STEP Twelve - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
          Spiritual Principal - Service

TRADITION Twelve - Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
         Spiritual Principal - Spirituality

CONCEPT Twelve -  The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that no OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power;
         Spiritual Principal -  Selflessness

Every month the BLAST will highlight contributions from member meetings of the Brandywine InterGroup. Stories, poems, art work or anything which helped in your recovery or adds to our experience, strength and hope are welcome.

ONE step.
TWO hands clasping mine.
THREE words:
I am Powerless.

FOUR questions:
Am I willing?
Am I willing?
Am I willing?
Am I willing?

FIVE slow breaths returning me to my body.
SIX(ty) minutes of connection and inspiration.
SEVEN days to practice gratitude.
EIGHT letters:
R*E*C*O*V*E*R*Y

NINE months to birth a new beginning.
TEN fingers folded in prayer
ELEVEN-1plus 1 standing together. Spirit and me.
TWELVE people gathered together in hope and strength.

Submitted by Renée W.

Letter from a Friend
 

Hello everyone,

Most of you know that my husband Bob passed away last December 27^th suddenly and unexpectedly.

In the eleven months since his death I have experienced many feelings: sadness, relief, anger, compassion and a slew of other ones. Grieving is different for each person. There has been no rhyme nor reason for feelings that suddenly pop up without warning. The stage of denial passed very quickly. I sat with Bob’s remains after the emergency workers left and before the funeral director and his crew arrived. I had not had an opportunity to say good by to Bob and I did it then. The last thing Bob said was “Cathe” and then he dropped over.

The Twelve Steps of our program and those of my other program have been of great importance to me during this year.

Right after Bob’s death, my brother and sister in law, who were visiting from Florida volunteered to start to dehoard the basement. They left and my other brothers went back to their homes in Philly. Then I had a lot of help from colleagues who had also retired. Program members and my former sister-in-law came in from Chicago in early March to continue. When she left, the COVID shut down happened and I was brought to my knees.

Even though I had been praying, I stepped up my prayer time. I do a gratitude list every day and I will continue to do so. I stay in contact with my two sponsors and was able to visit my OA sponsor in the hospital before the shutdown happened. She is home on Hospice but doing OK. I know she will pass away eventually but for today we are in contact by text and phone. When I get home from Florida, where I am visiting my brother and sister-in-law, and I self-quarantine for the recommended 14 days, I will contact her to visit if she is up to seeing me. God is in charge and I know it in my heart.

I have no idea where I would be if it were not for this program and I do not think about it very much. I have a program that is all about my relationship with my Higher Power whom I call God and about my relationships with others.

It is not difficult to be kind and nice to OA members who I see or Zoom every week. The rubber meets the road when I understand that I am to practice these principles in ALL my affairs.

Thanks for reading this. The Twelve Steps programs work if we are willing to do the simple but hard work of changing our attitude toward life and living in this day only.

Cathe S