Since it's technically Monday, I'll go ahead and start it.
DG - Glad to see you back around - it's just not the same without you!
MG29 - Thanks for sharing that information, and Cherbear thanks too. No matter where we are in our sobriety, information is always helpful. I've heard the same things from people who have years sober. I also think at certain points we may be more vulnerable. I try to see patterns, and listen to others input. It's good to be able to put some perspective on it. It not only helps ourselves but others when we share. While I don't dwell on the possibility of relapse, keeping my eyes open by attending meetings, seeing newcomers, relapsers, as well as the long term sober I feel is good insurance against it happening.
Kimberly - one more definition of G.O.D. - "good orderly direction" - again using the program as your HP. I like how the speaker described it in the meeting you went to DG. That's kind of like how I got over my fear of walking into my first meeting - imagining DG and Mary and the other AA thread contributors were the people in there, even though I have no idea what any of you look like. But it got me in the door.
I went to my great BB study tonight - one of my "must do" meetings my sponsor has me doing along with a 12&12, plus at least one or preferably two others every week minimum. This particular guy goes very slowly. We cover one or maybe two paragraphs per week. What I find amazing is how can I come up with something new every week, even while on the same chapter. I never quite believe it possible, but it always is.
My sponsor will be moving away this week, but we are going to continue remotely. Good old technology (and good old cell phones that don't get charged long distance). I did enjoy talking live though, but between e-mailing her the written stuff, and discussing it over the phone, it amounts to the same thing. She's got sponsees in yet another state as well, from when she lived there, and her sponsor is also there.
Another tidbit I found interesting - one time she said she really needed to talk to someone, but it was very late at night, and she couldn't get a hold of anyone local. She was on the east coast, so called an AA office on the west coast (three hours time difference, as in 12:00 a.m. was 9:00 p.m. there), and got a live person. Something I wouldn't have thought of, but, whatever works. You learn something every day.
I was looking through the AA website one day, and there is (and has been since 1949) something called the Loners Internationalist Meetings, which is a mailed out bulletin for anyone with no access to a meeting in their area, or who were homebound because of physical incapacitation, and sailors on seagoing vessels. It was started by a sailor named Captain Jack, who had gotten sober through AA and was looking for a way to contact other AAs, when he spent so much time at sea. They also have sponsors who are remote as well. I think I found this interesting since I'm going to be doing something like that with my sponsor, though I do have access to live meetings. http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/smf-123_en.pdf
I've got my favorite women's meeting tonight. I missed Saturday's. I was feeling kind of crappy and tired the last few days and didn't wake up until half an hour before it started. The door is locked on weekends, so you have to ring the bell to get in. The week before there were 40 people, and a lot of them showed up after it starts (I'm usually one of them - I was early that day). I never knew how disruptive that doorbell is - but then it usually doesn't keep going off over and over and over either! It was just an extra large meeting, and a whole lot of non punctual women. The good news is, we can get a pass card for the building and I put my name in for one. Today I felt a whole lot more rested and was on time.
Hope everyone has a good week!
DG - Glad to see you back around - it's just not the same without you!
MG29 - Thanks for sharing that information, and Cherbear thanks too. No matter where we are in our sobriety, information is always helpful. I've heard the same things from people who have years sober. I also think at certain points we may be more vulnerable. I try to see patterns, and listen to others input. It's good to be able to put some perspective on it. It not only helps ourselves but others when we share. While I don't dwell on the possibility of relapse, keeping my eyes open by attending meetings, seeing newcomers, relapsers, as well as the long term sober I feel is good insurance against it happening.
Kimberly - one more definition of G.O.D. - "good orderly direction" - again using the program as your HP. I like how the speaker described it in the meeting you went to DG. That's kind of like how I got over my fear of walking into my first meeting - imagining DG and Mary and the other AA thread contributors were the people in there, even though I have no idea what any of you look like. But it got me in the door.
I went to my great BB study tonight - one of my "must do" meetings my sponsor has me doing along with a 12&12, plus at least one or preferably two others every week minimum. This particular guy goes very slowly. We cover one or maybe two paragraphs per week. What I find amazing is how can I come up with something new every week, even while on the same chapter. I never quite believe it possible, but it always is.
My sponsor will be moving away this week, but we are going to continue remotely. Good old technology (and good old cell phones that don't get charged long distance).
I did enjoy talking live though, but between e-mailing her the written stuff, and discussing it over the phone, it amounts to the same thing. She's got sponsees in yet another state as well, from when she lived there, and her sponsor is also there.Another tidbit I found interesting - one time she said she really needed to talk to someone, but it was very late at night, and she couldn't get a hold of anyone local. She was on the east coast, so called an AA office on the west coast (three hours time difference, as in 12:00 a.m. was 9:00 p.m. there), and got a live person. Something I wouldn't have thought of, but, whatever works. You learn something every day.
I was looking through the AA website one day, and there is (and has been since 1949) something called the Loners Internationalist Meetings, which is a mailed out bulletin for anyone with no access to a meeting in their area, or who were homebound because of physical incapacitation, and sailors on seagoing vessels. It was started by a sailor named Captain Jack, who had gotten sober through AA and was looking for a way to contact other AAs, when he spent so much time at sea. They also have sponsors who are remote as well. I think I found this interesting since I'm going to be doing something like that with my sponsor, though I do have access to live meetings. http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/smf-123_en.pdf
I've got my favorite women's meeting tonight. I missed Saturday's. I was feeling kind of crappy and tired the last few days and didn't wake up until half an hour before it started. The door is locked on weekends, so you have to ring the bell to get in. The week before there were 40 people, and a lot of them showed up after it starts (I'm usually one of them - I was early that day). I never knew how disruptive that doorbell is - but then it usually doesn't keep going off over and over and over either! It was just an extra large meeting, and a whole lot of non punctual women. The good news is, we can get a pass card for the building and I put my name in for one. Today I felt a whole lot more rested and was on time.
Hope everyone has a good week!
wl:
( I have to start all over with newmeetings after this week. Lots of praying and posting
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