Looking outside of myself. = 12th step work.

I know that it's been some time since there's been a post on this site.  I guess life can get in the way.  Not that there was any special going on, I just hadn't bothered to to come up with anything to say on the site.

In any event, it's coming around to the holiday season. It's a time of the year that I personally don't care for.  I hate all of the expectations, and I always feel that I fall short.  What exactly these expectations are, I'm not sure. It's one of those things that I try not to beat myself up over.  Silly, isn't it? 

But I DO know one thing. I always feel better about life when I give of myself.  And what better way than to help out at our local central office. So, I'll be volunteering this holiday season at our local office manning the phone banks.


From the districts web page:

For many people, a voice on the phone at the Cleveland District Office is their first contact with A.A. They want to know what they can do about where their drinking has taken them. There are also calls from out of town visitors looking for a meeting as well as members asking about A.A. activities.

The weekends are an especially important time for the voice of Alcoholics Anonymous to be available. That’s why the Cleveland District Office offers service work to local AA groups by coming in to answer phones instead of forwarding these calls to an answering service on weekends and holidays.

Due to a recent drop in group signups, immediate help is needed. Shifts are usually set in 4 hour blocks, but there is flexibility in how the schedule is set. The suggested blocks of time are Saturday and Sunday:

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

If you want to know more, please check out the local office's site.

Or just go to their main volunteer page.

https://www.aacleve.org/for-members/become-a-volunteer/

The hand of AA was there for me when I reached out.
I need to make sure that there's a hand for the next person seeking help.

R.N.

A Fond Farewell, Jeff C.

He brought to his home group a ton of common sense. Helped keep things focused on what was important, guiding the Westside Agnostic group to be an AA meeting that ANYONE and EVERYONE should feel welcome. Period.  That the only requirement to be an AA Member is simply a desire not to drink. That's it.

I think that Jeff knew that if things were kept simple, we as a group could be the most help. To help widen the gateway, and keep the gateway open. For myself and those to follow.

From AA Comes of Age (1957) Bill W. wrote: "...this was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics. They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of their belief or lack of belief." 

---

JEFFREY THOMAS CUNNINGHAM, of Lakewood, passed away on February 8, 2016 after a long and brave battle with cancer. He was the father of three beloved daughters - Emily Millay Cunningham, Sophie Katherine Cunningham and Anna Louise Cunningham - and is also survived by their mother, Deborah Cunningham along with partner, Heather Madden and a sister, Kelly Lance of Dayton. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret (Looney) Cunningham of Akron, Ohio and his sister, Rebecca Cerio of Franklin, Tennessee. Born in Akron, OH on February 2, 1953, he graduated from Akron University with a B.S. in Accounting, and from Case Western Weatherhead School of Management with an MBA in Banking and Finance. He began his career at Comshare and moved to Ernst & Young. Later, he enjoyed a long career as a consultant with SAP. He also worked for Oracle, IBM, and Forte Industries. A transformational figure in the Cleveland area recovery community, his dedication and inspiration have helped many. He was also actively involved in the Cleveland AA Central Office and led weekly groups at two men's recovery houses, the Lantern and Sobriety in Motion. Family and friends are welcome at SLONE & CO. FUNERAL DIRECTORS, 13115 LORAIN AVENUE, CLEVELAND, ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12 FROM 6-8 P.M. where concluding services will be held at 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alcoholics Anonymous Cleveland District Office, 1701 E. 12th Street, Suite 20, Cleveland, OH 44114. Interment Lake View Cemetery.

---

And for some reason, this song, "Unsteady" seems to make me think of Jeff

God neutral 12 Steps the "We revision"

God neutral, The 12 Steps "We revision"

1. Drinking and drugs were bad for us.
2. We could not do it alone - something about fellowship with other drunks and drug addicts helped us stay sober.
3. Having all the answers was not a help--we had to learn to listen and follow directions.
4. We had to stop blaming, rationalizing, excusing, and we had to take responsibility, as well as take a good look at ourselves.
5. Our version of events was skewed, we needed to run it by someone a bit more objective.
6. All of our lives we had been doing things that hurt us, sabotaged our best efforts, our self esteem was warped, twisted, and improperly inflated.
7. We had to look at these things, stop doing them, and work on our selves.
8. We had shame over how we hurt others - we had to address this in order to move on--we did this by owning our part in things.
9. We had to make things right, mostly by living soberly, and by owning our responsibility to people we had hurt (appropriately, discretely, and not to those still raging and drinking).
10. We had to learn to use the emergency brake, that means when we started to lie or get angry, we had to learn how to slow down - shutting our mouth was usually a good start.
11. We came to understand that in the universe we are just specks and that life goes a whole lot better if we learn to act accordingly and when we forget this basic truth, we need to reflect about it until we remember.
12. Whew! When we do these things we are better people, we are happier, we can actually like the person we have become - sometimes people come to us for help and sometimes we have things to say that help them.

Revised by CC Property of the universe.

God Neutral 12 Steps

God Neutral 12 Steps

1. Drinking and drugs were bad for me.
2. I could not do it alone - something about the AA group helped me stay sober.
3. Having all the answers was not a help. I had to learn to listen and follow directions.
4. I had to stop blaming, rationalizing, excusing, and take responsibility, and to take a good look at my self.
5. My version of events was skewed, I needed to run it by someone a bit more objective.
6. I had all my life been doing things that hurt me, sabotaged my best efforts, my self esteem was warped, twisted, improperly inflated.
7. I had to look at these things, stop doing them, and work on my self esteem.
8. I had shame - I had to address it in order to move on, to own my part in things.
9. I had to make things right, by living soberly, and by owning my responsibility to people I had hurt. (appropriately, discretely, and not to those still raging and drinking) --- (I did not repay the sick leave I had taken because of hangovers though) I did a much better job at work though.
10. I had to learn to use the emergency brake. When I started to lie or get angry, how to slow down - shutting my mouth was usually a good start.
11. Came to understand that in the universe I am just a speck and to act accordingly.
12. Whew!! I do these things. I am a better person, I am happy, I can actually like the person I have become - sometimes people come to me for help and I sometimes have things to say that help them.