The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I recently heard someone mention the Slogans, I would like to share how I learnt to use them withing a Meeting, and in my personal Recovery journey. I read in one of the Daily Reader, that the Chair Person used the Slogans as a Topic for the Meeting. All the members after said that when they applied the Slogan they chose, of how much it helped them through that Day.
So, one of us decided to make a little bag, and put all the Slogans within in it. We called it our Serenity Bag, anyone of the Members could choose one and use it for the following week. What I did for my Personal walk with Al-Anon, I copied the Just For Today Card, also all the Slogans, and cut them up, and put them into a lovely dish. When I am struggling with things, etc, and after doing my readings in Hope For Today, and Courage to Change, and needed some extra strength,I would just pick out 2 pieces from my dish, I would have them both in different colours, so I would know I had the both of them. I just picked out 2, not knowing what they were.
On looking at them, it was amazing of how much they helped me cope with what I was trying to work out, and got a lot of Serenity,To me it was a conscious Message from my HP. I can also remember reading, a sentence from a Forum, saying, "That I have been given the Greatest Gift called Recovery, so what am I going to do with it."
I hope this can help others as much as It helped me.
Oh Wendy P., what a wonderful share. These activities you practice really can move us forward in our recovery. When Betty sponsored me, for my first few years I had a daily homework:
-pick a slogan for the day to practice
-list an asset about myself
-find a gratitude for the day
At first this was SO hard for me, especially the asset and gratitude. I must admit I thought the slogans were silly little sayings and they meant nothing to me. As I continued this for several years, wow, what a difference. The slogans became so meaningful to me, and helped me grow and change. An asset a day enabled me to see myself with positives as well as all the negatives I could so easily list. And the daily gratitude taught me that there is meaning to my life, and even on the toughest days, I could find something to be grateful for.
Fast forward to today, and Betty is gone (RIP up with the angels!), my youngest brother is having his 3rd round with cancer. He's had a ton of chemo and 4 surgeries. Without this program I can't imagine how I would be coping with this. He's my baby brother and his future is completely compromised. And yet, I can find a gratitude every day. Grateful member always.
