Mark your calendar! Our next Super Saturday is happening on March 1, 2025 at the Community Room of Fletcher Library (823 North Buchanan St, Little Rock, AR).
š¢ Check out the flyer below for all the details!
We canāt wait to see you there in-person or virtually!
The Serenity on Saturday (SOS) meeting on March 1st will be in-person only instead of hybrid.
Glimmers of wisdom shine in your eyes,
Offering guidance, a heart that complies.
Dreams take flight with each lesson you share,
Ā
AĀ beacon of hope, showing that you care.
Stars align as you nurture our minds,
Ā
Teaching us patience, the greatest of finds.
Each question met with a thoughtful reply,
AĀ journey of learning, together we fly.
Courage you instill, as we strive to grow,
Hearts inspired by the seeds you sow.
Every moment cherished, in your embrace,
Revealing the beauty of knowledge and grace.
Making telephone outreach calls has always been a challenge for me,
mostly because I am always afraid that I am ābotheringā someone when
they are busy. What seems to be a thoughtful gesture, considering the
other person, I have come to see that it has more to do with my fear of
being vulnerable or asking for help.
On my way to an OA retreat a few years ago, I had been rushing around
getting ready and forgot to pack something for lunch and the trip over there.
As I drove, the thoughts and cravings began as I watched signs go by with
names of restaurants and food places, and the urge to stop and partake
was strong. Just as I was about to take the next exit, I got a call from an
OA friend, and I told her of my planā¦ she offered some suggestions for
alternatives, and thankfully I stopped and got s grilled sandwich that fit my
food plan.
The other day, a similar thing happened as I was craving something I had
no business eating; I was on my way when I got a text from another OA
friend, and thankfully, I was able to regroup, come to my senses, return
home and have an abstinent snack of popcorn.
These are examples of how using the tool of the telephone can be a
blessing for you, the other person, or both. YOU NEVER KNOW when that
act of reaching out will make a difference in someoneās program or life. So,
next time a person comes to mind, take a minute and reach outā¦ it just
might be what they need to stay on track, and it will also give YOU the
feeling of helping another!
This OA meditation I read this morning reminds me that I can be too clever and too smart and too creative. Who knew these could be defects as well as assets?! When it comes to program, I need to get out of my own way and rest in the simplicity of the path laid out for me. I donāt have to figure anything out…just take the suggestions and do that deal. I liked the phrase ācompulsive complicatorsā as a description of how some of us have a tendency to lay down rules or procedures that limit our primary purpose to help the still suffering COE (and this could me myself). It is a good reminder for me.Ā
Back in 2018 I came across a poster with tear-off strips at the bottom that simply said in big block letters āTAKE WHAT YOU NEEDā. The strips along the bottom were things that were self-affirming or might bring comfort or hope to someone. Phrases such as āyou are lovedā, āyou are beautiful, āyou have everything you needā, and āitās going to be fine.ā It was this last one that took my breath away.
āItās going to be fineā was just what I needed in that moment.
I was spinning emotionally about a family member who I was deeply concerned about. They were struggling and I desperately wanted to go āfixā the situation. But it was a circumstance that this family member needed to deal with on their own and it would have been inappropriate for me, even detrimental to the family member, to get involved. All I could do was love this person and offer them supportā¦and worry. My heart was twisting in my chest and I could feel the tension in my shoulders.
I am confident that my Higher Power drew my attention to this poster. I tore off the āItās going to be fineā and kept it with me for days. I still have this blue tear-off strip of paper on my end table with my treasured recovery items.
It continues to offer me peace when I am not at peace.
Beyond the promise that it brings, I appreciate its nuance. This phrase does not promise a perfect outcome, nor an outcome of my choosing. āItās going to be fineā is approachable. It is a release to some expected result. I have often thought as I have picked it up that if the situation, I am struggling with is not fine nowā¦give it timeā¦it will beā¦itās going to be fine.
I offer myself to Thee to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always! Amen.
from page 63 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.
I often read this just to remind me to stay out of my own way and allow my HP to get me through the day. I think one of the keyways of doing this is to be in services, to step outside of myself to do for others. This prayer gives me the steps to do service through HIS WILL and not my own. Allowing me to be share my experience, strength, and hope.
Years ago, on a day when I was feeling pretty discouraged
an older woman I knew gave me a little wooden plaque
with the picture of a funny little person with his scuba
gear. The look on his face said that he wasnāt sure about
which way to go, but the message was just to āKEEP
SWIMMING!ā
As I work these 12 Steps, there are MANY times when I am
confused with life and want to give up because of negative
messages that Iāll never have recovery. Fortunately, my
Higher Power, my fellows, my daily readings, all remind
me that if I keep going, keep working the steps, keep
admitting my powerlessness over food and life, I receive
the encouragement to KEEP SWIMMING!!! If I will keep
treading water, moving forward, and trust that what has
worked for others will work for me, I WILL see the
promises of Recovery. If I keep doing the next right action,
pray for guidance and not give in to the obsession, I can,
and will, reach the serenity that comes with this program.
The moral of this little story: āKEEP SWIMMINGā!
Coming into this program, I thought that I had an idea of what I was searching forā¦ I wanted to lose 100 lbs., feel better about myself, and find some peace and serenity in my life. I had NO IDEA the journey that I was setting out on, or the miracles that would happen. As I look back on the past 18 months, I realize that, for the most part, I have somehow found two out of those three things that I was looking for and the most important was a re-awakening of a relationship with this Higher Power that is more powerful than I could ever imagine.
I have always had what I would call a strong faith, but it was more of a surface belief that, if I did the āright thingā then I would be rewarded. I have come to see and understand a new realization of the ways this Higher Power shows up in my life everyday of my lifeā¦ the trick is whether I choose to recognize those places that occur daily.
ā¢ It happens when I see those āholy coincidencesā that happen without any of MY direction and planning.
ā¢ It happens when I listen to others who are further along in this program so that my hope will be renewed.
ā¢ It happens when I accept life as it comes and see that āit is what it isā for a reason, and then looking for what I need to learn from it.
ā¢ It happens when I see the power in this community of persons who are vulnerable and willing to be honest.
ā¢ It happens when I reach out to another person when I am on a low ebb, and in that reaching out, I find the comfort that I used to look for in food.
ā¢ It happens when I read a message in the Big Book that I absolutely need to hear at that moment.
ā¢ It happens when I step aside and allow this Higher Power to lead me and guide me to the next step.
ā¢ It happens when I recognize that I do not need to have all the answersā¦ I only must trust that I will be shown the next step in the journey.
I am grateful for being led to this community that is often more honest and real than any other community I have experienced before. It is such a relief to believe, at least most of the time, that God will work it out the way it should work out. I am GRATEFULā¦.