Monthly Newsletter - Emotions Anonymous

EA CONNECTION—FEBRUARY 2015
Your monthly newsletter from ISC
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT—EA BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
I certainly hope that the ground hog didn’t see his shadow so this winter weather could start heading towards spring. The Service
Center is getting ready to welcome a new Executive Director. A committee of trusted servants is interviewing candidates as I write
this.
Mary is the office manager and is assisted by Carleen and Bobbi Jo. They do a great job of keeping things going, which includes
processing orders for books and literature, answering questions from EA members, group contacts, and those inquiring about the
program. We are blessed to have a well-functioning Service Center for our EA program. Many of the other Twelve Step programs
have lost their ability to support such an office.
We want to thank Karen M and her staff for keeping the torch lit during some very lean years at the Service Center and we are very
thankful for her leadership and abilities as she puts this Connection together each and every month.
As we move into the shortest month of the year may you find the peace which passes all understanding—one day at a time. We
are grateful to the HP we have found as a result of working Step Two...Paul H, President, EA Board of Trustees
TOOLS OF THE MONTH:
OF IMPORTANCE TO GROUPS:
Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity
Promise 2: We do not regret the past or wish to shut
the door on it.
Slogan 2: You are not alone
JFT 2: Just for Today I will try to be happy, realizing my happiness does not depend on what others do
or say or what happens around me. Happiness is a
result of being at peace with myself.
Tradition 2: For our group purpose there is but one
ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express
Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but
trusted servants; they do not govern.
Concept 2: We are experts only on our own stories,
how we try to live the program, how the program
works for us, and what EA has done for us. No one
speaks for Emotions Anonymous as a whole.
This is the time of the year when we begin our search
for candidates for the EA Board of Trustees. This is
an excellent way to do service; to better understand
how EA works; and to grow in recovery.
EA has three types of trustees, Regional trustees—
elected by the membership, and General Service and
Non-members Trustees—elected by the board for
special talents they bring to the Board of Trustees.
The terms that expire this year are those for Regions
4 and 6, and one each for General Service and Nonmember trustees. The states that Regions 4 and 6
serve are listed on page 4. You must be a member in
the specific region to run for trustee in your region.
Each of the current candidates are eligible for
reelection but additional candidates are always
welcome. For more information, contact Mary at
[email protected] .
REFLECTION FOR TODAY—TODAY BOOK—JANUARY 5
When I lose my balance, I instinctively reach out for something to grab on to. I am learning to pay more attention to this basic
instinct and have come to see myself as a life-long toddler losing my balance in many relationships. Step Two suggests there is
a power I can reach out to—one who will help me maintain my balance. It is great to know I have support. I am no longer on
my own, stumbling and falling. The belief in this power gives me the stability I need in my life.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
I am not afraid to stumble any more; Your support brings balance to my life.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Believing in a Higher Power makes my life sane.
2015 INTERNATIONAL EA CONVENTION
The 2015 EA Convention will be held in St Paul, MN, the birthplace of EA. The committee would like your
input on what activities you would like to see and also suggestions for the theme—send them to Mary at
[email protected]. The Convention will be help September 18-20. Please plan to join
us. More information to follow. In addition to the Convention, St Paul has many wonderful places to visit.
Your donation to the International Service Center are appreciated and needed : http://bit.ly/EAdonations.
EA Tools
Step 2: Came to believe that a power
greater than ourselves could restore
us to sanity.
December 13, is my all time, forever, very most well
loved reading in our Today book . That's because it says
in part, "Step Two tells us that a power greater than
ourselves can return us to sanity. In order to return to a
place, one must have already been there. In each of us
there is a place, perhaps even beyond our earliest
memories, where we knew perfect harmony in mind,
body and spirit…”
I came into EA thoroughly broken. Broken in mind, body
and spirit. I honestly believed that I was a defective to the
core human being. That there was no chance for me.
These words told me that I did not start out this way, and
gave me hope of returning to harmony.
Diligently working the Steps...all the steps...and using the
Promises, Serenity Prayer, and Just for Today's led me
forward to restoring my spirit and mind. I received, after
a long struggle, an accurate diagnosis of my physical
problems, which gave me a way to improve the health of
my body. I also got an accurate diagnosis of that part of
my emotional difficulties which must be treated by
medication. And that too has made a world of difference.
Today I am not broken. I have moved towards that place
of harmony. I am so grateful. No, my life is not what I
had expected it to be. I still face problems in all areas.
But, again, I am not broken. I continue to move towards
wholeness.
These words from the reading bring to mind for me a
favorite quote from the Desiderata...a quote I have clung
to many times: "You are a child of the Universe...no less
than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, the Universe is
unfolding as it should."
That's why this is my favorite reading...Kim
I had moved away from my family and took a road that I
was sure would take me to a place to die. I figured since I
was an unhealthy minded person, I might as well go to
where people, places and things were well suited for me,
skid row. I waited for my turn and drank and abused
myself with people, places and things. But, it wasn't in
God's plan for me to end my misery.
So, I asked God to give me a sign of what I should do to
stop living an insane life. Of course nothing happened
instantaneously. My usual way of thinking, I couldn't die
fast enough so I got angry with God and left skid row. It
was a hard road ahead of me but I made a promise to God
that I would pick up my broken life and show Him!
I couldn't go on believing that God wanted to punish me
as badly as I thought. I remembered hearing in a meeting
how powerful a HP could be. I knew deep in my heart
God had wanted only the good for me. So, I began my
search of how a Higher Power could bring me to sanity.
But it seemed I had to do the foot work. Just handing this
or that over to HP wasn't enough. It took changing the
deeply embedded bad habits/behavior.
Once I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, I
had to take a chance on faith alone. I needed to “Let Go
and Let God,” one day at a time, one hour at a time and
sometimes even one second at a time. It worked...Pat M
JFT 2: Just for Today I will try to be
happy, realizing my happiness does not
depend on what others do or say or
what happens around me. Happiness is a
result of being at peace with myself.
This one helps me, especially when someone tries to
bring me down with what they share with me. Especially
someone close to me. Like I got off the phone with
someone who I felt upset with. But I remembered that
"before" they called, I was doing just fine. And I made a
commitment to myself to not allow them and their
upsetting call to affect my happiness. I was willing to
detach and let go of their stuff. When I do that and not
allow others to upset me, I can go back to having peace
with myself. It takes practice though...Connie
Yesterday turned out a great day thanks to posting and
sharing about Just for Today 1, so I make it my
assignment to pick up one JFT everyday. I am getting
used to keeping in touch with people when I feel
overwhelmed these days. This emergency makes it clear
that struggling alone is a waste of energy, and reaching
out for help is an antidote for anxiety, sadness, anger and
all other self-destructive emotions. So I take actions to be
happy everyday, because my self-indulgent misery doesn't
help the victims in the north. I try to stay focused on my
program, and share my emotions with you and my fellow
EA members in Japan. I am grateful for your help and
support. Please know that my country people appreciate
the help from all over the world. Thank you for letting me
share. Blessings...Yoko, Japan (following 2011 Tsunami)
My happiness does not depend on anyone but me. It is not
given to me by others, nor can I earn it from others. Whether I
am happy or not is the result of my own attitude toward myself and toward shared experiences. I place a terrific burden
upon others if I make them responsible for my happiness. In
expecting too much from others, I alienate them and
become frustrated and angry with myself and them.
This can give me the feeling of loneliness while in
the midst of a crowd...Today Book, April 29.
Your donation to the International Service Center are appreciated and needed : http://bit.ly/EAdonations.
EA Tools Applied—god’s Love
Hand-made Cards
I am not particularly into cards. The best ones I received are hand-made notes. When I receive those, I cherish them.
My husband is into cards so I will buy him a big expensive one because that is what he likes. I don't put much thought
into it other than getting him something pricey and it makes me sad when I do it because I really don't believe that
qualifies as being special. I guess it is to him.
If I think of God as sending me a hand-made greeting every day, that makes me feel special. I know it can come
throughout the day. As an example, at 5am this morning when I put the baby in her new outfit and she looked so cute,
it was a special moment. Or at 11pm last night when I hit the pillow and fell asleep immediately. Or at 10:30am
yesterday when at the end of mass it looked like baby D was trying to sing the hymn. I saw it at 3pm when I was able
to tackle a lot of paperwork in the office that seems overwhelming at the time. I got another special delivery when at
9pm after struggling for an hour to calm little D down from a tummy ache, she finally fell asleep.
Grateful for all of these experiences and the range of emotions that came with it and the ability to turn it over and ask
God for help...Irenie
The Key
What a weight is off my shoulders to know that all I have to do is ask God for help whenever I can't handle a
problem, situation, or whatever. I have to ask, which is the key. That involves not allowing my false pride to keep me
from asking. I needed to learn to surrender my will. I cannot think my way out of problems, I don't always know what
is best for me. My best thinking has gotten me nowhere in the past. God has a plan for my life, I don't always know
what it is. I just have to trust that it is far better than any plan I may have for my life. I do the footwork: I go to my
weekly meetings, call my sponsor at least weekly and better yet make a daily contact with someone in the program
either by phone or email, and get in contact with the God of my understanding through prayer and meditation asking
only what God's will is for me and the power to carry that out. When I do that on a daily basis then I do feel a sense of
relief and my mind is quieted knowing I've turned it over to my Higher Power...Renee
I Am Loved
I have been through some rough times but with the help of the 12 step program each and every single one of them has
turned out to be a blessing in disguise—in time. I do not say this lightly, it is from the very depths of my heart. There
are times I have thought I just could not go on. Many people lose everything when they are drinking. I was 7 years
sober when I lost everything. Thanks to my Higher Power I came through this as I have done through many other
situations ever since. There is a lot of living in 75 years. At the time of distress I have hung on to a phrase "all things
work together for good" and just kept repeating it over and over until finally my experiences have taught me that it is
the truth for me.
At first, I did not believe it and only acted as if. I did not love God; If God was real I hated his guts. I used to be fearful
of even thinking I thought that, then a person said to me, if God is real—He already knows what you are thinking and
you might as well get it all out of your system. That is what I did. I wrote and wrote until the rage and anger had all
disappeared. This did not happen overnight but slowly my concept of a Power greater than myself became real. I now
have a loving Higher Power who understands. What a blessing that is.
I asked one time, well many times actually, how to know what God's will is for me and got many different answers. I
thought it would be something important, then one day I read "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God." I
liked that and chose to call God my "Higher Power." Words are very powerful, especially to the young, they can carry
all sorts of messages that the words "Higher Power" do not have for me. I love the concept, it suits all religions or no
religion. I love that it is said, "All we need is a belief in a power greater than ourselves." That is the key that opened
the doorway into acting as if there was a loving being that actually cared about me and that I had to do nothing to earn
that love. We exist and that is all it takes. I am loved...Whispy
God’s Love
Whenever I am tempted to feel overwhelmed or hopeless, I share my problems, feelings and worries
with my Higher Power and visualize resting in His loving, caring hands...Karie
Your donation to the International Service Center are appreciated and needed : http://bit.ly/EAdonations.
2014-2015 EA BOARD
OF
TRUSTEES
REGION 1: NORTHWEST
763-432-7858
CAN: AB, BC, MB, ON, SK
USA: AK, ID, MN, MT, ND, OR, SD, WA, WI, WY
Zoe L—Email: [email protected]
REGION 4: SOUTHEAST
727-384-1294
USA: AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, C, NSC, TN, VA, WV,
Puerto Rico
Ed F—Email: [email protected]
REGION 2: SOUTHWEST
602-319-3890
USA: AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT
Gus S—Email: [email protected]
REGION 5: NORTHEAST
585-371-4347
CAN: NB, NF, NS, NT, PE,YT
USA: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT
Valerie C—Email: [email protected]
REGION 3: CENTRAL
712-420-0510
USA: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NE
Lynne S—Email: [email protected]
REGION 6: FRENCH-SPEAKING CANADA - TRUSTEE AT LARGE
Gilles M—E-mail: [email protected] 450-588-5461
GENERAL SERVICE TRUSTEE - Treasurer
Vince C—Email: [email protected]
603-891-1431
GENERAL SERVICE TRUSTEE - President
330-618-5336
Paul H—Email: [email protected]
GENERAL SERVICE TRUSTEE - Vice President
Harold F—Email: [email protected]
603-624-8455
NON-MEMBER TRUSTEE - Secretary
Phyllis R—Email: [email protected]
623-915-5795
JFT 2:
Just for Today: I will try to be happy, realizing my happiness does not depend on what others
do or say or what happens around me. Happiness is a result of being at peace with myself.
THOUGHTS FROM YOUR TRUSTEES
I spent so much time dealing with things outside of me and looking for happiness there. It never dawned on me that
it could be inside of me. Well, the EA program and it's literature helped me turn within and happiness was located…
Paul I can not make someone happy any more than someone can make me happy. When I get up each morning I
say the Serenity Prayer and ask my Higher Power to remove those defects of character that will effect His will for
me. I have a choice to be happy or not. I accept the day as it happens and believe that I need to look for the good and
not dwell on the bad...Harold An old timer in my group said that she was taught in the beginning to walk around
thanking God for everything—good or bad. I have been practicing this for a few weeks now (certainly not
perfectly) and have had a considerable boost in my happiness level. What seems to happen is an awareness that my
Higher Power is in charge and is doing a fine job of taking care of me...Phyllis I will try to be happy, this does not
mean I will be. There is a lot of stuff happening these days that does not make my happy. But that is OK. Rather like
acceptance—I have to accept but I don't have to like. I can be at peace with myself, yet not be happy. My choice
does not depend on what others say or do, or what happens around me...Ed I don't know from happy. I don't think I
ever have. But I find I don't need to feel "happy" all the time necessarily. I certainly don't want to feel "miserable"
all the time. I just want to "feel" whatever emotion or circumstance that presents itself. I just want to be able to
"feel" it and not fall apart. I want to weather the storm and still be standing when it ends. And it always does
end...Zoe Being at peace with myself means having serenity. In other words gaining serenity by
working the steps will result in happiness, the product of the fulfillment of the twelve promises. Be
happy!...Vince
I was never comfortable in my skin, and was always looking for an escape. I
tried geographic cures, thinking that if I changed my setting, my job, or my partner, maybe I would
feel better. But my problem was in me and I needed a Higher Power’s help. I had to change my
attitude….Val
Events Far & Near
93rd Retreat Weekend
Spirit of the 12 Steps
February 20-22, 2015, Buffalo MN
Registration: Diana G [email protected]
After 2/13 Char Z 763-572-1220
Emotions Anonymous™
PO Box 4245
St Paul, MN 55104
Phone 651-647-9712
Fax 651-647-1593
Hours: Monday—Friday: 10 to 4
www.EmotionsAnonymous.org
Email Addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
To have your event listed send your information to: [email protected] 60 days in advance.
Your donation to the International Service Center are appreciated and needed : http://bit.ly/EAdonations.
Your donation to the International Service Center are appreciated and needed : http://bit.ly/EAdonations.