December 2021: Sobriety through the Holidays
Serenity Prayer Formula
Tim B.
Hidden in plain sight within the simple brilliance of the serenity prayer is a formula. Its core can be broken down into 3 elements: Serenity, Courage and Wisdom. I am starting to find that when I am seeking one element which I am struggling to feel, turning toward the other two helps me find the third.
When I feel a lack of Serenity, pouring my energy into Courage (perhaps having a conversation I’ve been dreading or bearing down on a difficult task) and Wisdom (reading from the basic text or talking to my sponsor) brings serenity to my doorstep.
When I am not feeling the necessary Courage for something, focusing on Serenity (meditating or doing an outer circle activity) and
Wisdom, is often what builds the courage where it’s needed. When I seek Wisdom that seems elusive, turning toward Serenity and Courage can open my eyes to insights I couldn’t see before.
It’s all right there in the Serenity Prayer. Three key elements that interconnect, and help us live better lives. It’s easy to overlook its brilliance due to its simplicity. I am trying in earnest to turn to those core elements more in my life. Reminding myself of the simple formula in the Serenity Prayer is helping me maintain my recovery, and for that I am very grateful.
Holiday Sobriety and Serenity
Anonymous
The holidays can be rough. I associate some with the memories of people no longer in my life, including those who have died. But many of the best things that have ever happened to me have come as a result of working the twelve steps in SLAA, and one of them is peace around sex and love.
I have spent many holidays bemoaning the fact that I have no one to share them with. But gratefully, today I know I have my Higher Power and the SLAA community in Chicago to help me celebrate a new year and other occasions.
This year was full of pain, heartache, and milestones of different kinds. Working on accepting the things I cannot change lessened the pain and heartache, as well as deflating my ego when it came to the milestones. I’ve had a very productive year, and one of the biggest pieces I’ve been working on is giving up my will and turning it over to my HP. This process is, of course, very, very imperfect, and I do not claim to have mastered it by any means. But working more on making outreach calls and using different tools of the Program, giving more credit to my HP, and isolating less has really helped my recovery.
So, during the holidays, I am working on letting go of expectations and entitlement—whether I “should” have somebody to share my life with or not, I am grateful for this fellowship for reminding me of many of the most important actions, principles, and tools in my life that I can use as a design for living.
One of the greatest gifts of the program for me is helping me notice when I am in my patterns of addiction—not only my character defects, but also my thought patterns that show my addiction at work, such as certain patterns of fantasy and idealization.
So, I will work to continue to recognize my patterns and challenge them with the help of my HP, my sponsor, and my SLAA community. I will make it through the holidays sober if I work this Program one day at a time.
Announcements
Thank you from Intergroup
The Chicago-Milwaukee Intergroup would like to express gratitude to the following groups for their contributions, as reported at the December meeting:
-
Tuesday Keep Coming Back SLAA Group: $10.00
-
Tuesday Solution in the Suburbs SLAA Group: $52.00
-
Friday & Sunday Beverly Serenity SLAA Group: $128.96
-
Ravenswood Fellowship Group: $14.00
-
SLAA Anorexia to Healthy Relationships: $100.00
-
Wednesday Night Streetville at Insight (Now Defunct): $118.00
-
Individual Contributions (10/17/21 - 11/16/21): $63.00
These contributions help with Intergroup operations so we can continue to carry the message. Thank you!
Intergroup Bylaws Revision
The Greater Chicago/Milwaukee SLAA Intergroup's (GCMSI) bylaws are guiding principles that inform service at the Intergroup level. These bylaws have been revised incorporating feedback from local SLAA groups and are now ready to be voted upon for approval and use. All votes must be submitted by March 1, 2021. Contact mailroom@slaachicago.org for details on how to get your group involved.
Intergroup Positions Available
In March, the Greater Chicago/Milwaukee SLAA Intergroup will hold elections for Intergroup officer positions. If you would like to participate, we encourage you to join us on January 15th at 8 a.m. This month's meeting will be hybrid, we are meeting at NTAC (909 W Belmont) as well as on Zoom, please contact 312-725-9918 for details.
Opportunities for Newsletter Submission
As members of SLAA, you have the opportunity to contribute to our local Intergroup newsletters, as well as the fellowship-wide newsletter. Read on for more information.
Contribute to GREAT FACT
GREAT FACT—what you are reading at this very minute—is the newsletter for the Greater Chicago–Milwaukee Intergroup.
We're prepping for publication for the next few months and looking for the following submissions for future issues as it pertains to your experience, strength and hope:
-
Essays
-
Fiction
-
Poetry
-
Artwork
-
Photography
Upcoming deadlines:
-
January (January 12th): Welcome to the Newcomers: Setting bottom lines, “I knew I belonged in SLAA when…”
-
February (February 16th): "Service and Sobriety"
-
March (March 16th): "Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and life over to the care of God as we understood Him"
To submit, please send an email to mailroom@slaachicago.org with the subject line "Newsletter Submission." Please feel free to send us something outside of the themes above, and we’ll slot it in when appropriate. Thanks!
Greater Chicago/Milwaukee SLAA Intergroup
Meeting Minutes- Saturday, November 20, 2021
Attendees:
Hannah K, RFG, Outreach Vice Chair
Kristin S, Website Facilitation, RFG
Trevor V, RFG, Fall Gathering Co-Chair
Jim J, Intergroup Rep Beverly Serenity Sunday
Vince R, RFG, Fiduciary Vice-Chair, ABM Delegate
Papa A, RFG, Fiduciary Chair
Caitlyn K, RFG, Retreat Co-Chair, Newsletter Editor
Dave S, RFG, Intergroup Rep
Chris S, RFG, Inreach Chair
Anthony P, Keep Coming Back Group, Facilitation Chair
READINGS & INTRODUCTIONS (12 Minutes)
● Prayer for a Trusted Servant -
● Traditions
● Introductions (name, group affiliation and position)
● Greater Chicago/Milwaukee SLAA IG Statement of Purpose
● Review Agenda
● 12 Concepts of Service
● Concept 2 - Trevor (Concept 3 December(Jim J))
OFFICER REPORTS
Facilitation (5 Minutes.)
● General Report: Anthony
○ Approve Minutes october - approved
○ Website Facilitation: Kristin, Christie (vice)
-Good feedback was received on the “how-to” guide, and it will be included in the next version.
■ Bylaws Update Responses (Vince and Officers) - Vote Collection. 3 month timer starts on votes for IG bylaws. IG reps, please put the banner up asking for groups to vote to adopt the IG by-laws within this timeline.
Fiduciary (5 Minutes)
● General Treasurer Report: Papa Chair/Treasurer, Vince Vice Chair -Both October and November report were sent out. Fall Gathering took home $459.11, from $1215 in income and $765 in expenses. Overall $1749.67 in income in Novermber. 900 is from Fall gathering, 121 in individual donations to IG. $597 in quarterly donation from Hedwig.
-TCF, our bank, has been bought by Huntington Bank. No relevant changes at this time.
● Approve Treasury Report
-Vote to approve treasury - unanimous approval.
-Check your Venmo handle you are using for intergroup donations. It is @Augustine-Fellowship. Not anything else. At least one member made a donation to a different handle, so please check with others.
○ Initial Cash Flow Projection for both Retreat and 2 delegates - Based On DeKoven Requirements
-Discussion around having the retreat pay into it’s own accounts? The goal is to have large rotating funds required for the summer retreat’s reservations and other expenses be self-supported, using the “profits” from the previous retreats to support the down payments for future retreats. The current system is that the intergroup donates money for the summer retreat’s down payments, then gets it back when the summer retreat is concluded. *further motion will be forthcoming.*
OutReach (5 Minutes)
● General Report: Sean Chairperson, Hannah Vice Chair
○ Direct Outreach - Hazelden
-This project was tabled this month.
Inreach General Report (15 Minutes)
● General Report: Chris
○ Newsletter Report (Caitlyn and Chris)
■ Production Editor: Caitlyn,
■ Contributions Editor/s: Josh, Ian
-Committee is working on guidelines to offer to the intergroup when looking for editorial feedback. More info soon
-Some submissions for the newsletter. This month’s theme is “Sobriety during the holidays”
○ Fall Gathering Final Report: Trevor, Caitlyn
■ Nominations for Co-Chairing Next Year
-Fall Gathering Survey was very positive!
○ Literature Review Subcommittee (Anthony)
■ New Proposed S.L.A.A. Basic Text Revision - Request for Feedback Conference
■ 12/12/12 Proposal
■ Time Frame and Proposed Project
○ Sponsorship workshop (tabled)
■ Pending Email - next steps
○ Retreat 2022 Caitlyn, Anthony
■ Current status
■ Co-Chair - Nominees additional Nominations
■ Vote for new co-chair
-Vote was taken, and Chris S was selected to be summer retreat co-chair.
■ Proposed Dates
-Contract negotiations are underway and ongoing.
● ABM Delegates: Anthony and Vince (as needed)
○ FWS Report/Service
Intergroup Representatives Feedback
○ As Needed
New Business (10 min.) As Possible
● In Person/Hybrid Review
● Location/Time
SUGGESTED ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR MEETING REPS:
● Review and Vote on Bylaws - Final Date?
● Submissions to newsletter - December:??
● Looking for Outreach Speakers (direct ask - prescreen)
● Encourage donations to IG via Venmo (@Augustine-Fellowship)
● Thank yous to Groups, etc. for Retreat Contributions
● Please submit Meeting Updates via the Meeting Update Function on the Website (reopening, etc.)
Proposed Next Meeting:
Saturday, November 20, 2021
8:00am – 9:15am
OnLine (Zoom)
In Person: Open
Greater Chicago/Milwaukee SLAA Intergroup
Treasury Report
11/17/21-12/16/21
Starting Balance November 17, 2021 $9,312.91
Total Intergroup Group/Individual Donations $485.96
Total Expenses $71.69
Acct. Current Balance (12/16/21) Act. $9,727.18
*The full treasury report is available through your Group Intergroup Representative or by request to: mailroom@slaachicago.org.
SLAA Online Text-Only Chat
Those who need an additional resource in their SLAA recovery are invited to SLAA Online text-only chat recovery fellowship. Find more information by visiting the SLAA website, slaaonline.org, or by emailing slaaonline@yahoo.com.
Contribute to West Chicago Intergroup Newsletter
Our friends in the West Chicago Intergroup invite members to contribute to their newsletter to share their experience, strength, and hope. According to Mark K., "Writing an article for our newsletter is one way you can serve yourself and others." For more information, email pcomind@gmail.com or visit the West Chicago Intergroup website.
Contribute to the Fellowship-Wide Newsletter: Journal
The Journal is SLAA’s fellowship-wide newsletter, which goes out to fellows around the world.
The Journal seeks submissions for the “Question of the Day” for upcoming issues (deadline):
-
March/April: Long Term Recovery (Due January 15, 2022) How do you keep your program fresh and growing?
-
May/June: Sponsor’s Words (Due March 15, 2022_ What's the best thing your sponsor has ever told you?
-
July/August* ABM Issue: Anorexia Withdrawal (Due May 15, 2022) What is anorexia withdrawal in your experience? What tools helped you deal with the pain of withdrawal from anorexia with out retreating back into anorexia?
-
August/September: Defects Higher Power Lets Me Keep (Due July 15, 2022) Have you ever prayed for a character defect to be removed for a long time and found that it stuck around for you to learn a lesson or because it helped you or others in some way? Please share your experience, strength, and hope.
Submit responses or other contributions to www.slaafws.org/journalsubmit.
To subscribe to the Journal or read the current issue, please click here.
Thank you for reading!
Coming in January: "Welcome to the Newcomer"
We invite you to share your experience, strength, and hope.
To submit, please send an email to mailroom@slaachicago.org with the subject line "Newsletter Submission"