Hi Everyone!

I have not written a summary of our wonderful meetings recently.

Instead, there is now a new page on the blog, “Meeting Summaries” which lists what was read and discussed during our meetings. The links to the playback recordings of the meetings from the phone line are listed there too.

Please check out the page if you would like to know what we read and discussed during our meetings.

Participants are also able to download the meeting directly from the conference line. The link, however, will only be available for a limited time.

To listen to past recorded meetings, please go to the Recordings tab on the blog. Our meetings are stored on Media Fire, a cloud storage service.

The telephone conference numbers for our group are:

Telephone conference number: (712) 775-7031 Access Code: 397-681-282

Playback recording number is: (712) 775-7029 Access Code: 397-681-282#

As a reminder, our group takes place on Sunday mornings at 5:30 AM EST.

Please join us as we “trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.” (AA Big Book 164:3)

 

This week, we continued reading and discussing drop the rock…the ripple effect: Using Step 10 to Work Steps 6 and 7 Every Day by Fred H.,up to page 93:0.

NEXT WEEK, OUR MEETING IS CANCELLED.

Since we will not be meeting for one week, please try to please listen to Step 10 & 11 by Dave Fredrickson. 

WE WILL STILL HAVE A MEETING ON APRIL 8, but, we will not continue with the regular workshop.

Instead, I would like us to read and discuss the handout on Step 10 by Dave Fredrickson. (This is another version of the same worksheet.)

In addition, I would like us to read Step 10 from The Little Red Book, and/or A New Pair of Glasses by Chuck C. This is a summary of some of the book in a word document.

Chuck C. is iconic, although his book never became part of official conference approved literature.

Meeting Summary:

Our discussions have been a wonderful combination of thoughtful and deep, and yet still practical and concrete.

We began reading about synchronicity. I found this great definition online:

Synchronicity is an experience of two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally un-related. In order to be ‘synchronistic’, the events must be related to one another temporally, and the chance that they would occur together by random chance must be very small.

We also discussed the ripple effect. For clarity, here is one definition that I found to describe the phenomena:

The ripple effect describes a situation where the effect from the initial action can be followed incrementally outwards, like ripples expanding across the water when an object is dropped into it.

It describes how social interactions can affect situation not directly related to the initial interaction. In particular, the good we do, can have far reaching ramifications in ways that we could never foresee.

The corollary is also true: the harm we do to ourselves and others, can also have a far-reaching effect.

Program, and emotional sobriety are about setting our intentions and acting in a way that is God-Centered rather than self-centered. Not only are we powerless over the food. We are powerless over life.

Every moment is an opportunity to walk in conscious contact with the God of our understanding. Our ego is what drives us to believe that we are separate from God and other people.

 

 

Really, there is a little piece of God inside all of us. It is only the delusion of our ego that separates us from God, other people and ultimately from our selves.

We are only responsible for making the effort. We are not responsible for the outcome.

 

When we begin to practice step 10 on a moment to moment daily basis, “we lose any desire to impose our own personal will, because we know that our role in life is to rely on spiritual direction instead of the direction of self (ego), and then to carry those directions out in all our affairs.” (87:1)

Step 10 is about REALLY, REALLY believing that God controls the world and that He is actively involved in our lives.

“The spiritual life is not a theory, we have to live it.” Conscious contact with the God of our understanding is internalizing that God is right here, right now, on a moment to moment ongoing basis.

Thank you all for sharing your experience, strength and hope.

We are now starting the heart and soul of emotional sobriety: living in the solution, seeking conscious contact with the God of our understanding and carrying the message to those who still suffer.

I am so grateful we are sharing this journey together!

“Together we can do what we can never do alone.”

In love and service,

Shira