November, 2022
Volume 3, Issue 7

50 Tips for 50 Years:
Celebrating 50 Yearsof EAI*

Strength & Hope
A message in support of emotional well-being.

You may be powerless overyour emotions, but you are
not powerless over yourchoices.

* Item #102

Welcome to November — Gratitude Month
Often in EA, we learn there is a difference between being motivated to act
differently and finding the courage and motivation to apply our newawareness to “in all our affairs,” as the final four words in Step 12
mention. One conversation that can be extremely challenging is talking
about finances or money. For me, learning how my parents talked about
finances didn’t really get practical until my dad was laid off from his job
when I was a teenager.
I now know that I was extremely blessed to be in a family where talking
about the practical functioning of finances was something that happened
around the kitchen table during my high school years. I still thank myparents daily for including me and my siblings in the conversations. It
gave me a sense of accountability and belonging in my family during
difficult times.
So, when the topic of “how do we talk about the budget” came up at thelast Board of Trustees meeting, it just seemed natural for me to say “Yes,I will help form a short-term committee to talk about EAI and thebudget.” My general plan is to welcome 8 to 12 members to come to thevirtual kitchen table with me and figure out how we talk about the budgetand at the same time uphold the EA Traditions. I am hopeful to have atleast 3 members that will represent our international meetings.
If you are willing to be a part of the solution when it comes to how wetalk about finances and the EAI budget, please contact me
at Kathleene.engel@gmail.com.

Your support is crucial to providing access to the EA program across theworld. If you have not given yet this year, please consider going tohttps://emotionsanonymous.org/donate.html on the EAI website and sign
on to either a one-time or regular, monthly contribution. Thank you.

Your Trustees
Paul N. — TX, USA+1 929-399-6515
Aibtikarfoundation@gmail.com
President
Colleen C. — MN, USA+1 651-245-5461
Coyne2003@hotmail.com
SecretaryKelsey W. — IL, USA+1 618-334-6658
Knlweez@gmail.com
Behzad A. D. — Kerman, Iran+98 913 341 4015
Behzad_7761@yahoo.com
Fred F. — CA, USA+1 909-384-2935
Oldpilot62@gmail.com
Carolina W. —NY, USA+1 646-525-0095
Sanctuarynyc2021@gmail.com
Kathleen E. — MN, USA+1 320-267-2040
Kathleene.engel@gmail.com

November’s Tools
for Recovery
Step 11
Sought through prayer andmeditation to improve ourconscious contact with God as
we understood Him, praying
only for knowledge of His will
for us and the power to carrythat out.
Promise 11We acquire a feeling of security
within ourselves.
Just for Today 11
I will not compare myself withothers. I will accept myself
and live to the best of myability.
Slogan 11
Keep it simple.
Helpful Concept 11
Each person is entitled to his
or her own opinions and may
express them at a meeting
within the guidelines of EA.
We are all equal—no one ismore important than another.
Tradition 11

Our public relations policy isbased on attraction rather thanpromotion; we need always
maintain personal anonymity at
the level of press, radio andfilms.
Principle 11
Spirituality

Giving Meditation A Try
Behzad A. D. — IranI was always indifferent totrying new ways to improve
my life. When I entered thisprogram, I noticed positiveand constructive changes
followed.

As I believed in the Steps of
the EA program, I started
meditating with basic
methods.

After a while, a friend called
and asked me if I ever tried
meditation. I thought I had
worked the Twelve Steps,
but that day I realized I did
not fully work Step 11.

I saw changes in my life;
many engaging thoughts
were removed and I can now
make more conscious
decisions. In addition, morecreative business ideas pop
up in my mind since I started
to meditate!

I have seen many people talkabout meditation but I had
not personally experienced
it.

Since all of these happened
within a month of starting
meditation. now I believethat Step 11 truly works.

Great Expectations — Kelly M.
I have no "great" expectations for now, today, or thisyear. Admitting this to myself and even talking about this in themeeting - how this year will continue to be rife with uncertainty,
and uncertainty IS difficult to live with. Acknowledging reality
helps me to function - denying it makes life even more
dysfunctional than it is right now for me.
So my "greatest" expectation right now is to keep things simple
today, be as peaceful as possible, limit my exposure tonegativity, and expect nothing "exciting" to happen today. Days
with no excitement are good as these days, exciting news is
usually bad news.
Few/low expectations keep me being OKAY and so does
knowing that this time will pass and I am not alone - my HP iswith me despite ongoing uncertain times.
You can find the Trustee Reflections on the website,www.EmotionsAnonymous.org.
This month we focus on JFT 11.
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Contribution GratitudePatience & Surrender — Lynn A.

EAI could not operate without donations
and we deeply appreciate your support!
Recent gifts have been received fromthese groups:

I am not naturally patient. It's just not in my DNA. Thatmeans I have to work hard for it, and stay vigilant. Easier
said than done, but it is rewarding. My experience is that thetools I use are directly connected to the result. One of themost valuable tools is Faith, but it is not a stand alone tool.
Because fear is comprehensive, meaning it has many
components. So only an equally comprehensive approachseems to work best for me. That means Faith blended in withpatience and acceptance of the circumstances, whether it bepeople, places or things. Meanwhile, meditation helps calm
the mind even though there are times where I feel like I am
trying to crawl right out of my skin, I stay the course as best
I can and try to do the next right thing.

Ukiah, CAMidwest City, OKSt. Cloud, MN
Apple Valley EA(2 groups)

Bend, OR
(3 Zoom groups)(Burnsville, MN)

Rialto, CADaily M-F 6:30 AM, ET(5 groups)(Zoom group)

EA Strathcona (Zoom group)
EA Work IT 12-Step Series(Zoom group)"EA Setagaya"(Tues & Fri Tokyo, Japan EA Groups)

In Memory of:
Bret Manlove, from Lisa M.

In Gratitude for:
The EA Program, from theAustin, TX EA Group
MaryEllen, from the Next
Frontier Daily Phone EA Group

From the Executive Director
In trying to create more and bettermethods to keep the EA fellowship
informed and involved, we’ve decided tochange this newsletter format, beginning
in January, 2023.
Starting next year, we’re going to offer
regular emails with information, updates,reflections — similar to the information
members are used to seeing in a
newsletter format. We believe more
frequent communications with fewer
items will better serve the members,
helping everyone to be better informed
and improving our outreach efforts.
The methods EAI has used over the years
to communicate with members havechanged—from The Message, to The
Connection, to Strength & Hope. We see
this as an every-evolving improvement
process to share the program throughout
the world.

The reality is, there will be triggers, there will be flashbacks
that instantly provoke PTSD traumas, and there will besadness. These are all normal for me as I process through thewaiting game. And that's the silver lining. Knowing myHigher Power, whom I choose to call God loves me nomatter what, gives me the motivation to wait. I know I am
not being punished. I know there is a purpose behind it, and I
don't need to know what it is to wait for it. In the meantime,I get on with life in recovery. I cannot afford to get wrappedup over something that is out of my control. Whatever theresult is, I know I will have the tools and the program to deal
with it appropriately. And if that means I lose something,then I need to respect that, learn from it, and move forward.
Today, I will let go and let God. I surrender.

Tell Us…
What are you planning to do during Gratitude Month(November)? How will you reflect on your progress andwhat got you to where you are now? Tell us by sending
your thoughts to Submissions@EmotionsAnonymous.org
and we’ll share them with the membership!

Office Information
EAI P.O. Box 4245 St. Paul MN 55104-0245 USA
Office Hours: TU-TH 12p.m. (noon) — 5 p.m. CT
Phone: +1 651-647-9712
www.EmotionsAnonymous.org
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