Twelve Step Reflections

Addiction Recovery, Healing, and Prevention - Notes from Nannette

The “Standing Long Jump” – A Contradiction In Terms? – Step 2

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Recess at my elementary school meant swinging around and around on the monkey bars until you were sick, which I never experienced, because I couldn’t get up enough momentum to swing. It meant standing or running around the inside a large circle painted on the playground with lots of other little ... Read More

A Lesson From the Wood Shed – “Doing the Next Right Thing”

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My dad was raised in a charming little lumber town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nearly everyone in town worked for the lumber company which consisted of a lumber mill and a box factory. My Grandpa ran the warehouse. The main street of the town was lined with small, wooden, bungalow type houses. ... Read More

Just Who Is On That “Naughty List?”

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Eliza reminds me of myself sometimes. She’s the oldest grandchild on both sides of her family, very serious and quite responsible, as first children tend to be. She’s the “other mother” in her family, because from the view of the oldest child, one mother is never quite enough to keep everything and ... Read More

The “Serenity Prayer” In Scripture

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My first experience at a 12 Step Support Group was twenty years ago, many years before the development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Addiction Recovery Program. I began my experience in recovery at a Sunday night meeting of Overeaters Anonymous. The parts of the meeting that ... Read More

“If They Can Do It, So Can I!” – The Only Requirement

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I’m so sorry to take you back to Disneyland this morning but I woke up with a 12 Step Reflection in my head and when that happens I try to pay attention. I was dreaming that I was being encouraged by my kids and grand kids to get onto a reportedly scary ride in the park. I must admit that ... Read More

Real Life is an “E-Coupon” – “Accepting Life on Life’s Terms” and “Living in the Present”

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Mini-van packed stem to stern…Kids, drowsy with thrill overload, and clutching bear, light saber, and Simba, bought with this years souvenir savings…Driving home through the desert…Our sunny California adventure at our backs… I’m full of the “end of holiday” feelings I always experience during the ... Read More

“That’s All My Plans!” – Keep it Simple

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If you know me you know that I’m a planner and a list maker. It’s an attempt, I’m sure, to keep myself in line. There probably isn’t anything inherently wrong with using a plan. A prayerfully made sketch of the day can be a great tool to help me be prepared to do the things that reinforce my life in ... Read More