Thankful

I committed a week ago today to make a gratitude list daily, and I made a half-hearted attempt to do it for a couple of days, then life got in the way. I'm sorry. And this Thanksgiving week should have certainly been an easy one to start the habit. But today's a new day. And I am grateful for the ability to start now, for the new day. I'm grateful for:

• Time together the last few days with people I love.
• Being surrounded by people who understand what I'm doing, that tasting everything they've cooked isn't the only way -- or even a very effective way -- of proving my love to them.
• A very special conversation I had on Thanksgiving Day.
• Abundance.
• Challenges.

I started the month participating in an online challenge to write a poem a day. I fell behind, but I think I'll use today's prompt to complete my thought here. The prompt is to finish the phrase "through this" and use that as the title of a poem. Okay. Having now written the poem, it's not what I expected to come out. And it makes this a disjointed blog entry, but here it is:

Through This Feasting Season   

We gather 'round the table,

tradition thick, families collected,

loving, but the love flavored with resentment,

caring, but scarred and scared

the past may stream flaming

through the door, carried high like

baked Alaska.

We gather 'round the table,

sitting back afterwards, grateful

for abundant food

and for learning once again

the feast that is love 

remains and reigns.

Redefining Tools?

The eight tools of Overeaters Anonymous are a plan of eating, sponsorship, meetings, telephone, writing, literature, anonymity, and service. 

With many others these days, I rely on the computer for a great many of my connections with other OA's outside the weekly meetings I attend. It's easy to figure all the literature was written years ago, before the computer age, and to assume the computer via email, online meetings, and Internet groups count as a tool as well. Certainly, they're helpful. But computers don't substitute for the tools -- or for any of them. I, and others I sponsor, seem to shy away from that 500 pound monster, the telephone. Personally, I don't rely on the phone as much as many other people, not just for OA but in life situations in general. Today I was looking for information I needed. It had been suggested I get the information by phoning a particular organization. I didn't want to. That recommendation was made last Thursday. I finally called it today. I just don't like the phone particularly. 

I also called my sponsor. And I'm going to continue to do so. From this point on, I'll use all the tools, including the 500 pound phone.