The Twelve Step
Newsletter Of The Recovery Group
CELEBRATING
1995-2005
THE
FIRST DECADE OF THE RECOVERY GROUP
Volume
Seven ~ Issue 10
October 2005
SERENDIPITY CONTACT:
SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com
This issue is
available on the web temporarily at:
www.therecoverygroup.org/serendipity/october2005.html
The Serendipity
website is at the following URL and
all past issues of
Serendipity are available there.
http://www.TheRecoveryGroup.org/serendipity/index.html
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Both
SERENITY MAGAZINE and SERENDIPITY NEWSLETTER
are sent monthly to all
members of The Recovery Group.
SERENITY, the colour 12 Step monthly magazine for all
is available to
non-Recovery members by sending a
blank email to:
Serenity-subscribe-request@lists.therecoveryGroup.org
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ser*en*dip*i*ty ~ (noun) First appeared
1754:
the faculty or phenomenon
of finding valuable
or agreeable things not
sought for.
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THIS MONTH IN SERENDIPITY
From The Serendipity Team
Recovery Meditation ~ Secrets
Quotation of the Month
Founder's Corner ~ Vulnerability
Letters to Serendipity
TRGAdm ~ The
Administrative Hub
The Recovery Group ~ Administration Highlights
ODAT Loops Division
Recovery Loops Division
Discovery Loops Division
TRG/OA Online Meeting Division
TRG Programs And
Services Division
TRG Sponsor Program
TRG Telephone Angels
TRG Trusted Servants
Newcomer's Corner
New WTS Quarterly Step Study
Announcements
From The Literature ~ The
Big Book
The Serenity Prayer
Overeaters Anonymous Contacts
Recovery Meditations Calendar
The Recovery Group Contacts
The Serendipity Team
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FROM THE SERENDIPITY TEAM
Dear Readers,
Welcome to October's edition of Serendipity.
Each
month we endeavour to provide you with information
about events taking place
in our community. We
always value your input and
invite you to let us
know what you think.
Reader suggestions and articles
are encouraged and
welcomed! Each month, our TRG
administrators, coordinators and
other trusted
servants report about what's
occurring in our
various divisions, programs
and loops. We want to
get our message of hope
and recovery out to as many
people as possible, so we
urge you to use our
newsletter as a personal
resource and to share it
with others. Mail it to
friend, or invite someone
to look at Serendipity
on the website.
This month, along with our regular articles,
we have
a brand new column
called Newcomer's Corner wherein
each month we'll get to know
a little about some of
the newcomers to Program.
You'll also be hearing about
a new appointment to
TRG Administration, a new WTS
Quarterly beginning October 1, as well as a
new TRG
Program called the TRG Topic Team
I hope you have a wonderful October! Enjoy
reading
this month's edition of
the Serendipity newsletter.
Love in recovery,
The Serendipity Team
Contact: SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com
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RECOVERY MEDITATION ~ SLEEP
Sleep is the best meditation.
~ Dalia Lama ~
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I wasn’t sleeping enough when I first came
into
program. I had no idea that
fatigue was one of
the sources of my
unhappiness, grouchiness,
impatience, touchiness, sadness,
procrastination,
desire for extra food, fear,
and stress.
But as I got into recovery I began to see what
a
threat fatigue is to
abstinence. I discovered that
I needed an hour or two more of sleep per
night than
I had been getting! I also discovered in
myself a
lot of resistance to
doing less and sleeping more.
Plenty of times it seemed impossible. I had
set up
expectations in myself and others
that made it
difficult.
Now I know that if I want to be in a bad mood,
see
my serenity crumble,
struggle with my program, and
watch my effectiveness
plummet, all I have to do is
start skimping on my sleep.
It’s taken me years to
learn this, but getting
enough sleep is now a
cornerstone of my self care.
One Day at a Time . . .
I will get an adequate amount of sleep to
ensure I
can be at my best.
~ Artemis ~
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QUOTATION OF THE MONTH
To the mind that is still, the whole universe
surrenders.
~ Lao Tzu ~
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FOUNDER'S CORNER
GIVE IT
UP!
"After
all, our problems were of our own making.
Bottles
(food) were only a symbol. Besides, we
have stopped fighting
anybody or anything. We
have to.
.
. . . . . P. 103, The Big Book
If you truly have the disease of compulsive
eating and if you live long
enough, you will lose
the fight. COE
is stronger than any ten men and
it will grab you by the
shoulders, look you
squarely in the eye and shake
you until you fall
to your
knees. If you've never been there, know
that it will
happen. Denial will keep you out
of reality for a few
years or decades.
If you have an issue that you're intent on
winning,
quit fighting
it. If there's an unreasonable person
in your life you're
trying to deal with, quit trying
to reason with
them. If you think you can do
this alone, forget
it. It won't happen. If you
believe a "good
diet" is the answer, stop right
now and realize that no
matter how "good" the
diet, it will take the
weight off. But the disease
will put it right back on.
Give it up. You're not going to
win. Accept - it's
your only sensible choice.
Admit powerlessness,
but do the
footwork. Take action and follow the
guidelines which will lead to
the promises.
Love in recovery,
Mari
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LETTERS TO SERENDIPITY
To submit your comments or letters to the
editor,
please send an email to:
SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com
All comments and suggestions are welcome.
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Dear Serendipity,
I am a brand new sponsor. I would like
to join the
sponsor email loop. How do I
do this?
Cathy
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I have tried to join the WTS group. I got the
email
with instructions and
replied to it, but I lost the
web site link again and
can find it. I'm not sure if
I actually am considered in the list. Please
help
me to join the group ,
thanks.
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THE RECOVERY GROUP - ADMINISTRATION HIGHLIGHTS
TRG ADM
FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION TEAM
Featuring Online Sponsors
The Recovery Group Administration is very
pleased
to announce that Audrey adaigle0017@charter.net
has joined us as an
administrator, in training.
Audrey has been an integral part of Recovery
for
the past six
years. She has held various service
positions during that time, but
her greatest
passion has been our OA
Online Meetings. She is
Co-Chair of the Meetings Division at present,and
trains the new
leaders. She also works closely
with StarChat
Network, the hosts of our meetings.
We're very glad to have you aboard, Audrey!
When we think of using the OA tools of
Sponsors,
most of us think of
getting and using a sponsor.
This is very important. But there is another
side to
this tool - being a
sponsor. The founders of AA
discovered that working with
others was the best
way to maintain
abstinence.
So are you qualified to be a sponsor? The
program
says that you can sponsor
up to the level of your
experience. If you have worked
the first three Steps
and are abstinent, you
may be ready to sponsor
newcomers. You can also ask
your sponsor to tell you
if you are ready to take
that step.
The Recovery Group (TRG) has a wonderful
online
sponsors program. It is headed
by Patt and Cate.
They work tirelessly to get the sponsor
information
to all who ask. We'd
like to recognize the service
that they do.
So if you see Patt
or Cate around, thank them
for all their hard work,
and please ask yourself if
you are willing to pass
on the tradition of
sponsoring.
Dodee and Nancy,
TRG Administrators
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THE
DISCOVERY LOOPS
The Discovery Loops are part of the ODAT
Group's
loops for men and women who
have eating disorders
and a working a program
of recovery. Two of our
loops are for children and
the parents of children
who are struggling. We
have a kitchen here, a
wonderful yellow brick road,
and even a loop for
those who are exercisers.
Are feature loop this
month is called COKids.
Are you a parent concerned that your child may
develop an eating disorder or
may already have
an eating disorder?
Are you a teacher, therapist or physician who
works with a child who has
an eating disorder?
Are you a parent with an eating disorder and
concerned about how your behaviour has affected
or may affect your
children?
There is a support group available that can
help
address all of these
concerns. It is called COKids.
The purpose of the group is to determine ways
to
help our children avoid
or, if already affected,
recover from their eating disorders.
Members of the COKids
community include parents,
grandparents, therapists,
teachers, relatives and
close friends of these
innocent victims of our
disease. We in COKids share with one another in
a private discussion
group the problems children
encounter as a result of
compulsive eating. A
companion list called KIDS is
also available for
the children themselves
to interact with one
another in supervised
discussion groups of their
own.
For further information, or to join COKids, send a
blank email to:
COKids-subscribe-request@lists.therecoverygroup.org
Website:
http://www.therecoverygroup.org/cokids/index.html
Contact:
BirdladyInMich@aol.com
(Myrlene)
Help your child and help yourself - join COKids today!
Athena
Discovery Division Chair
www.TheRecoveryGroup.org/discovery/index.html
Contact: DiscoveryAdm@yahoo.com
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THE ODAT GROUP LOOPS
The ODAT groups is a division of TRG, with
many opportunities for
people with specific
interests or
challenges. Everyone here is part
of OA, and has the
disease of compulsive
overeating in common.
If you are a COE who has a specific physical
challenge, you might want to
join our
Disabilities, PMS, or
Pain loop. If you
are addicted to other
substances, you might
want to join our AA, Drug
Abuse, Spending, or
Sex & Love Addiction loops. People who are
Jewish, Mormon, Christian, or Pagan can find
others of the same faith to
share their recovery
journey.
Our featured group this month is Grey Sheet.
Many people are curious about the Grey Sheet
food program, and can take
benefit from the
choices provided through its
planned program of
eating. If you interested in
following a food
plan, or want to talk with
those who do,
our Grey Sheet group is
for you. For further
information about any of these
groups, please
contact our Donna at odatadm@yahoo.com
Submitted By: Donna, Odat
Division Chairperson
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THE
RECOVERY GROUP LOOPS
The Recovery Loops Division is made up of TRG's
Twelve-step general sharing support groups.
Our
common mission is to provide
a safe and supportive
space for anyone who wants
to recover from the
disease of compulsive eating
to share their
experience, strength, and hope
with others. In
addition, some of these loops
also have a special
focus. The loops that make
up this Division are:
Anorexia and Bulimia, The
Big Book, 200 Plus,
Journey to Recovery, Meditations, OA Friends,
OA Newcomers, OA Recovery, Relapse, Sponsor-
Sponsee-Talk, Working the
Steps (“WTS”), and
WTS Weekly.
We welcome January (AngelBQuick@aol.com)
as the new Coordinator-In-Training
for the WTS
and WTS Weekly loops. The
current WTS study is
getting ready to wind down
and a new series
will be beginning next
quarter starting on
October 1.
The majority of the loops in this Division are
doing very well with lots of
members sharing their
experience, strength and hope on
a daily basis. In
particular, the OA Recovery loop
has really blossomed
under the care of its two
dedicated coordinators.
There are two special purposes loops, however,
that
could use a boost from existing
and new members. One
of these is the
Meditations loop and the other is
the Sponsor-Sponsee-Talk loop. Both of these loops
need coordinators. If you
are interested in becoming
a coordinator for one
of them, please email me at
Respectfully submitted,
CherylS, Chair
The Recovery Group Loops Division
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FROM THE ON-LINE MEETING DIVISION
Meetings Around the
World ~ Around the Clock
One of our recent meeting topics was, "If
we are to
experience permanent recovery from
compulsive eating,
we will have to repeat,day after day, the actions
that have already brought
us so much healing."
(The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of
Overeaters
Anonymous p.83.)
One member shared that she "had been
saved by the
‘power of habit’ of
coming to meetings" and at the
conclusion of her share, other
members responded with
"I REALLY needed your encouraging words
tonight!"
"That was so good for we
newer members to hear ...
Thank you for sharing such great experience,
strength
and hope tonight."
The message was clear - on line
meetings are a GREAT source of
recovery - so keep
coming back!!
Thank you to all our great leaders who provide
their
time and topics for our
wonderful meetings - our
membership is expanding, recovery
is strong and the
fellowship is awesome.
In loving service,
Terri, Barry,
Audrey and Christine
On-Line Meeting Co-ordinators
Email: mtgadm@lists.therecoverygroup.org
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THE
RECOVERY GROUP PROGRAMS
AND
SPECIAL SERVICES DIVISION
The Programs & Special Services
Division is a dynamic
wing of the Recovery Group
and encompasses a diverse
number of OA areas and
projects. The sphere of
Programs & Services Division operations
includes TRG
Sponsor Program, TRG Telephone Angels,
Serendipity,
Serenity, Recovery Meditations, Recovery
Meditations
Book Project, Recovery Message Board, Recovery
Photo
Album, Recovery 12 Step Anniversaries,
Recovery Talk
Room on Main Website, Recovery Guestbooks and
Counters, Recovery Bravenet
Features (Polls, FAQ,
etc.),Outreach
Programs with other Online Groups,
and the Writer's Series.
We also have a brand new brand called the TRG
Topic
Team. The TRG Topic Team's
mission is to help loops
enhance their sense of
community, to model good
sharing skills, and to help
get loop members
motivated and sharing. If you
could use help in your
loop, have further
questions or would like to become
part of TRG Topic Team
please contact Rob at
Love in Recovery
Rob R
TRG Programs And
Services Division Chair
The Recovery Group
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THE
RECOVERY GROUP SPONSOR PROGRAM
People often ask, how
do I learn to be a Sponsor?
The honest answer is, you learn by being
sponsored!
Once you have been sponsored through the
steps,
you have received the
directions you need to sponsor
another member through the
steps!
Here are some other helps
that you may want to
use in sponsoring and
being sponsored
If you go to www.oa.org
place your cursor at the top
of the page where it
says: 'Online Store' and a menu
comes down click where it
says 'Online Shopping'
and when that page comes
up scroll down to where it
says:
'Program Literature'
and click there.
On this page you will find these listed:
#200
A Guide for Sponsors
When and how do you become a
sponsor? What are the
different styles
of sponsoring? What should you do if
you slip or relapse?
Describes the many aspects of
sponsoring.
#220
A Guide to the
Twelve Steps for You and Your Sponsor
An in-depth guide to each of the Twelve Steps
and
instructions about how to use them
in sponsorship. A
valuable resource forsponsors and sponsorees.
When you are ready to begin sponsoring, please
write
to us and we will be
happy to add your name to our
TRG sponsor List!
Cate and Patt
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THE
RECOVERY GROUP TELEPHONE ANGELS PROGRAM
Dear Friend in Recovery,
There is an opportunity available for you all
to give
back what you have been
given by carrying the message
through the use of the
telephone. Simply by being
willing to accept phone calls
from fellow members of
TRG, you
can have an impact on other COE's in
need and possibly help
keep someone from that first
compulsive bite.
Our program can be very simple, yet just by a
member
of a loop, reaching out,
and making a phone call from
a list available to
them, lives can be changed. So
many times I have been
going through a tough time and
picked up the phone and with
the kind words spoken on
the other end I was able
to express my pain thus
preserving my abstinence one
more day.
And sometimes just the act of dialing the
phone and
releasing the negative energy
is enough, so even if
the person is not home,
the negativity or obsession
becomes lifted and another
tool can then be utilized.
On the other side, there have been many times
when I
received a call and just the
right thing was said.
I know a lot of times I would thank callers
for
keeping ME abstinent because
listening to them helped
keep me out of my own head
and cravings.
So please consider being a Telephone
Angel. It is
such an amazing way to
give back and serve at the
same time.