Recovery Meditations: May 4th

LIGHT

It's better to light a candle
then to curse the darkness.

Old Chinese Proverb


I have been living with this disease of compulsive eating for as long as I can remember. I remember stealing money out of my mother’s purse to buy sugar-filled soft drinks and candy, and sneaking food out of the cupboard and trying to make it look like nothing was missing. I hid food and ate in isolation, pretending on the outside that nothing was wrong. But I carried this terrible secret -- I lived to eat.

As my disease progressed, I acted out in other compulsive ways, and surrounded myself with people who cared nothing for my welfare. I kept running faster and faster, and eating more and more, as my disease sucked all of the energy from my spirit. I sank deeper into the darkness of despair and depression, cursing all those I blamed for my unhappiness.

Through the grace of my Higher Power, my life became so painful that I had to seek help outside of myself. I found this program, and a candle was lit. While my recovery has been rocky over the last 10 years, that candle of progress and hope continues to light my way. No matter how bad things get now, I know that I have my Higher Power and my program friends to lean on. The wonderful people I have met through the program have saved my life, and have shown me the path to peace and abstinence. While I don’t always choose to follow that path perfectly, I continue to recover, and to find everyday joys that make life worth living.

One day at a time . . .
I will keep the light of recovery burning.

Suzanne

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I lived to eat.........how very true.

Once I got into AA & OA, I learned a better way to live. I realized there was more to life than just food, and I set about finding out just HOW much more!

While I never work a 'perfect' program, I DO work A Program that keeps me focused and OUT of the binge mode, where too much is never enough.  For today, I vow to not take that first compulsive bite.........to stay true to my plan of abstinence, and to ALLOW myself joy.

For today, I will keep the candle lit and the light of recovery burning. There is no food on earth worth sacrificing my happiness for.