WHAT I LEARNED: 1. My attitude, beliefs, & choices can lead me to all my problems or all my solutions. 2. Sometimes I have to remember: “Is this happening to me, or for me?” 3. Is it odd… or is it God? — To see the full-size pic of this quote (and others), visit: http://www.instagram.com/calchatfan1.
Tag: Choices
N. FL Summer Assembly 2019 – Days 1 – 3
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. I have lost a lot of pain in Al-Anon. 2. Wise people plant trees under whose shade they’ll never sit. 3. We give from the gratitude we’ve already gotten. 4. The alcoholic has not volunteered to get sober. 5. God’s will for me is to stop playing God! 6. Joy is…
MTG – Winter Park – “Meeting on Wheels”
WHAT I LEARNED: Since alcoholism runs in my family, it was not my choice to be a carrier of the disease. However, it IS my choice to be a carrier of the message!
PODCAST – As We Understood / How Al-Anon Works / Alateen-a day at a time (Item #’s B-11 / B-22 / B-10)
EPISODE 6 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! Can I fire my Higher Power? What is a “Meeting on Wheels?” What is not allowed in recovery literature when bringing it into jails? (To hear this episode, please visit the show’s website at: calchatpodcast.com – or you can subscribe to it…
PODCAST – Discovering Choices / Parents of Alcoholics (Item #’s B-30 / R-18)
EPISODE 5 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! What is failure really about? How can I be ok with not being in control? What can help with delegating? (To hear this episode, please visit the show’s website at: calchatpodcast.com – or you can subscribe to it for free wherever you…
CAL – Parents of Alcoholics (Item # R-18)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. The item # for this short 12-page piece begins with an “R” because this is a reprint of various articles from The Forum magazine. It came out in 2012 & reprints are typically only printed for a 2-year period. However, demand for this piece must be high because it’s now 4 years later…
MTG – Ocoee – “Monday Miracles”
WHAT I LEARNED: “Serenity isn’t a matter of chance; it’s a matter of choice.” – Feb 4th from the daily reader: “Hope For Today” (item # B-27).
CAL – Forum Favorites, Vol. 1 (Item # B-9A)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. As an Area Archivist once said, “I love my position because I get to time travel.” I too feel I get to step into the ‘Wayback Machine’ whenever I read discontinued Al-Anon literature. When this “Forum Favorites” book was first published in 1970 it was a hefty hard cover book &…
MTG – Orlando – “Hope For Today AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: Going to an Al-Anon meeting is usually not a first choice when one is having a good day. But even on a good day, it gets even better after I’ve gone!
CAL – Alateen Tells It Like It Is / Walk This Path of Hope (Item # AV-16 / AV-19)
1. “Alateen Tells It Like It Is” (item # AV-16) came out in 1987 & according to past Conference Summaries, it’s a 16-minute video illustrated by a teenager that provides a glimpse into the lives of Alateen members. It deals with denial, anonymity, detachment, acceptance, & love. “Walk This Path of Hope” (item # AV-19)…
MTG – Winter Park – “Serenity AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: It’s been a while since I chaired a meeting & today I chose the dreaded topic of intimacy! I know how to be in a dysfunctional relationship, but I think I would be spectacularly uncomfortable in a healthy one… primarily because I would be forced to grow. Ultimately though, I have two choices:…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Slogans (Item # P-70)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Slogans are reminders of choices. 2. I have 2 favorite lines from this booklet (that I almost forget was written by Alateen members because it was so wise!): From page 26: “I am happy today because: I have today to be happy in.” From page 23: “As I search with courage…
CAL – The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage (Item # B-4)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. In 1965, this book originally had the proposed title “Alcoholism & Sex.” Two years later it came out with the current title to appeal to a wider audience. It hasn’t been revised for 42 years & it shows. With terms like: temptress, fellows, bulwark (I had to look this word up!),…
CAL – Discovering Choices (Item # B-30)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This book almost didn’t happen. Originally, it was only supposed to be a revision to “The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage” (item # B-4), but the revisions were becoming too extensive & the focus on just marital relationships was too narrow. So in 2001, concept approval was given to create this…
CAL – The Al-Anon Focus (Item # P-45)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Originally, in 1978, this pamphlet was called “Double Winners” but was given its current title 4 years later (with the added subtitle: “For Al-Anon/Alateen Members Who Are Also Recovering Alcoholics”) to avoid giving the impression that one member was more important than another. Although I sometimes still hear the term “Double…
MTG – Orlando – “Paths to Recovery”
WHAT I LEARNED: Sometimes it’s the smallest choices that turn out to have the biggest impact.
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