Worshiping The Big Donut in The Sky & Other True StoriesThis is a featured page


Worshipping The Big Donut In The Sky

I was desperate. It had been fifteen long years since I had set foot in an OA meeting. I had regained all the weight I had lost and then some. I was now more than two hundred pounds overweight. I could hardly stand long enough to do my work as a hairdresser. I hid in shame in another 12-Step program and thankfully, have stayed sober for 19 years. I learned that if we have serious problems and it seems that there is no way out; work with other fellow sufferers. I drove up and down the main street near where I live always thinking that if I ever got back to OA I would like to start a meeting near my home, to lessen the excuses for not showing up. I called the nearest Intergroup, but felt put off when someone said that there wasn't much interest in starting a Friday meeting and the person said that it couldn't be done. My Higher Power knows that I am of a rebellious nature (aren’t we all?), especially when told I can't do something. The person who seemed not to be helpful actually made me more determined. Although fearful, I contacted the Overeaters Anonymous World Services Office in New Mexico, and they sent me out a New Group Starter Kit. I then noticed that there was a community center located in front of the local library. Tracking down the right contact for the building was difficult and the process tedious. I had to apply in writing, sign a contract as the responsible party, and then go down in person to meet the director of parks and recreation. So, dragging my poor tired body down there, I finally had the key in my hot little hand! So, now, there I sat in a large room all by myself, but at last, we now had a Friday meeting! It was just before my natal birthday in July of 1998. I got the meeting listed with the local Intergroup and put a small notice in the local newspaper. I found our first textbook in the local thrift store. The second meeting, I brought my dog. The third meeting, someone else showed up! So we had a meeting. The meeting grew, and I still did not have a single day of abstinence. I started attending other meetings nearby and farther away into other areas. I began to make many friends and we would go to meetings together. Several of us began to car-pool and caravan our way to meetings. I was attending four OA meetings a week Still, I would eat. I ate before meetings. I ate after meetings. The only time I didn't eat was during the meeting. I found a drive-through donut shop that had a huge landmark plaster donut for a sign. I began to worship the "Big Donut in the Sky." This donut shop (Randy's Donuts) is located in a dangerous high-crime area, yet I'd travel there to get my fix. I shared the same corner with the drug dealers. Me, with my bag of donuts. I would play the same song on my car's tape player, over and over. Bob Seger's song; "Come to Pa Pa." Truly, the theme song for my addiction. I bought a baseball cap with the store logo, and began to wear it when I went on a donut run. I guess it was an attempt at a disguise. I have since found out that there is a live camera at this establishment, which shoots live pictures of everyone in the donut line and broadcasts it at their web site! The horror! During this time, out of desperation and that it no longer seemed sensible to wait until I got abstinent to begin the steps; I began to work the first two steps, answering the questions out of the OA Twelve-Step Workbook. I finished writing out the answers to all of Step Two, but we could not find the time for my "Listener" (the word sponsor still intimidated me) to listen to it. I would find out later that God had a plan of His own. It finally came to a crashing end one night as I prepared for bed. I had 'kept coming back' for a year and a half, and never got a single day of abstinence. I was a complete failure. I now knew without a doubt that if I kept going the way I was going that I would die the death of a compulsive overeater. I suddenly knew without a doubt, that I could not stop. Not tomorrow, not on Monday, not ever. Terrified, I got into bed and prayed to God. "God, please help me. I cannot stop eating! Help me to do Your Will." I cried myself to sleep. During the night I had the following dream: I was doing a favor for an elderly woman. I had just washed and brushed her dogs (not a task I would normally volunteer to do!) and was returning them to her. She wanted to talk. She asked me what I really loved. I looked out the sliding glass doors to a view of the ocean. "I really love the way the sky meets the ocean in the horizon," I said. Then she said, "Tell me about God." I was quiet as I began inwardly to talk to God, "Now listen God, I’m sticking my neck way out here! Help me be an example of what You can do. Please help me." "I will show you what God can do. "I said. I looked at the ocean and the waves began to roll and foam white as snow. The sky began to swirl with white rolling clouds. I could see some figures in the distance, standing in the waves that now seemed to form a shelter for the figures. Now I could see that they were angels and someone else, (whom I have come to believe is the patron saint of my abstinence!) I was stunned and could hardly believe what I was seeing. I don't know how, because I never looked down, but I began to go out towards the vision I was looking out at and I met with the Glory out there. Just before the first step, I remember thinking, "Here I go God, I hope I'm ready!" Soon, I began to hear singing. For me I heard the song that means everything to me now, "Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now, I'm found. Was blind, yet now I see!" I began to hear others joining in with the song, singing it over and over. I came back to the shore to be with the people that had come, attracted by all the singing. One by one, each person began to tell the pain of their lives. The real core pain. As each person spoke of what their pain was, all of us would feel it with them, then begin to sing again, and the pain would be healed. It happened over and over. More and more people came and joined in with the telling and the singing. Then there came a young girl who looked a lot like me. She began to tell of her pain. I reached out my hand to her. She was holding something wrapped up in a white napkin. As our hands touched, she said, "My pain is; that my father, who I thought loved me, left and never came back!" The agony struck me like a bolt of lightening. At once I knew this was my pain and she was me!" My own voice crying out, with the shock of that old pain, woke me up. I opened my eyes and hesitated for a few seconds. It was 4:30 am, September 25, 1999. The thought came to me that I better get out of my bed of sickness, loneliness, sadness and death! I jumped up out of that bed like it was on fire! With my newfound freedom, I jumped into the shower, singing Amazing Grace, my new theme song. I knew the war I'd had with food was over. At last, I finally knew that my eating disorder began at age ten, the day my father left us. It is one thing to intellectually know something, and quiet another to experience the real source of it. I now began to remember what the young girl in the dream was holding. It was a set of silver ware in a white napkin. The symbol of my addiction. I have learned since that the addiction wants one thing from all of us. It wants us to feed it until we are dead!God’s Grace can enter into us and expel the deadly compulsion. That is my belief. When I was finally at my most willing, only then was I entirely ready for the obsession to be removed. And it was. I got dressed and woke my husband up. He looked at me and said, "What the #@%*!! Time is it?" I said," Arise, honey, this is the day the Lord has made! "( or something like that.) "I have to see something." I said. He got up and went with me down to the beach. Sure enough there it was, in the horizon it does look like the ocean meets the sky. We went to breakfast at a coffee shop there in Hermosa Beach. I ate my first abstinent meal. The obsession to overeat had been completely removed from me. I called another member from OA and he met me for an abstinent lunch. That night, I had an abstinent dinner. I now had one whole day of abstinence. A miracle! I hardly knew how to act with a whole brand new clean day, free of the obsession to overeat for the first time in my life! Three days later, still abstinent, it occurred to me that our area needed a phone service. I established the much-needed answering service. Several more days later, I went down to the local cable company and got a public service announcement on the local community access channels. A couple more months later, a few sympathetic OA, and I started a new Intergroup, serving the beach areas and beyond. We recently helped someone calling from New Jersey, to find a meeting in her area! We had begun to sponsor people in remote areas of Kentucky and Texas through the mail. . We connect with people through e-mail and e-mail directories to them when needed. We fax meeting directories to anyone who wants one that way. We have the best bunch of people I have ever met doing service at all levels, volunteering their time to help our fellow suffers. They have saved my life. At a recent Intergroup meeting we prayed together for an office. Three days later, we had our office. That is now where I sit writing about these wonderful experiences to you. I have completed my 5th Step and I am beginning Step 8; I have 385 days of freedom from food obsession. I have lost 100 lbs. I am free at last! I continue to do service as a way of showing my gratitude, and as insurance of continued progress in the Program. Service has brought an end to my agony of isolation. After being blessed with abstinence I cannot think of a better way to spend my time than to travel this road to Happy Destiny, with you.

Charylene McC.
Hermosa Beach, California

chickiewoods@hotmail.com




Worshiping The Big Donut in The Sky - Overeaters Anonymous-Beach Cities!




Message In A Bottle

On 11/07/07 I sent out the following E-mail:

Hi, I am Charylene, Complusive Overeater. As I am changing and growing in this fellowship, I have also realized that my old ways of being and relating to the world have changed drastically. Sometimes I think, "If I am not what I used to be, then who am I?" The same old behaviors do not fit me now. I used to be more passive aggressive to avoid conflict, get my way or distance myself when hurt by someone. Now I am more open, direct and quicker to say I am sorry. Also just reacting in an honest manner is enough to clear up misunderstandings on the spot. Now it is all about having the courage to grow up to be who I am really supposed to be. This is what I am working on daily. And it seems to be my current life task and a two-sided sword of a gift! It can get scary because it is living close to the bone instead of faking life. By the Grace of God I am here and have this chance to do a "Do Over." The food has been calling me daily this whole week and I am putting it out there for your thoughts, prayers and support. I always try to be a lone ranger but that hasn't worked for me very well so far... Thinking of all of you today and sending blessings and love your way.

Here are the messages that came back to save my life:

Back atcha girlfriend. You do not have to eat the whole elephant at once. Are you eating often enough [I now have diabetes]? I love you my friend, for who you are, one day at a time. Sometimes it is a minute at a time. SS.

Awe. You were just totally of service to me. I am eating lunch while reading this and very encouraged as I am not full and want more, while at the same time don't want any of it inside of me. I am currently in a hospital program and the doctors there are really helping me. It is these times when I am alone with myself that are scary. For me, the journey right now is about learning to have a healthy relationship with food. To eat three balanced meals and two snacks, according to my meal plan. No more. No less. No purging. Its hard. But for the first time in my life, I am completely surrendering it to God and with support of people like you in my life, I know that I can make it. I love you dearly. Thank you for being in my life.

DK

Hi Charylene,
Just wanted to let you know that I got your email and you are not alone.
Thanks for sharing.
A.

Good morning

WOW, your email was powerful. I had been in that exact frame of mind this week
as well. So good to hear about the honesty that we need to pursue in life as opposed to hiding from life as we did prior to program. When my dis ease starts on me, I saw the serenity prayer to myself mouthing the words and I also ask God to remove the thoughts from my broken organ, the brain. God is doing for me what I cannot do for myself. I too am a lone ranger and use this character defect to escape and bolt away like a renegade. This gives me freedom from the reality of life. The food calls me constantly, I ask for god's help, he is always there, even if we want to be alone, we never ever, ever are.

Thanks for your insight.

F.

Hooray! Awesome! Way to go! God sure does good work when we let Him!

Keep in touch, Charylene!

Hey Charylene,
Thanks for the email. Good for you for reaching out! Change can be tough. But it sounds like it is bringing you to a better place in your life. Email or call me any time!
GE

Thanks for sharing! See thoughts of peace and happiness your way. Thinking of you and glad to be included, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

LB

Hi Charylene,

My name is C. and I am a member of the ________ Intergroup. I also am in charge of checking the intergroup's website for emails.
The food calls all too often to me as well. My sponsor reminds me that it's better than it was and "this too shall pass." I say, "OK, how about passing right now!!" Do you have a God box? I find it helpful to write issues or foods on small pieces of paper and place them in this box. It's an active form of surrender for me. The tool that really works best for me (when I'm willing to use it) is the phone. Remember your phone call out helps 2 people (just like your email helped me....really).

It takes courage to ask for help in person, by phone or by email. You are definitely in to action.

Take care,
C.

Hi, It is 4:20 on Wed and I have just read your message. What a great friend you are. It is wonderful to be so articulate. I have been listening to Micah's cd. Such talent, my cd only works part of the time in the car and right now it is working. The food is calling me also right now and i am trying not to respond. That's it for me. Bye BW

Hi Charylene,

Thank you for this wonderful thing. You are my great teacher. Yes, it is raw, and I don't like the feelings, the memories, the remorse! Blah so much fourth step work, what a drama queen! Oh, me oh my.

Thank you, because the food is tough for me this past few months, and I am praying for a reprieve, and you gave me a tiny one in your email.
I am praying with you, sister. One second at a time.
Love, S.

Dear Charylene,
I have missed you and thank you so much for trying to make contact during the fires. I am at work right now, but wanted to let you know what a great person I think you are. Always striving for growth even in the most uncomfortable of times. I hope we can connect soon.
Love, CD


The Grace of God provides our daily
respite from the voices in our heads,
tummies, or by the work on our desk to be done.
The difference in being in recovery is recognizing
that we have choices to turn toward the light of
life or to continue to do what we know does not work.
God does know how hard we've tried to have it our way...and He's just ever so ready to
welcome us home again. Like the lost sheep,
our HP is ready to do our fighting against those 'voices' knowing that faith and fear cannot coexist. All we need do is call His name. The battles are ours, but we are never
alone. You are not alone, my friend. You are a beautiful, intelligent, vital, and passionate woman! You have many gifts yet to share w/the world and the way
I see it ... the only way you get to share those gifts with a wretch like me is for me to be in the same holy place of recovery - of becoming whole again in mind, body, and spirit. We've got 2 of them already -- the last
one, our physical selves...well, the road to destiny is never far. It's right here, right now. We become who we believe we are. One day at a time!!
Peace of the Lord be with you, always! You are a beloved Child of God, my Fellow, my sponsor, my friend. I am blessed to share the journey of life
with you.... C. H.

Worshiping The Big Donut in The Sky & Other True Stories - Overeaters Anonymous-Beach Cities!

I am blessed beyond any of my expectations and above my understanding. Thank you to all those who answered my "Message in a Bottle".


Worshiping The Big Donut in The Sky - Overeaters Anonymous-Beach Cities!







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