-- A Vision for You, Alcoholic Anonymous Big Book page 164
What a beautiful sentence, so inclusive. When I came into program I felt excluded on so many levels in my life. I never received an invitation to the ‘Skinny Club,’ the ‘Eat Whenever and Whatever I Wanted to Eat Club,’ the ‘In Crowd, Always Successful Club,’ the ‘No Problems were Unsurmountable Club,’ the ‘I Want to Be Your Friend Club,’ the ‘Get Picked First on a Team Club,’ and so on.
I was in the ‘Yo-Yo Diet Club,’ the ‘Weight Loss Failure Club,’ the ‘Hearing Friends, Family & Doctors say ‘it would be so much better if you lost weight’ Club,’ etc. etc.
“We shall be with you in the fellowship of the Spirit.” What did I hear – you wanted to be my friend even if we never met or per chance meet, you would consider me a member of the fellowship and part of the group ‘trudging the Road of Happy Destiny?’ The answer is yes!
I thought, "What Happy Destiny?" as I came into the rooms. You mean there is something to be ‘Happy’ about in OA?
Yes, I learned I had a 2 fold illness, an obsession of the mind and compulsion of the body! You mean it wasn’t ALL MY FAULT? I could stop belittling myself as a weight loss failure? Yes!
And, if I worked our program and Step 1, know I was powerless over this disease, I could feel Happy? Yes! I could then take Steps 2 and 3 which led me to willingness and acceptance that God had the power necessary to relieve me of the disease of compulsive overeating, if I accepted God’s help on a daily basis. If I worked the rest of our Steps, used our Tools of Recovery I could find happiness and joy living a sane abstinent life, one day at a time. Count me ‘IN’ to living this new way of life!
I can share living ‘in the Spirit’ with other compulsive eaters even the ones I’ve never met as we ‘Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny’ one moment and one day at a time.
Thank you Higher Power! By S.D.
