Bread on Water

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. ~ Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NIV)

Bread upon the waters.
Bread. Food, sustenance.
Bread, the basics.
Bread, money, buying power.
Bread, life, hope,
our daily needs.
Bread.
Alone.
The side it’s buttered on.
So toss it.
Where?
Waters. Muddy, cool clear.
The Roman spa at Bath.
Oceans, streams,
down by the crick.
Any waters,
that’s the point,
waters move, leave, change, evolve.
Beyond my control.

What I value most,
what’s most basic to me,
I release, I toss,
trusting I’ll get it back,
in spades, God.
But remind me
the point is
I don’t keep control,
can’t do it for the promise.
Just believe.

Bread on Water

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. ~ Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NIV)

Bread upon the waters.
Bread. Food, sustenance.
Bread, the basics.
Bread, money, buying power.
Bread, life, hope,
our daily needs.
Bread.
Alone.
The side it’s buttered on.
So toss it.
Where?
Waters. Muddy, cool clear.
The Roman spa at Bath.
Oceans, streams,
down by the crick.
Any waters,
that’s the point,
waters move, leave, change, evolve.
Beyond my control.

What I value most,
what’s most basic to me,
I release, I toss,
trusting I’ll get it back,
in spades, God.
But remind me
the point is
I don’t keep control,
can’t do it for the promise.
Just believe.

Complicated People

It's a simple program for complicated people. ~  Program slogan

Am unmanageable life is not the norm...
except in the rooms of recovery.
How many "Normies" do you know
who would tell you they have no friends,
that they've wished they were dead
and considered instigating the journey?
How many can describe a relatively painless
and commonplace goal for their lives
but after dozens or hundreds of starts
cannot achieve the goal?
How many can argue over at least eighty
of the two-hundred one words
that make up the Steps, the exceptions being
nineteen to's, (not counting that before sanity,
seven of's, eight and's,
the a's not excluded because
there must be more than one most of the time...
and some of the  other humdrum words
can be challenged. A simple program,
complicated people,  but worth the effort...
in only to meet our equals!

Trying to Fix It

He becomes, on the next occasion, still more demanding or gracious, as the case may be. Still the play does not suit him. Admitting he may be somewhat at fault, he is sure that other people are more to blame. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition (Kindle Locations 1010-1011).

When it doesn't go right, we balk, wanting to rub the show,
certain we can. It's not for lack of trying, for missing self-confidence,
surely we can do this, we're smart, capable folk, but if it weren't
for the people who get in our  way, who block our path!
Why won't they do the tight thing? Haven't we explained it well,
and often? Good grief! The answer is to give up! To surrender.
When we can imagine a power greater than we are and turn over
our ill and our lives, suddenly that power is ours and life works!

Becoming Capable

“Getting out of my own way gives me the freedom to rise to the highest level of which I am capable.” — For Today, p. 280

"I can do this by myself!"
One of our oldest and most durable illusions.
I tried, hard, for fifty years and it was absolute truth
when I reached the rooms of recovery, I
"admitted I was powerless over food —
that my life had become unmanageable."
That Step followed by the other eleven
finally taught me to give up. I learned to pray
in all situations, “God, 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!” And I became capable
by surrendering.

Vegan Junk Foods

Oreos, cake mixes, frosting, pudding,
marshmallow ice cream topping,
Taco Bell bean burrito and cinnamon twists,
chocolate syrup, Sofritos, bacon flavor bits,
crescent rolls, Ritz crackers, Pop Tarts,
pastry sweets, chocolate candy, flan,
Nutter Butter, granola bars, graham crackers,
Krispy Kreme cherry pies, New York bagels,
snickerdoodles, brownie mix...

A food plan can be written and followed
to fit your needs but having a healthy name
doesn't make it healthy or a wise choice.

Honesty and thoughtfulness are required.

Looking For Help in Wrong Places

Where I live is inside; nothing on the outside changes that. ~ ForToday (Kindle Location 272).

Changing me on the inside is not limited to
internal change. But changing everything  outside...
house, job, friends, family, car, location,
anything external, if the inside doesn't change at all,
it's window dressing, a coat of paint, and I remain
as miserable as I was, confused that I changed it all
and I'm as miserable as I was. But when I work the steps
in order, paying attention, I change from inside out,
becoming who I had been trying to be for years!

My Insides

Every man has his own courage, but is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's easy to be intimidated by others,
to admire what you see, to feel less than.
We cannot jude hem for their insides
for they remain hidden, unseen, a mystery.
But we know ourselves, the ugly failures,
the mistakes, the inadequacies.
As long as we remain isolated,
hiding in our chagrin, we see only that,
but the fine picture we experience in others,
feeling less than, blinds us to justice, to equity,
to our inherent value, to what others see,
for that long we refuse to see
the error of judging our insides by their outsides,

.

And We Ate

Our lives became unmanageable when the car wouldn’t start, the computer broke down, or our checking account wouldn’t balance. We suffered from other people’s unmanaged lives or from bad luck. What alternative did we have? We ate to sate the fears, the anxieties, the angers, the disappointments. We ate to escape the pressures of our problems. ~ The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous 

Why do we eat? Why do we stuff our trigger foods into our mouths
long after we come to program, realize the value, know
the way out? We eat because our commitment, our honesty,
have not won our commitment, because we have not fully admitted
we're powerless, that the steps work, that were not the exception
to the necessity pf the Steps, We eat because we refuse to believe
we must turn our will and our lives over to the care of God
as we understand, because we trust the Steps to work miracles
despite us, not through our working them, because we still hold on
to a diet mentality, because we excel at rationalization.
Because we have not held on until the miracle happens.

Are you in here?What's your excuse?

Enduring Words

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow. ~ Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

The Teacher’s words belie the truth,
for we know him, hear him, remember him.
What about me?
My published writing,
more massive than his,
will likely swim in cyberspace and pixels,
unnoticed forever,
dampness, not even a drop,
in vast oceans of words.
And my sons? More durable than words?
They can glorify my name or make all revile it. "
So throw in life everlasting, stir up
the equation with concepts The Teacher never guessed.
What has been will be again.
Life never ends. Love never ends.
Praise God!

God, you are the same today
as you were in The Teacher’s day.
Thank you.

Climate Change in Perspective

 Generations come and generations go,

but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.

The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.

All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again. ~ Ecclesiastes 1:4-7 NIV

Has the time come for a rewrite?
The earth remains, forever?
Ice ages, sun spots,
cyclical anomilies,
The Teacher’s wisdom
epochs and eons before his time.
They say “some things never change.”
They say we’re a half degree warmer
than our greatgrands.
Isaiah chimed in “The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.”
Stewards we must be.
Responsibility?
Not ours. Thank God.

Thanks, God.

Social Media Not Needed

Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television, and other public media of communication. ~ Tradition Eleven

When we play out our lives on Facebook and Twitter,
Instagram, Google +, or the other seventeen sites
with a million users or more, what do we do when
we have huge news we "need" to share with the world,
what do we do when to post our news we would violate
the Eleventh Tradition? We don't. We tell our program friends
at meetings, by text, a message program, by phone,
or or a communication even on social media exclusively available
to program people. Or one-on-one we may tell anybody
of the recovery, strength and hope we have found,
but only if we can share our own stories without
violating  the anonymity of anyone else. Our stories
need to be hear, Our meetings need to be found,
but we're not a cult of personalities, we're a source
if life-changing hope!

For the Long Term

Defense Attorney: Why would there be a presumption of innocence and a requirement for proof beyond a reasonable doubt written into our laws?
Venireman: Because of the Spanish Inquisition.

It's an answer I would not have reached. Maybe the thought of trial by ordeal/water/fire
an ancient judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused
was determined by subjecting them to an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience.
Classically, the test was one of life or death and the proof of innocence was survival.
But I'd heard of the Spanish Inquisition, of course. Theoretically the purpose
was to ensure the citizens of Fifteenth Century Spain be Christian,
renouncing Judaism or Islam, if they once had claimed them.
Of course, the vigor of "reform" and purification led to the execution of
thousands. Execution was often by burning alive, but those who repented were
killed with an iron collar before being burned.
History haunts us, as nations, as individuals, as groups. If we judge others
rather than allowing them to live with their own decisions,
we build a past of oppression, of unfairness, of setting ourselves above others.
It's far better to allow others to exist on their own terms, offering hope to those
who want what we have, but remembering what they do is none of our business,
what they think of us is none of our business. But we'll offer all who seek it hope and serenity.

Outside Issues

Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the OA name ought never be drawn into public controversy. ~ Tradition Ten

Eight-and-a-half years ago I attended my one and so-far only
San Antonio OA meeting. A member there wondered aloud
whether she could say what she wanted to, decided it was okay
and announced she was leaving town the next day to campaign
in New Mow many newcomers on hearing that
would turn their backs on OA? What good would it do?
In meetings here we often have patients of a "center
specializing in the treatment of eating disorders,
including anorexia, bulimia, food addiction, binge eating
and compulsive overeating," We grow lax in pointing out
the failures to live up to this Tradition, but it is a violation
for them and for us. We can be supportive of their recovery
yet communicate it's that center's policies and not OA's.
OA has no opinions on outside issues, either pro or con.

Getting There

You think that the goal is to be over there, and we say the goal is the journey over there; the goal is the fun you have along the way on your way to over there. ~Abraham

Daddy driving a Studebaker, later a Buick three girls in the back seat,
Mother beside him. When "Are we there yets" grew old,
old "I spy" and "Twenty Questions" had run their course,
we sang. "Skidamarink a dink a dink,
Skidamarink a doo, I love you." "You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine." "When you wore a tulip, a sweet yellow tulip
And I wore a big red rose..." with Daddy's basso "a big red rose..."
Some of my sweetest childhood hours were road trips,
the getting there. I never thought the process could be fun
in reaching a life of recovery. But some magic number on the scales
or tape measure cannot replace the intrinsic joy of day after day of serenity, of living in a happy family,  my family of choice.

Getting There

You think that the goal is to be over there, and we say the goal is the journey over there; the goal is the fun you have along the way on your way to over there. ~Abraham

Daddy driving a Studebaker, later a Buick three girls in the back seat,
Mother beside him. When "Are we there yets" grew old,
old "I spy" and "Twenty Questions" had run their course,
we sang. "Skidamarink a dink a dink,
Skidamarink a doo, I love you." "You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine." "When you wore a tulip, a sweet yellow tulip
And I wore a big red rose..." with Daddy's basso "a big red rose..."
Some of my sweetest childhood hours were road trips,
the getting there. I never thought the process could be fun
in reaching a life of recovery. But some magic number on the scales
or tape measure cannot replace the intrinsic joy of day after day of serenity, of living in a happy family,  my family of choice.

Experts

OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. ~ Tradition Nine

The groups I regularly attend know I find the statement
OA, as such, ought never be organized,  humorous,
believing we excel at this directive. But the OA 12 and 12
goes on to ask valid questions: Do we practice rotation of leaders
in our group? Do we discuss how rotation of leadership relates
to personal humility and the OA foundation of anonymity?
It can seem like when things are going well,
when we actually feel organized, why upset the applecart?
Nobody has a right to always lead, to handle the money,
to do the website or newsletter. Maybe the member who's
always done "it" makes seem simple, makes us feel inadequate,
inept. ut rotation of service is what we do, who we are,
how we become who and what we can be and do.
When asked to serve, the answer is yes.

Amateur

Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers. Tradition Eight

"Amateur hour" can be a term of of derision. The Urban Dictionary says,
"Something that is done sloppily, half-assed, or in an amateur manner."
When we declare Overeaters Anonymous should be always non-professional, Are we saying it must be amateur? But is amateur a negative word?
Inherently it simply means without compensation, for the love of it.
We're been to enough weigh and pay organizations. We don't need another. Thanks, but we'll continue to manage OA and to choose folks who do it for us for the love of the program — for gratitude for a program
that works miracles in lives.

Prayer of Jabez

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. ~ 1 Chron. 4:10 (NIV) 

The Bible says Jabez' mother chose his name
for the pain he caused her st birth.
Many of us look back at childhood affronts
holding these as grudges...resentments for years.
But Jabez lived with his for years and as an adult
understood God to not be a judgmental tyrant
who set his mind and held that worldview
but one who cared for people
So he asked to be free from pain, not
the entity his mother created, and God as Jabez understood
responded gr

anting his wish to structure his life
aligned with a purpose of freeing those around him from pain.

Huw Much Is Iy Worth?

Every OA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. ~ Seventh Tradition

What was life like...before?
All you can eat buffet, Nine Ninety-Nine, plus tax.
A  box of donuts...for the office, though they don't get there,
Another Nine Ninety-Nine, plus tax.
Two half gallons of Blue Bell so one will be left
when the family gets home, Eleven Ninety-Four.
Four new dresses because nothing fits,
a hundred at least. A month of Nutrisystem,
Two hundred Ninety-Nine Ninety-Nine
a month. How much is a program that actually works worth?
The suggested donation is Three dollars a meeting. Or more.
Worth every penny, it is!