WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Originally, I was going to read this book as the very last one of this blog since I was making my way up to the top seller & according to the World Service Office, this one is it. …It would be like starting a climb by already being at the top…
Tag: Service
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 – “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 – “Peace Within AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: We talked a little about the new upcoming Daily Reader that is about diversity in the program & someone mentioned: “We all smile in the same language.” Awww… Actually, that might be a good title for the book!! ━━━━━▼━━━━━ **BONUS: If you’d like to submit a personal sharing for the new…
CAL – Worried About Someone’s Mental Health? (Item # P-80)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This pamphlet was 1 of 6 of an “Al-Anon Can Help” series that was introduced in 1995 as part of a big push for service in institutions. It was designed to invite family members & friends of alcoholics at, or in, institutions to try Al-Anon where they live. This pamphlet didn’t…
WORKSHOP – Orlando – Spring Service Workshop
WHAT I LEARNED: Before Al-Anon, I had an awaremess. Now I have awareness! 😜
WORKSHOP – Jacksonville – “Weeds to Seeds” Service Workshop
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. I have to keep my tools spiritually sharp. 2. How Al-Anon grew: a coffee pot & a resentment.
CAL – Reserve Fund Guideline (Item # G-41)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This guideline focuses on withholding money for good, healthy reasons. How different that is from my pre-Al-Anon days when I withheld money out of fear, or as punishment… 2. The most interesting part of this guideline is the list of personal questions on page 4 – especially the question about how my…
CAL – Guideline for Al-Anon Websites (Item # G-40)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. There is no such thing as “Conference Approved” text to use on Al-Anon websites, therefore it’s not necessary for all sites to use the same wording. Freedom! Whoo-hoo! Ha ha ha. 😃 2. I understand that links on an Al-Anon site to non-Al-Anon sites would give the appearance of affiliation & are to…
CAL – Area Public Outreach Coordinator (Item # G-38)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Because Areas can vary due to autonomy (just like groups), the work of an Area Public Outreach Coordinator can actually be split into various committees or job positions: PI (Public Information), CPC (Cooperating with the Professional Community), & Institutions Coordinators. I don’t know of any other Area position that does this,…
CAL – Electronic Al-Anon Meeting Guideline (Item # G-39)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. According to this guideline, there are 3 types of online Al-Anon meetings that the World Service Office (WSO) will register: chat, email, or message board. (…I guess Skype meetings haven’t caught on yet?) 2. There’s still a Seventh Tradition basket! Donations are sent directly to WSO, rather than a District or…
CAL – District Representative (Item # G-37)
WHAT I LEARNED: There’s also info in this guideline about the Alternate District Rep &, if needed, they can serve as several other positions as well such as Secretary, Treasurer, or Public Outreach contact. Whew – hopefully not all once! 😄 ━━━━━▼━━━━━ **UPDATE (5/5/17): This guideline was revised in 2014 & the changes are somewhat substantial. …
CAL – Alateen Safety Guidelines (Item # G-34)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. According to this Alateen guideline, any reporting of child abuse is done on a personal basis, not as an Alateen Sponsor or an AMIAS (an Al-Anon Member Involved in Alateen Service). This is done with Tradition 10 in mind to keep the fellowship out of public controversy! 2. Even though I’m not a certified…
MTG – The Villages – “Friday Freedom AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: Sometimes it’s ok for me to say “no” to service, because then that gives someone else a chance to say “yes” & they were the better fit!
CAL – Group Records Coordinator (Item # G-36)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This job seems to be a lot of checking & double-checking on the status of groups (more so than I ever thought)! And much like any of the other Coordinator positions, they’re a link between World Service Office & the Districts in the Area. What I found really interesting though is…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 