As you got up this morning, I watched you, and hoped you would talk to me, even if it were just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday. But I noticed you were too busy, trying to find the right outfit to wear. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait, fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip instead. I watched patiently all day long. With all your activities I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced three or four tables over, and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That's okay. There was still more time left, and I hoped that you would talk to me yet. You went home and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done, you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there, and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it not thinking about anything, just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn't talk to me. At bedtime I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family, you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience, more than you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait every day for a nod, prayer or thought, or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation. Well, you are getting up once again. And once again I will wait, with nothing but love for you, hoping that today you will give me some time. Have a nice day!

Your friend,
GOD

As I experience one year of recovery in OA, I am in awe of the new life I have found. Being over weight since I was eleven years old, at age forty-five, I weighed 352 lbs. I had given up hope. With the grace of God and the 12 Steps, I now weigh 236 lbs. My life is not perfect, but one day at a time I am growing spiritually, learning how to deal with life's problems and not turning to food as an answer. I feel certain I will reach my goal weight, but I do not dwell on that but rather on God’s will for me for the next 24 hrs. I have found that Gods will has never been for me to punish my body by compulsively overeating. This is not a unique story but a true one. I believe anyone can have this gift of love if they reach out for it.

Sam R.
League City

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw a foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma." As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her piggy bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores, and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.
On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill, and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere – outside to play, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls," he replied.
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls," he requested once again.
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you" And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.
So it is with our Higher Power. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure. Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary relationships, habits and activities which you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go of? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand, but do believe this one thing ... God will never take away something without giving you something better to take its place!

• Do not work your relationships. Work your program, in thought and in action!
• Grow or go!
• To make a relationship work, you can’t just meet the right person. You have to BE the right person!
• If you can’t reach out and touch God, who’s the one who moved?
• If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you always got!

Do you live in the North Channel Area (North Shore, Channelview, Sheldon, Baytown)? If so, we need you! A new meeting has started in North Shore and is struggling to get off the ground. It currently meets on Tuesday night at Columbia East Hospital. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sherri H. at (713)456-7101. Come on out and help us get this much needed meeting off the ground!

Whew! I did it! I actually got the newsletter out on time! Boy, as an OA friend often says, "It’s a God thing!" Life is moving along, busy as ever, and trying to find time for "extra" stuff is getting more and more difficult. Making meetings is sometimes a struggle. But I’ve figured out what is an even bigger struggle: living life WITHOUT meetings! I have a tendency to go on emotional, not to mention physical, binges if I go too long without a meeting. I’ve realized that my program does not go on the "extra" list in life. That list is for things such as watching too much television and staying online for hours each night. No. My program is not on that extra list. It is on a "Must Do" list. I must call my sponsor. I must work my program. I must attend meetings. I must maintain abstinence. I must do service. I must, or I die. It is that simple. But as the Big Book says, "Simple, but not easy." It might not be easy, but it is easier than digging my own grave with a spoon.

Thank you for all the service you do. Thank you for setting up chairs, making coffee, working on the convention, unlocking meetings, and being there when I need to call you. Without you, I could not be here. Thank you for putting your hand in mine!

Sherri H.