EA Connection—April 2016Your monthly newsletter from isc

From the president of the board of trustees:
Can you believe that within six months the 2016 EA Convention will be in full swing here in
the Valley of the Sun! Again, the dates are September 23-25, 2016. As the Host Committee
for the Convention, I want you to know that the men and women of “The Valley” are working
hard to make this year’s convention a memorable experience. As this is the “Year of Sponsorship,” our committee has chosen the Convention Theme of SPONSORSHIP: SHARE THE EXPERIENCE and arebuilding our Speakers and Workshops around this theme. Our established committees have begun their workand are excited about our days together. Russell E and I, serving as the Co-Chairs for this year’s convention,
want you to know that we are working to assure that participants will get the most for every dollar spent. I’dsuggest you begin checking out air transportation to Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ (PHX.)
While we have not firmed up the site, hotels are guaranteeing a window of fixed room cost three days before
and three days after the convention. Continue to watch for future announcements on our EA website: emotionsanonymous.org as well as the EA Connection. Looking forward to seeing you in Phoenix in The Fall!
The Sun awaits you!...GusFebruary tools:
Helpful Concept 4: We do not judge; we do not criticize; we do not argue. We do not give advice
regarding personal or family affairs.
Just for Today 4: I will take care of my physical health; I will exercise my mind; I will read something spiritual.
Slogan 4: Live and let live.
Tradition 4: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or EA as awhole.
Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Promise 4: No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we see how our experiences can benefit
others.

Of Importance to Groups:
1. Please be sure to send any group information changes (group contact, meeting time/date/location, etc.) togroupdata@emotionsanonymous.org so we can update the meeting locator information on the website.
2. Be sure to check out the new website: www.emotionsanonymoous.org! We went 'live' not long ago andhave received a terrific response to the new site. Hopefully the website will help everyone find information
they need and share the message of EA.

Meditation for Today—April 30—Today Book
May I learn to live a manageable life by tackling manageable problems,
and turning the rest over. May I comfortably accept my limitations.
Your contributions support this publication and other services provided to the membership by ISC. Contribute at EA Connection

EA Tools
Step 4: Made a searching
and fearless moral inventoryof ourselves.
Step Four is a vital part of my 12
Step program. The "why" of thisstep is that when I come face to facewith both the good points and thepoor points of who I am, it helps me
to take responsibility. It is importantfor me to face my fear and most of
the negative things which flow
through my thoughts and feelings
are about fear and lack, which does
not help me become a better person.
When I face these fears I am able to
make better choices and respond tolife in a more thoughtful and loving
way.
Another one of the why's of Step
Four for me is that I am able to live
my life with more balance and direction. When I suffered a lot of deep
depression I found that I had squirreled away a lot of secrets into little
boxes and did not want them to see
the light of day because people
would think poorly of me.
For me there are only two emotions—love and fear. One of them I
can do nothing about because that is
all there is, the other one is man
made to control and manipulate me
and that is the one which causes melots of opportunities for growth.
Before the program fear ran mearound like a chicken with its headcut off. With the help of a lot of small
Step 4's, I am able to stop the flopping and enjoy letting go of thethings which caused me to struggle
so often in my daily life...Paul
I did an inventory of my character tosee my strengths and weaknesses
objectively and reviewed where I still

had pain. If I had resentments I gently asked myself if I had even thesmallest responsibility. Then if I had
shame in my soul, I looked at what I
did honestly while using the guiding
light of compassion, realizing I need
not repeat my mistakes.
The gift to me in Step 4 is that I know
myself. And know that I am not thebad things I have done, nor the badthings that have been done to me. I
have a power that can be used forgood. Once I am fully aware of thatand have let go of the past, I canclaim the life I was meant tolive...Victoria
Although I understand that each of
the Steps is important, it is Step 4
that I feel was the most important
Step for me. This Step made me takean objective look at myself. And in away, it turned my life a bit upsidedown.
I had always believed that perfectionism was a good thing. But Step
Four showed me that in my case it
was not good at all. Perfectionism
has kept me in a state of unhappiness. I never felt I did anything quite
good enough. I feared doing newthings, because I was so uncertainthat I could not do them perfectly...CarolSlogan 4: Live and let LiveI need to concentrate more on giving others complete freedom to do
whatever they want. I got mad at afriend recently for her choices. I did
not think she was making the rightchoices. I did not tell her that, but I
tried to persuade her to do things
differently. When I knew she was set
on her own way, I just said, "Well,
we all have to do what we feel isbest in life." And then I just let it go.
We did not get in any arguments, butlater when I was alone, I was reallythinking she is not doing the rightthing! I was believing I could force"my will" on my friend with "my"suggestions. And when she was notfollowing them, I got mad.
I need to instead practice the slogan"Live and Let Live" with my friend.
And even though I do not like myfriends choices, I can still accept her
as she is if I keep asking my Higher
Power to help me. Just as I want tobe accepted as I am, which my friend
does, I will pray to my Higher Powerto accept her, too. Then I will not be
mad at her choices, they are hers tomake, not mine.
Next time I want to try and persuade
someone to do things "my way" I willremember that I am trying to makethem a puppet and pull strings to getthem to do what I want them to do.
Maybe I could say something to myself like, "They are not a puppet andnot my puppet at that!" They are
their own selves and will do whatever they feel they need to do, I am nottheir Higher Power. I can not change
anyone, but me and my attitudes
and things in my life.
I want to practice "Live and Let Live"in my daughters life, too. She tends
to break up on and off with her boyfriend. Just when I think she is done
and broke up with him, she is backwith him. So for now, I am going tojust be a listening ear more and not
try to say too much, it is her choice,too. She is not my puppet! I will pray
more for help in stayingout of other peoples
choices, and to “Liveand Let Live”...Connie

Ea tools applied : ANGERA LIFETIME OF ANGEROne of the secrets I've kept for most my life is that I've been angry about one thing or another for as long as I can remember. Whether it was about feeling like my parents expected too much of me or didn't think what I accomplished
was enough, or how my wife treated me long ago when we both didn't understand that I had some emotional issues.
I've been angry, resentful and unhappy. In my family we were not allowed to express our emotions especially the angry ones so things got bottled up and I've always believed that anger turned inward can develop into depression which
I've also had for most my life. The fact is I just recently realized that this anger was not a part of my character that I
had to accept because it was part of my make-up. It was just an emotion that I could let go of if I was willing to surrender it to my HP. The surrender of my anger released all this energy that I had directed inward for so long I had forgotten how to enjoy life. I feel like there is this other person I could become just in my periphery vision. This "couldbe" person wants to dance and shout and jump for joy expressing all this trapped energy in an outward display thatI've been fearful of all the days of my life. Perhaps one day soon I'll step into the skin of this "could be" person andbecome what I believe is possible as I continue to work the EA program that works for me, accept my faults and defects, and humbly ask God to remove them. This new person I become won't be perfect, but will be free of the secretanger that has consumed me all these anguished years. Let me start right now—Whoop, whoop!...ScottMY ANGERMy anger is productive. It gives me the energy to right a wrong, an injustice, the courage to change
something I can change - and there is usually some small thing I can do if I listen to my HP to find out
what that is. Sometimes, it's just learning patience.
My resentment is not productive. I need to make amends to my HP, to myself and sometimes toanother if I am feeling resentment.
My frustration is not productive. Whilst I cannot always find serenity in accepting that I cannot change something,increasing my ability to be patient/endure is better for me than continuing to hit my head against a brick wall.
My anger requires physical action. If there is no way I can use the energy anger gives me, I can go wrestle my duvet
before it turns into resentment/frustration...SarahLETTING GO OF ANGERThe other day my wife was feeling anxious and overwhelmed by the amount of things she had to prepare for work thenext day. I was being affected by her reactions and didn't like it. The next day I woke up and felt angry at her and it
was threatening to spread into a negative attitude toward the day ahead and the world in general. Then something I
read in my morning meditation struck me - it was "Just for Today I will let go of anger." I thought to myself, "Hey, I cando that!! I may be angry tomorrow, but I can let go of anger just for today." So I did. And when the next day came,the feelings of anger had passed. Thanks for Just For Todays. Thanks for being able to let go. Thanks for allowing“This Too Shall Pass” to happen...JoeANGER BROUGHT ME HERE
Anger/rage is what brought me to this program. Eighteen months ago, I found EA after going through a retreat where I
finally felt that I could talk about and even appropriately express my anger and rage, and start dealing with the pain
behind it. What a great weight was lifted by that experience. My anger and rage drove me over many years to say anddoing things that were very hurtful and awful. Because of my anger I nearly broke my marriage vows and almost threw
my professional credentials away. There are other things too that my anger drove me to do and while I made amends
for them, they are still too personal and shameful to talk about like this. I still have moments when I go off and silently
rage and vent, and I need my HP's help to let go of the anger and move forward through being more patience and tolerant...Jim

2015—2016 ea board of trustees
Region 1: Northwest - Treasurer
CAN: AB, BC, MB, ON, SK
USA: AK, ID, MN, MT, ND, OR, SD, WA, WI, WY
Zoe L—Email: zoe.ea@comcast.net

763-432-7858

Region 5: Northeast - Secretary
CAN: NB, NF, NS, NT, PE,YT
USA: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT
Valerie C—Email: valcea@gmx.com

585-371-4347

Region 2: Southwest - President
USA: AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT
Gus S—Email: schloessergus@gmail.com

602-319-3890

Region 6: French-speaking Canada
819-319-9912
France B—E-mail: france.boulerice@gmail.com

Region 3: Central
USA: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NE
Lynne S—Email: lynnesmith50@hotmail.com

712-420-2058

Region 4: Southeast
USA:Tyrell D—Email: rdear2@gmail.com

706-782-2328
Puerto Rico

General Service Trustee - Vice President
Vince C—Email: vincovea@yahoo.com

603-891-1431

General Service Trustee - Trustee-at-large
Harold F—Email: hthnhhugs@aol.com

603-624-8455

General Service Trustee
Scott J—Email: sdjakel@gmail.com

507-276-0323

Non-member Trustee
Phyllis R—Email: eaphyllisr@hotmail.com

623-915-5795

Slogan 4: Live and Let LiveI have learned to not argue about people's ideas ( politics, religion issuesetc. ), I can not change them and they can not change me. If they want tolive the way they are I live with my beliefs and let them live with theirs. I live with more serenity this way...Harold In
Nassau they have a related slogan: No problems mon. So let us be positive—not negative. To live is to love; I amconvinced (based on my own experience’s) our Higher Power intends, in spite of our difficulties, that we are to celebrate our life and the lives of our friends and neighbors...Tyrrel In my past, I used to be a savior. I wanted to save all
the people in my life from having problems. It was so bad that their problems became my problems. When I joined
EA 10 years ago, I learned the Slogan, “Live and Let Live.” These days, I mind my own business. I also learned that I
can only pray for the people I love...France “Live and Let Live” reminds me to mind my own business. My primarybusiness is my emotional sobriety, followed by physical health and daily responsibilities. If I spend too much time onother business my primary responsibilities suffer. Also I am powerless over other people and things, so I need to focus on myself and the things I maybe can change...Val "Live and Let Live," is one of my favorite slogans because it
directly relates to the phrase of "God, of my understanding." This is not only for me, but for me to learn, tolerate andbe open to other people's beliefs; no matter how different those beliefs may be...Lynne Life is meant to be lived sodon't waste time on stinkin' thinkin'! Don't waste time on being critical of others, but rejoice when they live their lives
to the fullest! ...Vince To live and let live, for me, means to surrender to circumstances beyond my control - control
being the key word! I give thanks for a H.P. whom I can trust in my efforts to not be afraid to make choices and thenmove on, not being attached to the outcomes. I get to have my life and others benefit from me letting them live freefrom me managing them!...Scott This slogan reminds me that I have a right to my opinion but that you don’t have toshare it. When I’m having a problem with this I need to return to The Serenity Prayer for its right there: “accept thethings I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can…” yes, that’s true, but there’s more: “and the wisdom to know the difference.” There it is, the solution—wisdom!...Gus
Events Far and Near:

Emotions Anonymous™

Email Addresses:

MI—Handling Frazzled Emotions" 3-day retreat,
Littleton Lodge, MI May 20—May 22, 2016,
Warren, MI, Rosemary H: 586-943-7629

PO Box 4245
St Paul, MN 55104
Phone 651-647-9712
Fax 651-647-1593
Hours: Monday—Friday: 10 to 4
www.EmotionsAnonymous.org

director@emotionsanonymous.org
editor@emotionsanonymous.org
info@emotionsanonymous.org
groupdata@emotionsanonymous.org
orders@emotionsanonymous.org
shipping@emotionsanonymous.org

MN—Buffalo Retreat July 17-19, 2016
Contact: Diana G, dlsg@usfamily.net

If you have an event you would like to see listed here, send your information to editor@emotionsanonymous.org