The EA Connection: November2018
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EA Tools for Recovery
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understoodhim, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Tradition 11: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintainpersonal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.
Promise 11: We acquire a feeling of security within ourselves.
Concept 11: Each person is entitled to his or her own opinions and may express them at a meeting within theguidelines of EA. We are all equal - no one is more important than another.
Just for Today 11: I will not compare myself with others. I will accept myself and live to the best of my ability.

From the President, EA Board of Trustees
As I shared with you in the October Connection, the Board members of Emotions Anonymous met at the Emotions
Anonymous International Offices in St. Paul, MN, October 4th and 5th. We had many things on our agenda that weneeded to work on. We gathered on October 4th, renewing relationships which led us into the work of the Workshop on October 5th. We spent time envisioning the future of EA which led the group to begin the process of establishing our Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2019. We reviewed the nominating process for Board members aswell as reviewing members at large who have expressed an interest in serving as a member of the Board. Wethen began the Board of Trustees meeting. We reviewed the Financial Report and Budget. We reviewed the Bylaws of the Organization and other items as presented by our Executive Director. October 6 th was the Annual
Membership Business Meeting via Conference call or in person. Information regarding the meeting will be provided in the future.
November is our Annual Gratitude Month. We are encouraged to give a special donation which expresses ourgratitude, both as individuals and groups. Your contributions are appreciated, both large and small.
When I think of the Serenity that EA has brought to me, it encourages me to be generous in my giving. I wish youa Happy Fall Season and Thanksgiving! Gus S, President EA Board of Trustees

2018 Board of Trustees Workshop
At the recent Board of Trustees workshop, the group discussed the issue of participants at meetings under theage of 18. It was determined that EAI will require that anyone under this age be accompanied by a parent or legal
guardian in order to assure their safety. EA meetings are not designed for children or youth, but are not closed totheir participation with a responsible adult accompanying them...Elaine Weber Nelson, Executive Director

In memory of John “Jack” Haller, Winnipeg, MB, Canada - Charlotte H, SC
Jack served on the EA Board of Trustees .
He was a gentle soul and his contributions to EA were many.

Recovery using the Tools of EA
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact withGod, as we understood him,praying only for knowledgeof His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Step 11 is one of my favorite steps.
In my mind I think of it as my “let itgo” step. That is because in the step
I am told to seek God’s guidance
and to ask that He provide directionof His will for me. Now my problem
is that I often forget to do the above
and it isn’t until I am really hurtingthat I remember to call on God forguidance and that He always has mybest interest at heart.
I have also found that the Slogans
offer support for Step 11, such as“Let go and let God, You are not
Alone, By the grace of God, andKeep it simple.
This step also serves as a reminderthat God is always there, I just need
to “hook up. ” So, if I remember tokeep Step 11 at my side and use theslogans as companions, life goespretty darn good and I am grateful...CaryStep 11 was a tough step for me tograsp. I had so much anxiety and somany internal triggers. I lived mylife by doing, doing, doing and thinking, thinking, thinking - It was theway I had learned to cope. Quiet
time? Where would I fit that into mybusy life? There was no time to stopand speak to God let alone listen toHim. In the It works if you work It
book, it talks about increasing ourSpiritual awareness by quieting ourselves. I was addicted to figuring life

out, and figuring out other people. Ialways searched for the motives ofothers, it dawned on me one daythat other people were truly not mybusiness. God was interested in me
and had much to say to me about
me and my life. In learning to work
step 11, I began to really focus on
the Serenity Prayer and I began to
ask God how to “know the difference” between me and other people. In the beginning it was more like“gripe times” where I gave God all of
mycomplaints
andresentments about other people who had
not lived up to my expectations.
It has taken many years for me todevelop that relationship with Godand to gain that internal intuition
that comes from the discipline thisstep has taught me. It has been a
gradual process, life, schedules, people and my own anxiety would get in
the way of my God times. Making
time for God has been worth it. I
have found the more I work step 11
the more I get from God. It is a divine exchange my time for His nature.
Step 11 was the step that showed
me I clearly was not going to graduate from the program. At first I didn’t like that, I was looking for a quick
fix but the longer I stayed, workedthe steps, used the tools and I began
to hear from God, the less I wantedto graduate. I am now hooked on
the steps, God and learning to live inthe promises. Step 11 has been key
for me in developing and nurturing
my relationship with God and in doing that God has taught me the only
one I have control over is myself.
The more I work and remember step
11 the less I am controlled by myfeelings and the more I know how tohandle things that used to baffle
me… Jessica

Just for Today 11:I will notcompare myself with others. Iwill accept myself and live tothe best of my ability.
The other day when I was looking in
the mirror I realized that I immediately looked at my "worst" physicalattributes and ignored thebetter ones. I determined to change
this biased viewing and accept how I
am - better and worse. Some things
I can change and some I can't. I always have the option to work on thethings I can change. Count me grateful for this awakening...JoanOne thing I love about EA is Just forToday 11. It helps when I practicethis daily. To know when I don'tcompare myself to others, I feelokay just being me. When I accept
myself and live to the best of myability, my days go much better andI feel comfortable in my own skin.
I can pray to my Higher Power tohelp me if I find myself comparing
myself to others, which can happen
still now and again.
When I catch myself doing this andfeeling bad about myself, I turn overthis "comparing myself to others"
defect to my Higher Power.
We all have assets and defects and I
like that EA says that no one isbetter than or less than anyone else.
Feeling equal to others helps me
feel more a part of things rather
than apart from things. I will keep
praying to my Higher Power daily tohelp me with this Just For Today...
ConnieDiscovering the tools of EA
Gratitude for Recovery and the Tools of EA
Someone asked me what the Tools are. It was a good question, so I thought I would share my thinking on those Tools.
For me they are the basic's of my program. Without them I would not have a program. I have been in 12 step recovery
for over 42 years now and am grateful every day for their guidance.
The Steps gave me a guide for recovery. Some seemed easy, others hard, but all are necessary. I go to a weekly step
meeting and we do them over and over, one each week. If you had told me in early recovery that I would cherish that,I would have said no way. But now it seems each time we do a step I find something new about me or gleam thoughtsthat I would not have on my own.
Next came the Promises, I had totally forgot there was such a thing until someone mentioned a really good one, oneday. I read them and thought how wonderful they were and knew I was willing to work to make them happen.
The Just for Today's came next. I liked that I only had to do something for one day or an hour until I could start to really incorporate it into my life.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and all that goes with it, the Slogans became my lifeline. Just one easy sentence that I could say over and over, something to hang on to. I value them today just as I did then.
The Concepts helped me to understand recovery on a different level. With them I was able to expand my program
knowledge and gained a deeper understanding of how it works.
Last but not least the Traditions became my constant guides during the years that I worked for EA as it's Executive Director. Things came along that I didn't understand or know how to handle, the Traditions were there toanswer those questions and provide a guide over the years that worked….Karen Mead, Editor

They Work When I Work Them
Entering recovery, I found that I lacked the fundamental skills to progress. I had endless energy, but mostof it was spent manipulating, hiding, and beating myself up. I was an expert in that particular area. All that effort andno success was defeating and exhausting. Yet, I never tired of taking it out on myself. And that was a strategic decision,
because as I discovered, I was the only one that would not fight back. And so I became my own perpetual victim. So, Ilearned the basics, and life started falling into place. But it did not come cheap, and it did not come easy. I paid a highprice for recovery. One of the most important discoveries I made was that I truly was the cycle of insanity. I put in aton of effort using the wrong tools, expecting things to turn out differently. It never did; it only got worse. I kept using
the tools that I had incorporated in order to cope with life. Dishonesty, manipulation, self-pity, escape, anger, fear, isolation, hostility, just to name a few. And I kept using them until I began working the steps. I bookmarked Part II - Reflections of the Steps in the It Works if You Work it Book. It reminds me of the principles of each Step. Honesty, Hope,Faith, Courage, Integrity, Willingness, Humility, Responsibility, Justice, Perseverance, Spiritual Awareness, Service.
These remain an integral part of my daily recovery, because when I use any one or a combination of these principles,
my day gets better. And that is regardless of whatever comes my way. Recovery has taught me that I do not need tojoin an argument or a tantrum to make a point. Sometimes the loudest point is made by non-verbal communication.
Sometimes, simple presence is all it takes. I feel that way about my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God too. Recovery is not a carrot at the end of the stick. There are no hoops to jump through. I have found the 12 suggested Steps,work when I work them. A former sponsor once told me that if I wanted change, I needed to break a habit. I used tofear change, now I am grateful for change... Lynn A

Repetition
When I was first in meetings I didn’t understand why we read the Steps , the Just for Today’s andPromises every meeting. It seemed to be a waste of time. Over time, I was surprised at how helpful they were. I found that sharing on them over a few weeks helped them to let them sink in .
Gradually I found that the repetition meant I was starting to remember them in everyday situations better. Rather than skipping over them I’m going to make a point of applying them eachday...Karen G2018 - 2019 EA Board of Trustees
Please feel free to contact members of the Board with questions or concerns
Gus S, AZ 602-319-3890 schloessergus@gmail.com President
Scott J, MN 507-276-0323 sdjakel@gmail.com Vice President/Treasurer
John W, MN 612-760-0313 johnwerner52@gmail.com Secretary
Derita P, OH 216-624-3559 deritapippen@yahoo.com

The 12 Principles—Spiritual AwarenessIn the early 1950’s Twelve Step groups began informally sharing what has become known as the Principles of the 12Steps. Each step has a corresponding principle that one can keep in mind when working the steps. Below members
share how spiritual awareness factors into Step 11 for them.

Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood
Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
There’s external noise all around us, and unfortunately, our minds are full of chitter chatter day in and day out. We’re stressedwith all of the activity we’re involved in. It’s these things that made us sick in the first place. Thanks to the work of Step 11 and thePrinciple of this step, we’re able to enter into a deeper and perhaps more gratifying relationship with our Higher Power, and wedo this through prayer and meditation which are nothing more than listening to our inner selves which can lead to serenity andpeace of mind. Personally, I am very comfortable with simply Listening to the promptings of my Higher Power. It’s my time simply to be with me in my own comfort zone, as I am. During my prayer, I’m very much aware of the gift of the Promises, especiallybeing able to handle difficult situations which used to baffle me, thank you Higher Power! ..Gus S
Spiritual Awareness is a key to me successfully working my EA program. Practicing mindfulness is something I’ve attended to foryears – being present to what’s going on right now through prayer and meditation. I must remove distractions so I can focus on
what’s important. If I’m alert to what’s going on now, I can be responsible in my responses to this moment. Spiritual Awarenessmatters - in terms of being aware of my H.P.’s intention for me! Oddly enough, if I am focused too much on religious/ theologicalideas/beliefs, I can get confused in my spiritual awareness. I must keep in mind that the H.P. I turn to for healing/ well-being in mymind and in my emotions might be vastly different from some of the biblical and “churchy” things I had been taught
previously. My H.P.’s will for me is wholeness, peace, joy, and love. That’s enough for now...Scott J
We are here to LISTEN, not to work miracles. We are here to help you discover what you are FEELING, not to make yourfeelings go away. We are here to help you identify YOUR OPTIONS, not to decide for you what you should do. We arehere to help you DISCOVER your own STRENGTH, not to rescue you and leave you still vulnerable. We are here to help
you DISCOVER YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF, not to take responsibility for you. We are here to help you learn to CHOOSE,
not to make it unnecessary for you to make decisions. We are here to provide support for CHANGE... Anonymous

EAI Annual Report
The EAI Annual Report will include acknowledgement of both group and individual contributions in broad giving
categories this year. Only first names/last initials will be used in referencing individuals in broad categories (e.g. $100$249/$250-$499 etc). Groups have been and will continue to be listed by their location/day/time of meeting withinsimilar broad giving categories. If you prefer not to have any reference to your personal financial support included in
the Report please email me at: director@emotionsanonymous.org no later than November 20 and we will make sure
to remove your name from the list. We are adding individual contribution information this year because it's importantfor everyone to realize how many people throughout the world support this organization. Thank you for yoursupport...Elaine Weber Nelson,, Executive Director, Emotions Anonymous, International

Emotions Anonymous,™ PO Box 4245, St Paul, MN 55104,
Hours Mon—Thurs: 10 to 3:30, Phone 651-647-9712, Fax 651-647-1593
director@emotionsanonymous.org
groupdata@emotionsanonymous.org orders@emotionsanonymous.org
editor@emotionsanonymous.org

info@emotionsanonymous.org

shipping@emotionsanonymous.org