Published monthly by Al-Anon District 11 December 2013

Beyond Jargon: Impressions of a Newbie at Assembly By Edy R.

GR, DR, NCWSA, H&I, WSO, CAL, AFG. These and many other acronyms flew past me at my first Area Assembly in Concord, CA.

I had ridden over to the East Bay from Marin with a seasoned Al-Anon GR, (group representative), so I had been briefed on the basics.

We would be in a huge ballroom with several hundred people from all over Northern California. We would conduct the business of the area. We would have voting cards. We would hear reports, ask questions, give reports, and vote. This all sounded very dry and a bit dull. I should have known better than to believe my thoughts or expectations!

No one could prepare me for the feelings of strength and hope which coursed through my veins, my heart, and my head as I sat in a room with several hundred Al-Anon members who had traveled all the way from the Oregon line, south of Salinas, Shingle Springs in the east, and Marin in the !

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In this Issue!!Beyond Jargon 1

Crossword Puzzle 2

News & Updates 2

We Danced! 3

Love in Action, Part II 4

WINTERFEST Saturday December 7th

1:30-5:00 pm United Methodist Church

410 Sycamore Avenue

Mill Valley

Kids welcome! !AA and Al-Anon Speakers

Cheyenne C. & Chris A.

from Santa Clara

3:30-5:00 pm

This event abides by the NCWSA requirement for Alateen safety.

One Day at A Time Stories of recovery, news, and fun in the Marin County Fellowship

Published monthly by Al-Anon District 11 December 2013

Continued from pg. 1

west so we could conduct Area business.

Yes, we had to hear financial reports and vote on a budget. Yes, we had to sit through reports from Executive Committee members and Coordinators.

And yes, we also had the opportunity to jump-start our personal programs through service.

There was much joy, laughter, and just plain fun. Each district devised a “holler” − a sort of unison greeting − and a gift from their delegation for the conference as a whole.

Each DR gave a five-minute report on activities in their district since the last October gathering. One report was delivered as a rap, complete with rhyming and motions. Other reports were poignant like the one from a district, which had faced near bankruptcy from which they bounced back, partly by initiating six new Spanish language meetings.

On the second night, most folks in our delegation went to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. We shared chatter and food and lots of laughs, building connections that will serve us well as we serve you back in our home meetings. I shall draw a veil across the image of some of us belly dancing toward the end of the evening!

What was the biggest take-away for this newbie GR? It was feeling that I am part of a worldwide fellowship, which begins at home in my precious home meeting. The organizational pyramid of Al-Anon is in fact inverted; it is wide at the top with our strength and recovery flowing down from group meetings, through the districts, and the areas to the narrow tip of the WSO. We ARE Al-Anon. By Edy R.

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News & Updates How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics is now available as an e-book, from the Apple iTunes store. Cost is $14.99.

In June 2012, the Policy Committee reported to Conference members that using outside vendors to sell electronic CAL reflects the realities of today’s technology environment, and is not an endorsement of nor affiliation with an outside entity.

District 11 needs drivers for our Alateens! Get cleared as an AMIAS so Marin County Alateen has plenty of drivers to get members to and from meetings and fellowship events! Contact Terry, Alateen Safety Coordinator at (415) 209-6844.

Answers to the crossword puzzle (right) will be in the next issue! Thank you "C" for your service and creativity!

Published monthly by Al-Anon District 11 December 2013

!300 Al-Anons and Guests Boogie Down With Their Higher Powers

October Dance Photos by Joe E.

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Published monthly by Al-Anon District 11 December 2013

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Service: Putting Love into Action !Part Two By Diana S. You may have read in the first part of this story, (October 2013, One Day At A Time District 11 newsletter), that some years back, my sister lost her home, her car, and her dog. This threw me into a tailspin of grief and despair. I became your District Rep. and my life began to change.

Part of this change revolved around the wonderful people I met through my service position. My primary service sponsor was a member with many years of service at all Al-Anon levels.

I had heard him speak at a Day in Al-Anon about ten years before and had told myself, “When I try the DR job, I want to ask him to be my service sponsor.” I had been impressed with his courage. He had dared to talk about suicide in his share, an amazingly brave topic I did not think I had ever heard in Al-Anon before. I also asked him if it was OK for a man to service-sponsor women since we recommend same-gender sponsoring, in most cases. He said we would not get into personal matters, so it was fine.

Another Level of Recovery

Area service totally enthralled me. I watched in awe as people went up to the microphone to share an opinion on an issue. The vast majority of them delivered their message with calmness, clarity, and a lot of respect. I had seen similar behavior at group and district business meetings, but this was another level of recovery. I saw it and I wanted it. I made my own comments occasionally, at least trying to be calm and respectful.

I felt anxious inside, but knew this was a great opportunity to just practice Al-Anon principles. I got to practice Tradition 12, in particular - especially that “principles above personalities” part - and began to learn the value of the Concepts. I realized that people were calm because they were detaching; genuinely not reacting to others.

As I began my last year as DR, my service sponsor went to the mike. He said he had been diagnosed with lymphoma and was in treatment. I panicked a bit, realizing I had not sat down with him to talk over anything in more depth. I wondered how sick he really was. I asked if we could go to lunch and he agreed, offering to drive from the South Bay to San Rafael.

Love Al-Anon Style

I had my list of items to ask about for the first half of lunch. Then, he totally floored me by asking, “Would you like to date me?” I almost fell off my chair, stating, “ But you are my service sponsor – is this OK?” I was fearful that this was a boundary crossing, and I asked to think it over. I called my personal sponsor, whom I had known over 20 years, and she said, “Oh, it’s not a big deal. You can get a new service sponsor.” So I did.

That was May 6th of 2011. In June, he was cleared of the lymphoma. On April 27, 2012, I married the love of my life, my first marriage, at the age of 64.

Each day, I still look at him and thank God for bringing us together. In our wedding ceremony, we used much of the chapter on Service from How Al-Anon Works. Our more than 57 years in recovery have brought us a miracle.

Try more service on and see what your Higher Power brings you.