District – Page 7 – "CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~

CAL – Forum Favorites, Vol. 2 (Item # B-9B)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Since I’m reading the entire discontinued “Forum Favorites” series from most recent to oldest (see my previous entries for Volume 3 (item # B-9C) & Volume 4 (item # B-9D)), this Volume 2 (item # B-9B) came as a shock because it was immediately apparent that every story was in the…

CAL – Forum Favorites, Vol. 3 (Item # B-9C)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. After I became the North Florida Area Literature Coordinator in 2015, I was “bequeathed” a lot of CAL & some were discontinued pieces. Whoo-hoo! So I’m slowly making my way through them & decided to start by reading the entire “Forum Favorites” series from most recent to oldest. (See my previous…

Gratitude Dinner – 11/15/15

WHAT I LEARNED: How many people would love me if I would just let them?

MTG – Orlando – “Easy Does It”

WHAT I LEARNED: Sometimes when making financial amends, my priceless serenity can come dirt-cheap!

MTG – Orlando – “Together Tuesdays AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: The longer I stay in the program, the better my childhood gets!

MTG – Orlando – “Path to Serenity AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: “Love cannot exist for long without the dimension of justice.” – Quoted from “An Open Letter From an Alcoholic” from the pamphlet: “Three Views of Al-Anon” (item # P-15).

MTG – Winter Park – “Winter Park Morning AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Crying in a meeting is an expression of words I cannot say. 2. My inventories of other people are usually not about their assets.

MTG – Celebration – “Celebrate Recovery AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Even though the grass may actually be greener on the other side, I can be content & happy with the grass on my side! It’s my lawn of serenity. 2. Detachment helps me put spiritual distance between me & those I love.

MTG – Orlando – “Together Tuesdays AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. You can’t make sense out of nonsense. 2. Going to meetings are great, but it wasn’t until I did service work, that I discovered fellowship.

WORKSHOP – Orlando – Summer Service Workshop

WHAT I LEARNED: If Al-Anon was not supported by its own members, think of everything that would go away… groups, CAL literature, phone hotlines, websites, Gratitude Dinners, Conventions, & even the World Service Office. The Seventh Tradition reminds me that no one is an island & it makes me grateful for everything that we do…

MTG – Orlando – “Serenity Now! AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: This is the only Al-Anon meeting on the University of Central Florida campus. Because it’s an “open” meeting, they get quite a few UCF students attending that are majoring in various health care professions. It’s nice to know that even though they might not ever return, they just might continue to carry the Al-Anon message to…

MTG – Orlando – “College Park 12 Step”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. A few paradoxes of the Al-Anon program: A) Letting go takes a lot of work; B) Being powerless gives me power; C) Helping can harm. 2. There are 3 levels of detachment: middle-finger, neutral, & loving!

MTG – Orlando – “Friday Morning Lights AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. When I grew up I used to hear “Practice makes perfect,” but now I prefer to say: “Practice makes progress!” 2. The 6 T’s: Take Time To Think Things Through. 3. The 3 A’s: Affection, Attention, & Appreciation. — To see the full-size pic of this quote (and others), visit: http://www.instagram.com/calchatfan1.

MTG – Kissimmee – “Kissimmee Tuesday Nite AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. For a long time, I was stark raving sober! 2. “…there is more to life than increasing its speed. Let me look upward into the towering oak & know that it grew great & strong because it grew slowly & well.” – Orin L. Crain quote from “Courage to Change” (item #…

MTG – Orlando – “College Park 12 Step”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. No amount of being right ever helped a relationship. 2. I qualified for this program as soon as I was conceived! 3. There were times when I wore a halo & carried a pitchfork. 4. You can’t have a tug-of-war if it’s just one person.