know! We are here to serve you and we are excited to learn some new ideas on what you would want from a service group so do not be shy on that survey. This is a chance to have your voices/opinions be heard.
**Fun Fact- The word love is used in some form 78 times in the Big Book, 149 time in Voices of Recovery and 115 times in the For Today daily reader**
“True comfort is to be found in the balance and sanity of abstinence. So deep and pure is this comfort that it is well worth whatever trouble or pain I might have to pass through to attain it.” — For Today, p. 253.
When I became newly abstinent, I went through a difficult time experiencing the pain which had been buried under food and fat. I felt it mostly at night. Up came all the aches of the past: terrors, regrets, and deep, deep sadness. I exorcised those ghosts with the help of my OA friends and the Twelve Steps. I used the tools of telephone and writing a lot. The support I received was incredible. I’m so grateful! Now true comfort for me is waking up with that clean, happy feeling, knowing I was abstinent the day before. True comfort is: Hearing the birds sing Breathing the sweet breath of life Thrilling to the
beauty of nature Loving this moment Loving the people I’m with Being grateful all the time. So deep and pure and satisfying is abstinence, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Overeaters Anonymous. Voices of
Recovery -January 3rd
“Recovery began for most of us when we got out of isolation and into an OA group. Here we discovered we were never meant to live alone.” — The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 109
There’s something about this Fellowship of individuals that has completely changed my life. I think the spirituality of OA comes from the comforting word “we.” I’m not alone. I used to find my comfort in food, but it was a lonely, sad kind of comfort. Now my comfort is in this Fellowship. There’s much love in this program. Even if I feel tired and cranky when I walk into a meeting, smiles and hugs greet me. The honest sharing, holding of hands, and praying transform and energize me. When I
can’t make a meeting, I can make a phone call. When I can’t make a phone call, I can send an e-mail or write a letter to another OAer. I’m part of a “we.” In this wonderful program I’ve found love and understanding beyond my wildest dreams. Thank God for OA. Overeaters Anonymous. Voices of
Recovery . Overeaters Anonymous. Kindle Edition. February 12
Wishing you all nothing but love, in all its forms this month,
Lori J.