Newsletter
Of The Recovery Group
1995-2005
~ THE FIRST DECADE OF THE RECOVERY GROUP
Volume Seven ~ Issue 9
September 2005
SERENDIPITY CONTACT:
SerendipityNewsletter@yahoo.com
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SERENITY MAGAZINE and
SERENDIPITY NEWSLETTER are
sent
monthly to all members of The Recovery Group.
SERENITY, the color 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 NEWSLETTER
From The Serendipity Team
Recovery Meditation ~
Service
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
New Programs and Services
Division Chair
New WTS Quarterly Step
Study
Recovery Group 12 Step
Anniversary Date
New Support Groups On The Horizon
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 September's
edition of Serendipity. Each
month
this newsletter provides you with information
about
events taking place in our community. We
encourage
the input of our readers and invite you
to
let us know what you think. Your suggestions and
articles
are always welcome! You will hear from our
TRG Administrators,
Coordinators and other trusted
servants
about what's occurring in our various
divisions,
programs and loops. It's our mission to
get
our message 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. You can mail
it
to friends or, perhaps, invite them to look at
Serendipity
on the website.
This month, along with our
regular articles, you'll
be
hearing about a new appointment to our Programs
& Services Divison and about a new WTS Quarterly
Step Study beginning
October 1. We'll explore two
new
loops: Divorce and Cancer as well as learning
about
a new TRG Program called 12 Step Anniversary.
I hope you have a GREAT
September and 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 ~ SERVICE
Give and it shall be given
unto you; good measure,
pressed
down, shaken together, and running over.
~ The Bible ~
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An important lesson in
life is that in order to get
something
we need or want, we first have to give some
of
it away. If we want friends, we have to be a
friend.
If we want to be loved, we have to love. If
we
want recovery, we have to help others recover.
Then we begin to "get
it." The tingling excitement
of
hope is aroused in us. A source of power to live is
discovered
inside of ourselves.
Giving
service is as important a part of recovery as
abstinence or working the Steps. It
includes
everything from organizing materials
at a face-to-face
meeting to hosting meetings
online. It's sharing our
problems and our solutions on the
loops as well as
sponsoring. Just as someone once
said that love is
nothing until you give it away,
it seems that recovery
is incomplete until it is shared by giving
service to
the program or to individuals. It's remarkable how
service brings us closer
together, allows us to make
friends, helps to end our
isolation and gives that
feeling of self-worth and
confidence that we so
desperately need. Simply put, service
is as much a
lifesaver to us as it is to those
we reach out and
touch.
I want to be a giver to the
program so it is always
available
to those who will come after seeking their
freedom
from this dread disease.
One Day at a Time . . .
I strive to give love,
support, comfort, cheer and
encouragement,
knowing it will come back to me pressed
down,
shaken together and running over.
~ Dottie ~
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QUOTATION
OF THE MONTH
The best way to find yourself is lose yourself
in
the service of others.
~ Mahatma Ghandi ~
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FOUNDER'S
CORNER
VULNERABILITY
"There can be no vulnerability without risk; there
can be no community without
vulnerability; there
can be no peace, and ultimately no life,
without
community."
. . . . M. Scott Peck,
"The Road
Less Traveled"
Dear Serendipity Readers,
I've been doing a lot of
thinking about vulnerability
this
week and how we as compulsive eaters share this
trait. Time and again I have tried to measure my own
vulnerability
with that of others and wondered if my
make-up
was more sensitive in this regard than others.
I have decided that it
isn't, and that vulnerability
itself
is increased or decreased by one's life
experience.
In connection with
vulnerability, I have also been
thinking
a lot about the Coordinators of our support
groups
~ that dedicated group who serve you
night and
day
as you find your place in our community.
A
Coordinator has a personal
life just like the rest
of
us. A Coordinator has vulnerabilities. As I look
around
at the remarkable men and women I work with
daily,
I am in awe of how they can put aside
their
personal
issues in order to do the best possible job
for
you.
I've seen devoutly
religious coordinators go into a
loop
not of their persuasion and handle an issue with
the
love and concern that they would a group
of their
own
religion. I have seen a Coordinator who suffers
from
the worst possible issues of abuse,
pain,
isolation
or illness and spend time with those who are
suffering
from the very same issues without even
mentioning
their own problems. I have seen
Coordinators struggling
with their own program taking
the
hand of someone who comes into their loop close
to
the disease's bottom and giving them
hope. I
daily
witness our Coordinators experiencing
heartbreak,
loneliness, pain, ageing, debilitation,
anger,
depression and many other "life
things"
without
so much as thinking to put aside their
commitment
to others in deference to themselves.
I have seen our Trusted
Servants experience a
death
or other loss and grieve while at the same
time
giving comfort to others who may be experiencing
the
same pain.
Our Coordinators, Meeting
Leaders and other Trusted
Servants take psychic
risks for a greater good - the
greater
good of the community they serve.
"Part of
the
territory" is an expression I often hear.
Happy September, Loopies.
@-}-}-}-------
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.
§«¤ºº*ºº¤»§
Dear Serendipity,
I've been abstinent for a
few years and maintaining
my
weight loss. I'm totally lonely and depressed. I
have
friends in program but we don't do much together
outside
of program. I'm just feeling very lonely so I
thought
I'd post here. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.
Vince
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Hello, I am having a very
difficult time with the
whole
process of listserv and joining the various
groups.
I just need help with that. Also I am new
to
the site and don't know where to begin. This is
very
hard and would like some direction. Is there
any
advice out there???
Cheryl
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THE
RECOVERY GROUP - ADMINISTRATION HIGHLIGHTS
TRG ADM
FROM THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM
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
This month we have added
two new coordinators --
Myrlene
in Cokids and Dar in Abstinent Kitchen.
We very much appreciate
their service, and hope
those
of you who haven't visited these two loops
will
do so soon.
Our feature this month,
The Yellow Brick
Road is a loop like no
other. There are no
coordinators,
guidelines, or restrictions on
membership. This loop is spiritual but not
religious. You may find yourself on a
spiritual
journey with others that begins in
childhood
or you may want to talk about
issues
particularly intriguing to
you
now.
As we proceed to the
potential,
we are free to argue, debate,
inspire
one another, or learn new exciting
things.
Our members, from all over the
world,
will resemble The Tin Man, Glenda
the
Good Witch of the North, or Dorothy.
Maybe the Scarecrow, the
Lion, the
Wicked
Witch of the West.
You may
discover
yourself here, as you really are.
Welcome to Oz, Fellow Traveller. Come
and
check out the
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 are
special-focus groups for
OA members who want to
discuss their OA recovery
with
those who share their special focus. We
have
groups for people who share a faith (Christian,
Latter Day Saints, Jewish,
Pagan), groups for people
who
share an age level (Teens, Silver), groups for
people
who are challenged by their physical condition
(Disabilities, Pain, PMS,
Depression, Diabetes) and
groups
for people addicted to other substances
(AA,
Drug Abuse, Sex & Love Addiction, Spending).
Please go to the home page
of the Recovery Group
(www.recoverygroup.org)
and check out our numerous
ODAT
groups.
In these groups you will find people
with
eating disorders, and who also share whatever
your
special focus is.
Submitted By: Donna, Odat
Division Chairperson
ODATAdm@yahoo.com
nilknarf156@yahoo.com
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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
so they may 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. As you know, the WTS loop
started
a new in-depth study of the 12 Steps on
July 1. There was so much
interest in doing this
quarter’s
step study that the membership limit
for
this loop had to be expanded. This has proven
to
be an excellent series.
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.
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
recoveryloopsadm@yahoo.com.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl S, Chair
The Recovery Group Loops
Division
www.therecoverygroup.org/trg.html
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OA TRG
ONLINE MEETING DIVISION
Meetings Around the World ~ Around the
Clock
Seasons come, seasons
go. People change, lifestyles
differ. But the one thing that is always there for
us
- WITHOUT DOUBT - the most powerful force on this
earth
- is our relationship with our Higher Power and
our
amazing OA program.
It’s very heartening to
see our leaders so willingly
giving
their time to our meetings and following our
Program
as written.
When our group is strong - our
recovery
is strong. Our meeting leaders have
certainly
contributed to that strength through their
willingness
to regularly lead meetings, sometimes
more
than one, and also in substituting for leaders
who
cannot make their meetings, so that those who
suffer
always have an opportunity to recover.
Thank you to all our
leaders for your generous gift
of
service to our wonderful fellowship and may you
be
richly blessed in recovery by your willingness
to
serve.
Submitted by: Terri, Barry, Christine and Audrey
TRG Meeting Division
Co-Chairpersons
EMAIL: MtgAdm@lists.therecoverygroup.org
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TRG
Programs & 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. Our mission is to
provide
assistance for anyone wishing to recover from
an
eating disorder. Thus far, 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
Guest Books and Counters,
Recovery Bravenet Features (Polls, FAQ, etc.), Outreach
Programs with other Online
Groups, and the Writer's
Series.
Love in Recovery
Rob R
TRG Programs and Services
Division Chair
The Recovery Group
(tarryrob@yahoo.ca)
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THE RECOVERY GROUP SPONSOR
PROGRAM
A sponsor is a TRG member
who is living the
12 steps and 12 traditions
and is willing to
share
their recovery with other members
of
the recovery community.
Sponsors share their
recovery up to their
own
level of experience. A sponsor can be
available
to help you with all three areas of
recovery:
spiritual, emotional and physical.
As you read to the shares
of others through
the
loops and online meetings, you may
find
that someone has the recovery you
are
seeking. You are welcome to ask that
person
if they are available to be your sponsor.
If you want to know more
about The Recovery Group
Sponsor Program go to this link:
www.TheRecoveryGroup.org/sponsors.html
Cate and Patt
Sponsors@therecoverygroup.org
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TRG
TELEPHONE ANGELS