Literature/Forum Corner
The latest news from our Literature/Forum Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Area Assembly. Ellen C. is serving a three-year term on Panel 61. Ellen interfaces with the World Service Office’s Literature and Forum teams and shares that information with the Area’s Districts and Groups. She also encourages the display and distribution of CAL at meetings, the Assembly, and Conventions; provides information on new pieces of literature; encourages members to submit personal sharings to the WSO for use in publication of new pieces of CAL and issues of The Forum.
Bookmarks – December – Choose Joy
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Or so the song goes. Yes, it can be. Or not.
Bookmarks – November – God Jobs
My husband calls them “God jobs”. They’re those times when the Higher Power is clearly, unquestionably present. I’m talking about those amazing moments that have no other explanation—when the thing that is happening is clearly “meant to be.”
Bookmarks – September – The Power of Repetition
In a recent Forum issue, I read a sentence that stopped my eyes. It talked about Al-Anon as a program of repetition. What hit me was how true that is in my life: I need to work my program every day, or else I suffer the consequences of my default urge to control.
Bookmarks – August – Oh Them Changes
Can you feel it? The calendar page flips to August and a change takes place. The days can still be sticky and hot, but gradually, or sometimes all at once, the evenings shift cooler. Parents, usually moms, are getting children ready for school, or planning that last family vacation before summer ends. My fair-weather feathered friends are booking flights to South America.
Bookmarks – June – It’s the Best of Times
It’s the worst of times.
It’s June.
It’s time for graduations, baby showers, weddings, vacations, kids’ and grandkids’ ball games, gardening, Al-Anon conventions, you name it. While all these occasions can be joyous, they also can also be stressful, especially when they come in bunches.
Bookmarks – May – The Interplay’s The Thing
What’s life without its challenges, huh? Earlier this year, Lori F., our delegate, called to tell me that the World Service Organization (WSO) doesn’t want anyone quoting passages from any of the Conference-Approved Literature (CAL) that could be accessed by the public, especially online. We can reference a short segment, but only with permission from the WSO. It all has to do with copyrights.
Bookmarks – April – Spring Cleaning for the Soul
Yes, Spring is finally here! Flowers are starting to bloom and the air is getting warmer.
Bookmarks – March – The Paradox of Service
What a wise little book! That’s what I first thought when I began reading When I Got Busy, I Got Better (P-78). Sentences and paragraphs began to jump out at me.
Bookmarks – February – Focus on The Forum
The Forum remains the best bargain in Al-Anon. Monthly issues—either digital or in print—cost only $11. But it’s the content of The Forum that makes it so vital. The stories are by Al-Anon members, by us and for us. They are short and inspirational.
Bookmarks – January – Going Beyond the Three Readers
Our three daily readers offer a treasury of Al-Anon wisdom. But it wasn’t until my sponsor started going beyond the readers while chairing our home group meetings that I really came to see the depth and variety of our Conference Approved Literature (CAL).