Welcome to the November Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the November 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Do you need a copy of the GreySheet Abstinence: Clarifications and Sponsor Guidelines?

Email your request to: greysheet@greysheet.org and we’ll happily send a copy to you.

Upcoming Meetings - all interested GreySheeters are Welcome!

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, November 8, at 12:00 Noon ET
 
2. Concept 1 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, November 15, at 1:00pm ET
 
3. Tradition 1 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, November 22, at 1:00 pm ET.

Message from the Literature Committee

Dear GreySheeters,
 
For the past two years, six GSA members of the Literature Committee have worked tirelessly writing Living Abstinent.  They have given their free time to do this badly needed service for our community. 
 
In April, the first draft of the manuscript was made available to an on-line literature meeting in exchange for feedback and suggestions.  The manuscript is now in its 3rd draft.
 
It has come to the attention of the Literature Committee and World Service that people have downloaded the 1st draft even though it clearly and explicitly says, “not to distribute it and that ….it is not for publication".
 
We are asking you to please stop sharing how to get this unpublished copy with other members if you do not attend that Literature Meeting on Thursday.
 
Thank you for your understanding. The final version will soon be available but you do need to be patient.
 
NMW
Sara S, Chair of the Literature Committee

November 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Hi! My name is Rochelle.  I am a compulsive eater.  I weigh and measure three meals a day from the Cambridge GreySheet, write it down, commit to my sponsor or another qualified GreySheet sponsor and I don’t eat between meals no matter what.  I am grateful to be abstinent with my food so I can I can be aware of my emotions and work on abstinence with my emotions.  I have been in GreySheet since October 1994 and have 18 years of back to back GreySheet abstinence.
 
A dear GreySheeter surprised me when she asked me if I’d be interested in becoming a member of the GreySheet Board of Trustees!  I’d never thought about it.  I thought all the meetings were on Saturdays and as I observe the Jewish Sabbath I thought there’s no way I can participate!  Well, I was wrong!  Meetings are on SUNDAYS!  So I sent a resume and what do you know?  They accepted me!  Now, as I am “retired” (though I say offer me a job and I may take it!) I have a new job: helping to keep the wheels of GreySheet oiled (measured and weighed a 1/2oz at a time) and working!
 
I did miss the Forum as it was on a Saturday but I’ve read over the great notes that Sandie transcribed for all of us and posted. Reading over the questions and comments was informative.  The comments relating to the officers and that we, the members of GreySheet, shouldn’t be “governed” from the top down struck me.  I definitely don’t feel that any decision discussed or made by the BOT is a law or directive.  I truly feel that I am a trusted servant making sure that the BOT listens to the members and is working to keep the GreySheet organization operating to help compulsive eaters who are suffering to find a way out to a better, more productive, happier and sane, serene life.
 
I believe the GreySheet Abstinence: Clarifications and Sponsor Guidelines report is a helpful tool for my own abstinence as well as setting criteria for me and those I sponsor to follow. As may be true for many of us, after reading the document I realized that there are a few things that I have been doing with my food that my sponsor has “sanctioned” that I should not be doing!  As with anything having to do with food, it’s not easy to make changes, especially when I’m comfortable and “like” something but if I want to stay abstinent according to Cambridge Abstinence, I have to make changes, and I am, One Day at a Time.  ‘Cause I don’t want to eat NO MATTER WHAT!

Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Highlights

October 18th, 2020

Welcome to the October Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the October 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?”

regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

GSRs and ISRs - 
Please read and inform your group members of the following items as soon as possible: 

Welcome to the September Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the September 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

For many of us, it’s Harvest Time, a time of bounty and gratitude. We begin this issue of Service Matters by inviting our GreySheet brothers and sisters to reflect on the spiritual harvest of GreySheet abstinence. 
 
As we chop and shop, make our calls, and bounce from Zoom meeting to phone meeting, ever questioning the access codes, we experience the joy of living this way of life, One Day at a Time.  Not only do we find ourselves being provided for by our Higher Powers, but we find our spiritual sustenance overflowing to those around us. For us, abstinence and gratitude make what we have enough.

Save the Date!

Saturday, October 17, 2020, 11:00 am ET- GSA World Service Update Video Forum!

All are welcome!

Q & A

Q: In this time of COVID-19, how has your practice of the 7^th tradition changed?

A:
1. I used to drop $1 or $2 in the basket at every meeting; now I automatically go to PayPal and do the same thing. I do it at the end of the meeting so I don’t forget.

2. I donate a certain amount every month to my home group – usually $20 – and trust they will distribute the funds they collect to GSAWS and the Intergroup.

3. Since the pandemic, I keep forgetting to make a donation on Zoom meetings, so I decided to send a certain amount every month to GSAWS with the new Text to Donate app. Once I set it up with money taken from my bank account, I know it’s going where it will do the most good – to the website and the new literature and all the other things World Services does for us.

4. I feel guilty every time they read the 7^th tradition part of the format in meetings I go to. Since the pandemic, I’m not working, my money situation is tighter than ever, and I have been doing everything I can do just to buy abstinent produce! So I’m sending a check to my home group when I can, and look forward to being able to give more when I’m able.

5. The more I learn about what GSAWS does to carry the message, the prouder I am to be a part of this fellowship. I do service when I can, volunteering to be spiritual timekeeper and sharing when I’m asked, but I prefer Venmo to PayPal and so I give to the meetings that use Venmo.

Upcoming Meetings - all interested GreySheeters are Welcome!

1.  Committees Connecting meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/663470166
Sunday, September 13 at 12:00 Noon ET 
-- The Structure and Website Committees will be presenting, and while all delegates are encouraged to attend, all interested GreySheeters are welcome!!
 
2. Concept 11 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM ET
 
3. Tradition 11 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM ET.

September 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Columns

Anne G., Board Member

Welcome to the August 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question,

“What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole

to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

As we welcome you to the August issue of Service Matters, we are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic NMW continues to stretch from days to weeks to months. The long view can be a distraction, but the literature tells us we have a daily reprieve and we do this 3-0-1!  Even though this is a long-term No Matter What, we still have to do it One Day at a Time. We don’t live in a future knowing when COVID might end. We have a program that helps us live in the present, staying abstinent just for today.  And abstinence requires our commitment to focus on the preparation of that next meal and to set up protections against that first compulsive bite. As Summer approaches Fall, we wish our dear readers days of delicious meals, peace in our hearts and continued devotion to our life-saving abstinence, One Day at a Time.

Save the Date!

Saturday October 17, 2020, 11:00 am ET- GSA World Service Update Video Forum

ISRs & GSRs - Please read/distribute in your meetings

When anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, I want them to think of the GreySheet solution. For that I am responsible.

Q&A 

Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Report Highlights

Audio Links

Welcome to the July Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Welcome to the July 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question,

“What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole

to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

July Theme - Unity

As the world cries out in suffering and for justice, many of us find ourselves asking just what is an outside issue during these times? We can reach out with compassion and act as individuals, and in our fellowship, we are reminded of our fifth and tenth traditions, that GSA has one primary purpose and no opinion on outside issues.

Our first tradition gives us our theme this month: UNITY. We are told our personal recovery depends upon it, and any GreySheeter with not too many days abstinent will know just how true that is. The national and international events of the last few months may seem polarizing at times, but who better than GreySheeters can see that the best way through that fear of the unknown is by coming together, all of us, to support those of us who are still sick and suffering. We can hold close in our hearts and take solace in our slogan: I can't; we can.

Save the Date!

Saturday October 17, 2020. 11:00 am ET- GSA World Service Update Video Forum
Please note that this is a New Date.
 
Why a Video Forum?
The Conference Committee (ConC) is responsible for all aspects of the annual GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Conference (WSC). The ConC organizes the next WSC and if needed, a bi-annual zoom meeting to discuss the WSC committee updates. In consultation with the ConC and the other WSC committees, the Board of Trustees (BOT) has decided to postpone the WSC until October 15-17, 2021.

Therefore, the ConC will host the ‘The First GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Update Video Forum’. This video forum will be held Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 11:00 am ET for the entire GreySheet fellowship. This is your opportunity to learn about what our committees work on throughout the year. We will distribute and post the agenda and materials sometime before the end of September 2020. This is an informative session with no voting. We will dedicate the first hour to committee updates and the second hour to the GreySheet Committee’s update.
 
The WSC committees work tirelessly year-round to accomplish projects and challenges brought forth by the WSC and the BOT. Our overall goal is to organize our fellowship and bring the GSA fellowship into the next century with an accurate, up-to-date website, new Conference Approved Literature, financial decisions, a much needed structure for our fellowship and so forth. The committees that are part of the WSC are: Archives Committee, Communications Committee, Conference Committee, Finance Committee, GreySheet Committee (BOT), Literature Committee, Nominating Committee, Public Information Committee, Structure Committee and the Website Committee.
 
What is the WSC? Why not 2020?
 
The WSC (World Service Conference) is the ‘business meeting’ of our worldwide fellowship. It is where we send our group (GSR) and intergroup (ISR) representatives to make decisions on motions brought forth by the ten committees and Board of Trustees (BOT). Typically, over the course of about 16 hours of meetings, the delegates discuss and decide on approximately 20 committee motions related to matters affecting GreySheeters Anonymous as a whole. Most committees are fully engaged in implementing the decisions of the last conference and will not be proposing any new projects this year. Therefore, there simply is not enough business to conduct to merit the time, effort, and cost of assembling our delegates in Chicago in October. (And then there was COVID). We now bring you our first annual video forum update!

Upcoming Meetings - all Interested GreySheeters are Welcome!

1.  Committees Connecting meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/663470166
Sunday, July 12 at 12:00 Noon ET 
-- The Finance Committee will be presenting, and while all delegates are encouraged to attend, all interested GreySheeters are welcome!!
 
2. Concept 9 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, July 19 at 1:00 PM ET
 
3. Board of Trustees Town Hall meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/717731799
Sunday, July 26, at 11:00 AM ET
 
4. Tradition 9 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, July 26 at 1:00 PM ET

Q & A

Q: What is your biggest NMW during this time?”

A: Here are some of their answer:

1.  I am new to GreySheet; I've only been coming since October 2019. However I have found that the NMW of no matter what other people are eating or when they are eating has been hard for me. I hate feeling like I am missing out. So instead I've been working on my gratitude, focusing on what I have – not what I do not have. What I get to eat and how I get to eat are amazing, huge meals, and I get to live my life in between my meals.
2. My dog being hospitalized. 
3. I am getting older, putting on weight, being on less food and not losing the weight.  Praying for self-acceptance, patience and faith that all is well. 
4. I’m pregnant and staying abstinent is a huge NMW. I know that abstinence is the biggest gift I can give to myself and my baby. I want to be present during my pregnancy and beyond,  so I stay abstinent one day at a time. Biggest NMW of my abstinence - my father-in-law passed away during the corona virus. He was the backbone and light of our family. My husband, his mother and siblings were together for a week of mourning, and I was in the beginning of my pregnancy. There was so much grief, loss, pain and feelings all around, as well of tons of food from well-meaning friends and family. I was keeping late hours, and one night I really feared I would pick up. I didn't, thank God, and put myself to bed. Those were the two hardest weeks of my abstinence. My role at that point was taking care of all the immediate family members, and for the first few days I forgot to take care of myself. There was no one to take care of me at that point. I very quickly remembered the important principle,’if I don’t come first, no one else can come second.’ I made sure to buy myself delicious food so I would not be tempted by all the food around and remembered to give myself space from the people and emotions around me. I am abstinent by the sheer grace of God.
5. The tools I have gotten and all the meetings I’ve attended are like cash in the bank. During a NMW, I cash in all my tools and experience so far, and keep working the program to have emotional backup for the next rainy day.
6. My biggest no matter what at any time is my thinking.  It is rarely dependent upon outside situations, unless I choose to use them as an excuse to get my knickers in a twist. 
7. I live in France and eating with French people is a real challenge.  Not only do they not get the possibility of food addiction but they also consider certain foods and a certain beverage right up there with oxygen.  Right now I am on vacation and a guest in a French family's home.  My friend has tried extremely hard to understand, but I am very vigilant. I don’t want to forget for one minute who I am and what I do. Each day, I feel a little more comfortable going in the refrigerator and getting what I need if it’s not on the table. And I think of all the rest of you going through NMWs and I’m not going to be the one to rock this lifeboat we are in!!!   
8. I need some exercise - walking in Arizona is never a pleasant thing in the summer, and gyms are too scary.... 
9. The challenge of not eating my heaviest comfort GS foods during this time - my choices could be better.
10. My biggest NMW is when I'm very emotionally and physically drained after a 6-8 hour day of tele-health video sessions and I need to prepare my abstinent dinner.   
11.  This week, I go to the cemetery for the one year anniversary of my father's death. 
12. Staying abstinent through two knee replacements with support of GS sponsor.
13. Trusting my HP with the big picture, staying grounded, and praying for guidance for what, beyond my 3 weighed and measured meals, is mine to do.

    ---

    From the Literature Committee

Are you interested in getting a sneak peak at the book Living Abstinent that will come

out next fall? The Thursday evening Zoom meeting "It Works if You Work It” is reading the first draft of the book and discussing it.  They are also sending the Literature Committee feedback and comments to make the book better.

To join the meeting, click this link: Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/384901911

The meeting is at 6:55-8:00pm PST

Meeting ID# 384 901 911

Same password as all our meetings

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments

Nominating Committee Working Hard to Fill Out the Board of Trustees

We have been meeting monthly since the World Service Conference. Two people did resign from the Board (Sara S and Hrafnhildur/Habby B) because of work commitments, and our Class B trustee stepped down.
 
But we have three new trustees (Tara T from Saco, Maine, Anne G from Astoria, New York, and Ingibjörg/Inga S from Iceland) who have been elected by the BOT as well as a new Class B (non-compulsive-eater) trustee, Dan Durbin from Vero Beach, Florida.  Please join me in welcoming them at our next Town Hall. Sunday July 26th 11 am ET, https://zoom.us/j/717731799.
 
On July 2 we will be discussing a GreySheet nominee who comes well-recommended, so by the time you read this we may have 4 new trustees and a Class B trustee.  Since our goal is to fill the board of 13, we are right on track.

If you have someone you would like to nominate (especially from the Western half of the USA) please let us know at nominations@greysheet.org.

July 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Grainne M., President

Who are those trustees and what do they do?

The trustees you nominated at WSC2019 are delighted to welcome four new members!

Our job is to manage the affairs of your World Services organization to accomplish what you asked us to do at the World Service Conferences. We are committed to involving you as much as possible in decisions about how we do that.

One of the ways that we try to involve you is to have at least one board member in each of GSA's ten approved intergroups. With Tara and Inga, we are now able to attend nine of the ten intergroup meetings. We still need a trustee from Europe to connect us to the approximately 125 GreySheeters in Europe.

Another way to make sure we hear your voice is to have at least one board member participating on each of the ten current committees. As new trustees come on board,  your GSRs and ISRs working on committees have a direct connection to the Board of Trustees.

Below is the Update on our progress.

Get in touch: President@greysheet.org, VP@greysheet.org, Secretary@greysheet.org, Treasurer@greysheet.org, or GreySheet@greysheet.org

Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Reports

Vision for World Service:
“Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think of GreySheet.”

World Service has four core functions to achieve the vision. Here is our progress to date:

1. Integrity of the Greysheet 
   • We received permission from A.A.W.S. to reprint the section of their book, Alcoholics Anonymous commonly referred to as the promises. We rolled out an addendum to the GSA and A.A. Intellectual Property policy to all the Intergroup Service Representatives for them to notify all their member groups.

2. Website
   • A new member of the Website Committee has set up a project tracking tool for all the material that committees, boards, and intergroups are providing to Website Committee for our new site. The Board of Trustees and the Website Committee have agreed on a review and approval process for incoming material. Intergroup Service Representatives and Committee Chairs are invited to meet with the Website Committee to clarify their responsibilities for the new site.

3. Literature
   • We have finished writing Living Abstinent. We are editing ten chapters. We will send the next set of chapters to the It Works if You Work It group by the end of June to read. We plan to send the manuscript to xLibris for publishing by the end of July.
4. Public Information
   • Each of the approximately eight Public Information Committee members have committed to sending ten Health Professional letters from the Public Information Manual (https://www.greysheet.org/meetings/meeting-group-resources/public-information-guidelines) each month to cardiologists, endocrinologists, and gastroenterologists.

     ---

Help Wanted! Service Opportunities

Reflections Zoom Writing Workshop: Next meeting is July 25 at 11:00 AM ET
Zoom meeting ID: 203 332 604

Only 90 days of B2B GS abstinence is required and the willingness to share your experience, strength and hope in this daily reflections for GSers  book-in-progress! The title will be One Meal at a Time.

If you cannot come to the writing workshop, email reflections@greysheet.org for guidelines and submit any time.
 
Next Board of Trustees Town Hall is Sunday, July 26 at 11:00 AM ET.
Come one, come all!! 
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/717731799
Meeting ID: 717 731 799

Audio Links

If you missed one of these meetings, or prefer listening to reading Service Matters,  you can listen to the audio or read the notes here:

June Service Matters:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gaY44-tX-s
 
BOT Town Hall meeting: April 26, 2020  https://bit.ly/3faaecZ
 
Notes from Concept 8 meeting: https://bit.ly/31ercT3

Notes from Committees Connecting meeting: https://bit.ly/3fYBHOf

Welcome to the June Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

1. GreySheeters Anonymous World Services wants to strengthen our community support networks. We need your help to identify the digital platforms our community uses such as: Instagram, Facebook, Marco Polo, WhatsApp, etc.  

Please email greysheet@greysheet.org with:

• Platform Name:
• Link:
• Responsible Name (Owner, Administrator, Coordinator, Moderator, etc.):
• Email:
• Phone: 

2. Zoom.us has upgraded its application to Zoom 5.0 which went into effect on 5.30.20. If you have not yet upgraded to your mobile device or laptop, you will be required to do so before attending a meeting after that time. Here are directions:

• Click on download from the link at https://zoom.us
• OR
• Directly from one of the following links
  • https://zoom.us/support/
  • https://zoom.us/download
  • https://zoom.us/download2 

3. Next Committees Connecting Meeting will be Sunday, June 14 at 12:00 Noon ET at this link: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/663470166
Meeting ID: 663 470 166

The Conference Committee will be presenting, and while all delegates are encouraged to attend, all interested GreySheeters are welcome!!

Q & A

Q: GSA is in the process of writing a statement of responsibility inspired by AA’s responsibility statement. We asked some GreySheeters the question, “How do you carry out your responsibility to carry the message to someone who is still suffering?”
 
A: Here are some of their answer:
 
1.  By weighing and measuring from the GreySheet and being joyful with my life.
 
2.  I have three sponsees, I speak at meetings when I'm asked to, and I try to carry the message of the Cambridge GreySheet:  The food, the food, the food.
 
3.  By sharing my Experience, Strength and Hope on our Facebook pages, at live meetings and on the phone bridge.
 
4.  I'm about to lead a meeting, where I will share what it was like and what it's like now.
 
5.  By sharing it all -- the pain and the joy -- at meetings, showing that we can get through anything without eating.
 
6.  By asking for help during my No Matter Whats, I demonstrate that we don't have to -- and can't -- do this alone!
 
7.  By making my food beautiful and answering questions when suffering compulsive eaters ask me about it.
 
8.  By inviting suffering compulsive eaters in my life to meetings.
 
9.  I carry the message every time someone says, "But you don't LOOK like you ever had a weight problem!" and I reply, "That's because I got help.  Want details?"
 
10.  I carry the message by keeping my food and my program first in my life, so I have a message to carry.
 
11. I answer the phone when a GreySheeter calls.

June 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Sandie M., Secretary
 
Hello fellow GreySheeters!
 
My name is Sandie and I am Secretary to your elected Board of Trustees. I am also a compulsive overeater. I have been abstinent as we define it since August 27, 2009. In the past ten years, I have found a peace and serenity that I never dreamed possible thanks to you and the fellowship of GreySheeters Anonymous. I have experienced a multitude of life’s no matter whats in the past decade, but thanks to the program of GreySheeters Anonymous, I have been able to walk through them with integrity, clarity, and have not eaten over any of them. 
 
The GSAWS bylaws state: 
 
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the annual meeting in books provided for that purpose. He or she shall be responsible for the giving and serving of all notices of GSAWS and shall perform all the duties customarily incident to the office of the Secretary, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees, and shall perform such other duties as shall from time to time be assigned by the Board of Trustees, including retaining the records and legal documents of GSAWS and the corporate seal, if any.
 
I am still learning and clarifying what “all the duties subject to the control of the Board of Trustees” means in practical terms. The Secretary is responsible for the record keeping of the fellowship. I attend all GSAWS meetings and record the minutes and notes, which are placed in the archival record and on our website. The BOT has also decided that the Secretary is responsible for maintaining the membership records, which includes keeping a database of Groups, Intergroups, and Committees – membership, service positions, contact information, etc.  I am responsible, in conjunction with the BOT President, for setting  the agenda of the World Service Conference and gathering annual reports.
 
These responsibilities can sound dry and utilitarian, but they are not to me. For most of my abstinence, I did service by attending meetings regularly, holding service positions at meetings, beginning meetings back when we still used Skype, and sponsoring. As someone who lives in what we used to call an outpost (Can there really be outposts anymore with the multitude of video meeting options available to us?), I often felt that this was the limit to the service I could do. How could I even think of doing service at an Intergroup or World Service level? In addition to the geographical limitations, I had the big, busy life that I had been given by GreySheet. I felt that I didn’t have time.
 
About a year ago, I was approached by a fellow on the Nominating Committee who asked me to consider being on the Board of Trustees. With a bit of nervousness, I agreed. At the last World Service Conference in October, 2019, you elected your new BOT, and I embarked on what has been an amazing journey. In the past 7 months, I have learned so much about our fellowship and how it works. I have met people that I never would have met before and count them as friends. I have gained a new appreciation for all that the “old timers” have done to get our fellowship to this point in our history and I am honored to be a part of helping to shape its future. On a personal level, my program has been enriched beyond measure. By reaching beyond my comfort zone and taking the plunge into more service, I have renewed my vows to myself and my abstinence. I am grateful beyond measure.
 
I encourage you to think of ways in which you can use your unique talents to enrich a fellowship that has given you a life free from the bondage of compulsive eating.

Thank you for letting me be of service and WDENMW.

Getting GS Abstinent During This Pandemic

We have noticed many newcomers who have found us during this COVID-19 pandemic. Here are three from London:
 
L:
Before I came to GreySheet, I was dying of compulsive overeating and bulimia. Miraculously, I found out about GreySheet on the day we were declared on lockdown here in the UK. I don’t know if I would have survived this crisis without it.
 My first impression of GreySheeters Anonymous can be summed by the tragic and miraculous catch-22: it was because everything else had failed that I knew GSA was going to work. I knew it immediately when my loving sponsor told me the boundaries of GS abstinence, and it was the structure I had been praying for. I knew it because in the GreySheet community, I found not only the blessed refrain of the phrase “me too”, but also unwavering support, guidance, love and so much laughter! And that was only 52 days ago. It is all possible with GreySheet!
 
E:
When lockdown hit the UK in March I was in the food and had been on and off for the best part of 2.5 years after leaving another food fellowship in 2017. I was terrified that I was going to slip further into relapse and not only put myself at risk, but also my family, as I knew that I would need to leave the house to get my binge foods, and in doing so, would not be able to keep myself safe. I really did stand at the turning point. I knew I had two choices: either go further into the food and the slow death that awaited me, or find a programme that could offer me a way out.
My prayers of desperation were answered, and out of the blue, someone told me about GreySheeters Anonymous.  In all my years of 12 step recovery - at different times trying out six other food fellowships - I had not come across GreySheet. That day, I joined an online meeting, got a sponsor and got going with the food plan immediately. 
I have not looked back since. Who knew that what I'd been seeking all along was a community in which I could feel held, loved and safe. I was scooped up, met with warmth and given everything I needed to begin my recovery. It's just over a month since I came in and already I have made so many friends, and feel like I am living a life beyond my wildest dreams.  My hope was given back to me and the shame I'd been carrying around with me for so long, taken away. This fellowship has given me back my life and for that I am truly grateful.
 
L:
I am overwhelmed by the love and kindness shown to me in this fellowship. I am able to be honest without shame or fear and encouraged to be myself...whoever that might be.
I believe if I stay close to this programme and follow the suggestions I never have to pick up food again.
Free at last, a grateful newcomer.

Help Wanted! Service Opportunities

Welcome to the May Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Welcome, GreySheet brothers and sisters! We dedicate the May issue of Service Matters to the theme of Awakenings/New Growth.  We fellows of GreySheeters Anonymous know what it's like to endure seemingly fallow times, only to be joyfully surprised by clear signs of growth.  We are well-acquainted with the process of growing roots first, before the lovely blossoms peak through the earth.  In these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, rooted in the radical self-care of GreySheet abstinence, we can get to the other side of whatever comes along!  Simply to attain and maintain GreySheet abstinence, we have learned to ask for help and extend it, and to approach our challenges not with an attitude of "if", but, rather, "how"; we will overcome them!

As we witness ourselves and each other blossoming in GreySheet recovery, we are also reminded that we GreySheeters, when joined together, form a bouquet whose scent is sweeter and stronger than that of any single stem.  May we all continue to bloom and grow, with the help of our GreySheet toolbox, the Sunlight of the Spirit and each other.  Together, we can!

GSRs, Please Read at Your Business Meeting:

GSR’s Please read at your business meeting:

Seventh Tradition: As spring flowers awaken and grow through sunlight, water and essential nutrients, so GreySheeters Anonymous grows through the active participation of our fellowship (Concept 4), and Tradition 7 contributions. When we donate what we are able, our GSA member contributions nurture our meetings, website, literature, communication with both our members and professional communities, and those still suffering. We understand this is a challenging time, so ‘Giving Back’ can mean contributing through service as well. Service matters...and so do you! 

Website Contacts Lists Have Doubled!! Thanks to your generous response to phone calls from our committee members, the greysheet.org website now has 70 contacts in 24 states and 12 countries. Thank you to those who volunteered to respond to the still-suffering compulsive eaters who reach out!! If you have one year of back-to-back abstinence, can respond to emails within 48 hours, and wish to add your names to the list, please contact communication@greysheet.org.

Q&A - What are Some Gifts from This Coronavirus Situation?

Spring awakens our thoughts and feelings with the joy of accomplishment and self-awareness as we celebrate our abstinence each day. The influence of Covid19 has opened up new pathways of challenges we each overcome with our sponsors, fellow GreySheeters and loved ones. We look at the silver lining lessons from this period of time: FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp and new connections in the program with new ways to have outreach. Let’s hear it for technology supporting our abstinence.

Here are a few heartfelt shares of joy, reflection, love and habits from members of the Communications Committee and to quote one of our members: Fewer cars, less traffic and more Zoom!

E.:

• I have gained a renewed appreciation for people I have often taken for granted: the grocery store clerks, stockers, and cart managers who make sure I get my abstinent food when I need it and are exposed to all of our germs and ill humor and neglect most of the time.
• I have gained an appreciation for all the ways being an abstinent GSer in an outpost has acquainted me with ways to connect via social media, especially Zoom before the pandemic ever happened, placing me in a position to help other meetings get on line, both in GSA and Al-Anon and AA in my home town.
• I know how to live a day at a time, have been practicing for decades. What a gift in hard times!!
• The introvert in me is delighted! I have gained a stretch of time without needing to decline invitations or feel guilty about saying no!
• I value more than ever the precious gift of life and time. We never know when this will end, both the pandemic and the life we live.
• I am meditating more, with a group of people so I am accountable!

Y.:

• Get to spend lots of time with my family. Togetherness!
• Self-house cleaning is mandatory! What pleasure to see the kids work at home….
• More GSA meetings! As we all became “outposts” I am now more used to meeting via Zoom, and finding it almost as efficient as a “regular” meeting in the rooms. 
• Getting to meet and see faces of more GSRs on Zoom meetings! We are in lock-down but GSA
• world is bigger and more open than ever!
• Less traffic - less car accidents.
• Cleaner air...

M.:

What comes to me are two things (of many) that I have learned being on the GreySheet:

• I only have to take one day at a time (sometimes one minute at a time). For example, I don´t know if I am going to be able to go to work tomorrow. But I am preparing as if I would go to work tomorrow. And if it so happens that I can´t, then I will just have to accept that tomorrow. I can´t do anything about it today.
• Serenity: This has helped in ‘taking on’ the days as they come. The only thing I can do is Plan, Prepare and Protect and then let go of everything else. This virus is far beyond my control.

S.:

• At home, in the quiet, sometimes it easier to hear the voices that are no longer true -- the ones who are so afraid of any error, who learned that error loses you love.  I’m getting a sense that only a loving, accepting relationship with myself will allow me to develop my abilities and relationships “out there”. 
• Friends far and wide are checking in just to see that I’m OK (I live alone).  I am touched by their efforts.  They are teaching me to exert my own energy to let more people know that I care and appreciate them!

B.:

• As we witness the seasons change and the re-awakening to spring time (in the Northern Hemisphere) there is a promise of better days ahead. One day at a time, I too, am awake, ask God for help, and do my best to go about my day with a perspective of love, generosity and acceptance.
• My digital scale and my cups are my trusted friends. They don’t lie, they keep me ‘right sized’ and balanced 3x a day.
• The new rituals surrounding going to the store, getting food, bringing it home, cleaning food and packaging before it comes into the house have ‘upped my game’ in the way I relate to food, before it even enters the front door and makes its way to my scale.

May 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Joyce S., Treasurer

At the end of last year, GreySheeters Anonymous World Services, Inc. (GSAWS) had a review of our financial statements by an independent certified public accountant.  We received the results of her financial review in early January. I’m writing to provide the fellowship with a summary of her findings.  

You may wonder why we had a review of our financial records by an independent CPA.  After all, this is a costly endeavor for a relatively small organization like ours; in fact, GSAWS paid $2500 for a review of fiscal years 2016-2019.  If you break this down by year, it cost us approximately $800/year for an outside review.  

A financial review:

• Shows that GSAWS is dedicated to financial transparency.
• Provides reassurance that our financial statements are reliable.  
• Helps GSAWS evaluate internal control systems.
• Fulfills the requirement set forth in GSAWS by-laws to “present at the annual meeting of the Board a financial report, certified by an independent public accountant or certified public accountant or a firm of such accountants selected by the Board.”

Although it is good policy to have a review or audit by an independent accountant every year, it is not feasible for our fellowship due to the cost.  In the years when we do not have a conference and/or we are not transitioning to a new Board, a review will be performed by members of our fellowship.   

After conducting her financial review, the accountant concluded that “based on my review, with the exception of the matters described in the following section, I am not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the general ledgers and accompanying financial statements in order for them to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”  Here is a summary of the accountant’s recommendations:

1. The Company (GSAWS) should formulate in a written document accounting policies and procedures.  A well-designed and properly maintained system of documenting accounting policies and procedures will clarify roles, responsibilities, access and authorizations as well as timetables in order to improve the quality, consistency and efficiency of the Company’s internal control system and overall financial reporting function.  As a best practice written accounting policies and procedures should be evaluated annually and updated for any changes in policies and procedures that occur between evaluations.
2. Overall, there should be more consistent policies and practices in place with respect to the accounting of accruals, prepaid expenses and in-kind donations.
3. A timetable should be established to outline key dates for the closing of month-ends, inclusive of the timely submission of supporting evidence to account for transactions relevant to each month-end and transfers between PayPal and operating accounts of the Company.
4. Physical or electronic bank statements, inclusive of check images, and other forms of supporting evidence should be adequately archived and transitioned amongst Treasurers of the Company.
5. Increase technical knowledge of QuickBooks’ functionalities surrounding the booking of entries from statement feeds as well as the closing process.
6. Formal written agreements or contracts should be created and maintained between the Company and fellowship members performing services in exchange for monetary compensation on behalf of the Company.
7. For better transparency, the coding of general ledger expense accounts should represent the underlying nature of expenses incurred – e.g. monthly administration fee of GSA literature should be bifurcated from GSA literature expense.
8. Schedule the pickup and the deposit of checks in month-end close timeline to better account for donations in the months received in the P. O. Box.
9. Clearer direction or awareness of members of which PayPal account to send payments to based on the underlying nature of the submission.

Let me assure you, that as treasurer, I am doing my best to comply with all the recommendations.  A draft has been written for GSAWS accounting policies and procedures and for GSAWS internal control procedures.  I’ve spent a good amount of time becoming familiar with QuickBooks functionalities. Formal written agreements are in process between GSAWS and fellowship members performing services for GSAWS.  We changed the date of pickup and deposit of checks from our P. O. Box. We have changed some of the coding for certain general ledger expense accounts to better represent the underlying nature of the expense.

If you would like additional information or a copy of her results, please contact me at treasurer@GreySheet.org.  

NMW!

Joyce S.

 Help Wanted!!  Service Opportunities!

Committees Connecting meeting for anyone interested in world service committee work – next meeting is Sunday, May 10, at 12:00 noon ET. The Communications Committee is presenting.

Zoom meeting ID: 663 470 166

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Reflections Zoom Writing Workshop: Next meeting is May 30 at 11:00 AM ET

Zoom meeting ID: 203 332 604

Only 90 days of B2B GS abstinence is required and the willingness to share your experience, strength and hope!

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Finance Committee is looking for members willing to conduct a review of our financial records in the months preceding the next World Service Conference in 2021, probably in May or June.  Please consider providing this important service for our fellowship. You do not need to have an accounting background, just a willingness to look at a few bank reports, trace transactions through to our financial statements, become familiar with our written accounting policy timetables and see if tasks were performed in a timely manner.  An audit plan will be provided for you to follow. The good thing about this service is that it is a short commitment, but the impact is great in reassuring the fellowship that our records are accurate and reliable and that we are practicing good internal controls. Contact treasurer@greysheet.org if interested.

Board of Trustees Town Hall April 26, 2020

The Board of Trustees held the second quarterly Town Hall of 2020 on 4/26/20.

65 Total Attendees from: CTIG, EIG, ICEIG, MWIG, NEIG Area, NYMIG, PBIG, SEIG Area, SWIG, WSIG; including:

• 7/8 Board of Trustees;
• 6/9 ISRs from EIG, ICEIG, MWIG, NYMIG, SWIG, WSIG;
• 31/40 Committee Members (All Committees were represented);
• 21/193 GSRs.

The meeting was full of important and interesting updates on what work is being done at the World Services level. An update on the how GSA is responding to COVID-19, including a presentation on the Board of Trustees COVID-19 letter and the movement of Face to Face meetings to Zoom. Additional presentations were given on GSA’s Four Core Functions: GreySheet abstinence, greysheet.org, Literature, and Public Information. 

For more in depth information on the GSAWS Vision and Four Core Functions, click here: https://bit.ly/2YoeKhT

To see a copy of the Board of Trustees COVID-19 letter to the fellowship, click here: https://bit.ly/2SpImrC 

There were also presentations from representatives from the Midwest Intergroup and the New York Metro Intergroup and from four of the Committees. All presenters put out a call for members to get involved in service at the Intergroup and/or Committee level.

Q&A from attendees:

Q: Interested in the process of defining the GreySheet and would love to know how it parallels process of AA. Changing the Steps or Traditions, i.e., their foundational documents. 

A: At this point, there are no plans to change the GreySheet as it stands as a document. Committee is working on clarifications, which is a separate report. The GreySheet as it stands as a document will not be changed.

Q: Will GreySheet be changed to reflect current practice?

A: No, the GreySheet pamphlet will not be edited. I think your question is part of the oral tradition that is passed down from sponsor to sponsee.

Q: $13,500 seems very low for a Conference. What does the $13,500 provide?

A: The $13,500 does not cover all the expenses of the World Conference. It pays for what the Board responsible for in terms of the Conference, i.e., funding the Board of Trustees participation in the Conference and paying the Parliamentarian’s fees and expenses. All other costs of the conference such as the retreat center, transcriptionist, etc. are covered by the registration fees of delegates representing groups or Intergroups.

Q: Why can’t we have some ideas of what GreySheet committee is working on or answer questions prior to the document coming out?

A: The reason the Committee is not releasing information in incremental steps is that we believe it needs to be approved in full in all of its context. We want to look at everything we do at the end of our work and ask, “Have we been consistent throughout and does it make a sense as a whole,” rather than releasing it in increments over an 18 month period.

Q: What did we call the Responsibility Statement before. I’d love to bring it to the Phone Bridge. The Phone Bridge Intergroup is currently using a modified version of the A.A. Responsibility Statement.

A: We do not have permission from AA to adopt and adapt their Responsibility Statement. Literature Committee was inspired by Board’s Vision for World Service. We took what they wrote, expanded on it, and came up with something to serve as our Responsibility Statement that the Literature Committee approved and sent on to the BOT for approval. It will go to ISRs and Chairs for discussion after Board approval.

Q: Does our literature include that we are not physicians or experts?

A: Pamphlet, If You Are a Healthcare Professional is on the website for you to review.

To listen to the recording of the Town Hall meeting, click here: https://bit.ly/3faaecZ

Audio links

April Service Matters audio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYg0TrdOwKs

Concept 6 Meeting: April 19 2020   https://bit.ly/2KpXmBo

Tradition 6 meeting: April 26, 2020  https://bit.ly/3bWvl0m

BOT Town Hall meeting; April 26, 2020  https://bit.ly/3faaecZ

Committees Connecting Meeting April 5, 2020: https://bit.ly/2VkrPGb

Happy 22nd Anniversary to GSA!!

Welcome to the April 2020 issue of Service Matters, your newsletter providing information about service work, current projects to help carry the message, and opportunities to participate in GSA.

April 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Welcome to the March Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Your newsletter providing information about service in GSA!

March 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Grainne M., President, GreySheeters Anonymous World Services

World Service Conference
In consultation with the Conference Committee and the other World Service Conference committees, the Board of Trustees has decided to postpone the conference to 2021. Stay tuned for the new date.

The World Service Conference is the business meeting of the worldwide fellowship. It is where we send our group and intergroup representatives to make decisions on motions brought by the ten committees and board. Typically, over the course of about 16 hours of meetings, the delegates discuss and decide on approximately 20 motions related to matters affecting GreySheeters Anonymous as a whole. Currently the committees report that they will only have between five and ten motions – mostly from one committee. Most committees are fully engaged implementing the decisions of the last conference and will not be proposing any new projects this year. Therefore, there simply isn’t enough business to conduct to merit the time, effort, and cost of assembling our delegates in Chicago in October.

Instead the board will plan a two-hour video forum to be held on Saturday October 31st at 11 am ET for registered delegates. We will distribute the agenda and materials for groups and intergroups to discuss in advance. Keep reading Service Matters for the details.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email President@GreySheet.org or speak to the board liaison for your intergroup or committee. We are all confident that, with more time, the committees will have plenty of significant decisions for the fellowship to make in 2021.

“Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think of GreySheet.”

This is the vision for World Services. We accomplish this in four ways:

1. Protect the integrity of the GreySheet solution
2. Make GreySheet.org the primary destination for online searches
3. Publish and make easily available great literature that shares our experience, strength, and hope
4. Reach out to the public, the media, and the healthcare profession

Everything else we do supports these four functions. To accomplish these four core functions as directed by the WSC2019 will cost approximately $40K. In 2019, our donations were $21K. We need to double our donations to World Service in 2020 to accomplish our primary purpose. There is a slideshow that provides more information in the online Service Matters. https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees

Who Participated in the January Town Hall?
At least 37 GreySheeters attended including: 

• 10 Group Service Representatives from the Connecticut, European, Icelandic, Israeli, New York Metro, SouthWest, and Western States Intergroups
• Six of our nine intergroup service representatives (Europe, Iceland, Midwest, New York Metro, Southwest, and Western States)
• Seven of our eight trustees
• Members of all ten committees
• Six countries – Canada, England, France, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Spain, and the United States
• 13 US states – California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, and Texas

Was your group or state represented? Will someone be reporting back to you about how we are accomplishing our primary purpose?

Board of Trustees Update
Unfortunately, since our October Town Hall the board has lost two valuable trustees – one to other commitments and one to chair the Literature Committee. We now need to fill five open positions on the Board of Trustees. If you are interested and have at least five years of GreySheet abstinence, please consider submitting an application to Nominations@greysheet.org. The application form and more information is on the website: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee

Get to Know Your Intergroup
The Intergroup Service Representatives for two of our nine intergroups introduced their intergroups at this Town Hall.

The Western States Intergroup includes AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY as well as British Columbia and Manitoba. According to the 2018 census, there are 134 GreySheeters in the area with 19 groups including nine Zoom groups. Eleven groups regularly send GSRs to monthly IG meetings. We sent seven GSRs and our ISR to WSC2019. Our GSRs are involved in a variety of committees. The IG has a healthy treasury and donates to GSAWS.

Note from President: The WSIG has approximately 16% of the worldwide fellowship. 

The SouthWest Intergroup contains five states AR, CO, NM, OK, and TX. We have applied to the Structure Committee to merge with the SouthEast Intergroup Area and Maryland to form the Southern States Intergroup. We would then include AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV, the Caribbean, and MD and the six GreySheet groups in that Area. Currently we represent two NM groups, four TX groups, and two Zoom groups. According to the 2018 Census, approximately 164 GreySheet members live in the SSIG Area. In addition to our ISR, ISR-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and BOT Liaison we have a YouTube Coordinator and a Zoom Coordinator. Our ISR attended WSC2019 and four of our officers serve on committees. 

In 2014, we started the SWIG YouTube Channel. YouTube is the biggest search engine on the planet. Initially, we featured shares only from members living in the SWIG Area but we have now expanded to include shares from the entire fellowship. Initially, there were 700 views per month. It has grown to 3,000 views per month. There are 80 qualifications on the channel. In 2019, we started Pre-Holiday Speaker Blasts on Zoom. These are approximately monthly and are always listed under Events on greysheet.org.

Note from President: The SWIG has approximately 8% of the worldwide fellowship. The SEIG Area has approximately 11% of the worldwide fellowship.

New York Metro and MidWest Intergroups will introduce themselves at our April 26^th Town Hall.

Consider Participating in a Committee!

Archives Committee 
Come join Archives and help build our information base. Giving service makes me feel so connected to GreySheet. You may say “But, I’m technology-phobic.” No, you’re not. If you’re at a Zoom meeting or reading this e-newsletter, you’re not. You’re GreySheet clear. You’re aware that you’re uncomfortable doing something new and to get rid of that is to practice. Come join the Archives. Contact me at archives@greysheet.org

Communication Committee
If you want to be inspired by all the work being done to carry the message of GSA to the compulsive eater who still suffers, join the Communication Committee. We receive the news and transmit it via Service Matters and Committees Connecting Zoom meetings, so you’ll always know what is happening! We do our best to keep contact lists and the phone list up to date so our members and newcomers don’t fall through the cracks! And we thrive on good ideas and positive energy. Sound like something you’d like more of? Join us! Contact me at communication@greysheet.org 

Conference Committee
Come join the Conference Committee to create the 2021 and future World Service Conferences. You can make an impact on the future of GreySheet and how we communicate with each other and how we come together as a fellowship. Join us and email me conference@greysheet.org

Finance Committee
If you want to “Show us the money,” love (or want to learn about) spreadsheets, have an interest in financial transparency, like working with budgets or creating fiscally sound financial policies, or simply love the 7th Tradition, please consider joining the Finance Committee. We meet the first Sunday of the month at noon EST. If you want to know more, contact us at finance@greysheet.org

Literature Committee
This year, 2020, the Literature Committee is focused on writing new literature and updating and reprinting existing pamphlets and the GreySheet 12x12. If you enjoy writing, are organized, can meet deadlines and love GSA as much as we do, we would love to have you join the Literature Committee. Email literature@greysheet.org

The Nominating, Public Information, Structure, and Website Committees will make a recruiting pitch at the April 26th Town Hall.  

Please get in touch: President@greysheet.org VicePresident@greysheet.org Secretary@greysheet.org  Treasurer@greysheet.org 

Future Town Halls 11 am ET on the same Zoom link on the last Sunday of April and July 2020. We hope to see you there.

Committee Announcement

Welcome to the February Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Welcome to the February issue of Service Matters, your newsletter providing information about service in GSA. This month, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, our question and answer section is about loving ourselves in abstinence, or what some GreySheeters refer to as “radical self-care.” We also  highlight a new “Help Wanted” section for GreySheeters with special skills to help us in the coming months. If you are qualified and interested in serving in these ways, please step forward. We need you!!

February 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Laura L., Vice President/Vice Chair

Hello fellow GreySheeters!  
I am a compulsive overeater, my name is Laura and I am your newly elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees.   Some of you may know me as I have lived in a number of GreySheet communities since getting abstinent in Cambridge, MA in April, 1982.   

I have had a lot of life in these almost 38 years - including college and graduate school, marriage, divorce, deaths of friends and family members, marrying again, two abstinent pregnancies, travel abroad, painful family dynamics, medical issues, and, perhaps most challenging, living with my brain on a daily basis! Through it all, I have weighed and measured my food without exception from that GreySheet, have committed it to a sponsor and have approached every life situation, not with the question of “Will I be abstinent?” but rather, “HOW will I be abstinent?” There is a mountain of experience, strength and hope available to all of us in this program. 

Over the years, I have been privileged to serve our community in many different capacities.  Joining the Board is my newest level of service. I am acutely aware that my life is limited but that food addiction is not! It will live on long after I am gone. While I am still here, I want to do what I can to preserve our precious GreySheet message for others who suffer so that recovery will always be available to those who seek it.  

My role as Vice-Chair of the Board is somewhat less well-defined than other positions on the Board.  At the moment I see myself as a multi-purpose person. One of the projects I am currently working on is the republishing of the Shades of Grey compilation.  If you are not familiar with Shades, it was the first piece of GreySheet literature our community had following the printed GreySheet Food Plan.  Shades was a GreySheet newsletter, created by members of the NYC community in early 1988.  It was published quarterly through the spring of 2001. This was back in the “olden days” before GSA, before the internet, cell phones, the Phone Bridge and Zoom meetings.  GreySheeters from all over submitted articles on various topics related to GreySheet abstinence and recovery. The newsletters were compiled, edited and printed by volunteer service-givers and mailed to people and communities throughout the world.  GreySheeters in outposts would eagerly await the arrival of each edition, hungry for the experience, strength and hope contained in those pages. A compilation of all the issues of Shades of Grey was published years ago and the last copies were sold in the fall of 2019.  

The wisdom and recovery shared in Shades by our early members (many are still abstinent to this day) remains just as relevant today as it was back then.  The Board is eager to republish the compilation, a treasure trove of GreySheet recovery, for the benefit of our growing fellowship!  What will this take? Only two things: a good deal on printing (if you know someone, please let us know at Gsawsbot@gmail.com) and money!  The current budget does not allow for this reprinting at the moment. However, with additional donations and a bit of ingenuity, I have no doubt that we can return this amazing piece of literature to active duty!  

I look forward to continuing to carry the GreySheet message through my new service position on the Board.  And I encourage us all to remember that our primary purpose is to stay abstinent and to help another compulsive overeater to achieve abstinence.  All forms of service help us fulfill this life-saving mission.  

With so much gratitude,
Laura L.

Question and Answer

LQ: What do we do to love ourselves in GSA? What does radical self-care mean to us?

Answers: 
BW, IL: Radical self love:  Learning to say NO and that No Thank You doesn't need an explanation of Why?
 
LT, NY: Radical self-care and self-love is as crucial to my emotional  and spiritual sobriety as the GS food plan is to my physical recovery.

EW, NM: Believing that I am worthy of joy and acting on my own behalf first became possible with abstinence, when I learned how to take responsibility for having what I need at every meal by bringing back-up, my scale and my commitment. It has spread, over the years to include speaking up with integrity, the most loving thing I can do for myself and everyone else.

LT, NY: I've learned in recovery that when my most persistent character defects (such as irritability, impatience and intolerance) crop up, it almost always means that I need to be practicing more self-care/self-love.

GM, TX: I love myself and my abstinence by spending time with people I love, doing fun activities not solely focused on food.

MO, WA: I force myself to go marketing on my ‘needing rest days off’ telling myself I’d take a new GSr shopping any day of the week and I’d rather not be one!!

SL, CA: I define self love as putting my own oxygen mask on first. I set boundaries for myself in relation to others so that I can focus on being present for my life and for my fellows.

MC, CA: I practice meditation every morning & yoga after each day’s work. I keep my house stocked with abstinent food, and set aside time on Sundays to shop & chop & bag all my w & m lunches for the week.

Committee Announcements

From the Conference Committee:
Registration packet is available now for the October 30-November 1 WSC in Chicago, IL. Use this link to access for information and to register on line: https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2020 .Deadline for registration is March 15!!

Seventh Tradition Suggestions:
Here are some ideas for Intergroups and Groups to financially prepare for the WSC! Please keep this collection in the forefront of your mind at your meetings.

Shared room including meals and registration fee - $355 per person ($35 supplement for single room or $390) - due by registration. There are 7 weeks to collect from your members to meet the March 15 registration deadline. If your GSR plans to attend WSC 2020, please consider passing an additional basket dedicated for your GSR or ISR to attend. Request $3-5 + per week per member to meet your goal! Airfare can be collected during or after the registration fee. In order to keep costs down, airfare should be booked by August 30th. We estimate approximately $350. This means your group would collect $70 per month between April and August. Ground transportation to and from airports is $100 maximum. That would be another $30 per month from September to November. 

Please let us know if you have any questions via wscregistration@greysheet.org

From the Public Information Committee:
The Public Information Committee has been brainstorming and implementing ideas to spread the message of GS recovery to compulsive eaters. Our starting point was reviewing the Public Information Manual that was published on our website in 2014 for any changes or edits.  Simply go to greysheet.org and type in Public Information in the search bar and you will find the Manual. In the course of our meetings, the committee agreed that GSA will continue to reach out to hospitals, doctors and counselors. Many in the medical and psychological communities are unaware of our common solution for recovery.  Many of these doctors refer patients for extreme measures such as bariatric surgery. It was discussed that AA is a great ally of the medical and hospital community. The committee discussed making a specific subcommittee to explore this area and reach out to the medical and psychiatric community. 

The Manual and related publications contain a great deal of useful information and templates for business cards, trifold flyers, and brochures which can easily be printed out and shared with others. The Committee is making a concerted effort to print and disseminate the material. However, we need you.  Each GSA member is encouraged to share this information with their treating doctors and/or counselors. We would also encourage individuals, face to face meetings and intergroups to print brochures for their members to disseminate. If each GSA member printed out the tri-fold for medical professionals and gave it to their doctor at their annual physical or shared with their therapist, just think how many seeds would be planted.  

Members are strongly encouraged and reminded of our twelfth step which is to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer. If you have any suggestions or comments please reach out to the PIC@greysheet.org

Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting, Jan. 26, 2020

The Board of Trustees held the first quarterly Town Hall of 2020 on 1/26/20. There were 37 total attendees including: 37 Attendees from: CTIG, EIG, ICEIG, ISRIG, MWIG, NEIG Area, NYMIG, PBIG, SEIG Area, SWIG, WSIG; 7/8 Board of Trustees; 6/9 ISRs from EIG, ICEIG, MWIG, NYMIG, SWIG, WSIG; 22/40 Committee Members (All Committees were represented); 10/193 GSRs. The meeting was full of important and interesting updates on what has been implemented as a result of the goals of WSC2019 and also what plans there are for future. Special attention was given to the budget and the Board of Trustees financial goal to double donations in 2020. For more in depth information, click here to see a copy of Grainne’s excellent presentation:  http://bit.ly/2uOuVIx

There were also presentations from representatives from the Southwest Intergroup and the Western States Intergroup and from five of the Committees. All presenters put out a call for members to get involved in service at the Intergroup and/or Committee level: Joey spoke of how being a Board of Trustees member has had a positive impact on his abstinence and encouraged others to consider being of service in this fashion.
 Q & A from the attendees:

• Q:  C.: Is there any way that non-GSRs can attend WSC? Is there opportunity for input? 

A:  Grainne: The only people eligible to attend WSC are elected delegates. There are, however, several ways to have input: a) provide input via your Group/GSR; attend IG meetings and speak to your ISR, join a committee as a volunteer, attend monthly Committees Connecting meetings, and email input to any committee. Also, draft motions from committees will be published on 3/15/20 on website. One can give input on these motions as well.
 

• Q: C.: If ISR is going to WSC, does that prohibit GSRs from same IG attending? 

A:  Grainne: No. All GSRs are welcome in addition to the ISR.
 

• Q: Laura: What is abstinence requirement to volunteer on a committee?

A: S., Chair Structure Committee:  Volunteers need 90 days of back-to-back GreySheet abstinence. 
 

• Q: D.: When is the SWIG GreySheet Couples Speaker Blast? 

A: E.: Saturday 2/8/10 at 12:00 PM EST. 
---

To see the complete notes from the meeting, click here: http://bit.ly/2vzwqeh

Weren’t able to attend? Want more information? Click on the link below for the audio recording of the entire meeting!   https://bit.ly/2OaAfgf.

Upcoming GSA Meetings and World Services

Committees Connecting Meet next on  Sunday, February 9, at 12:00 noon ET at this Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/663470166. All are welcome! The Literature and Nominating Committees will be presenting. This is a great time to tune in to the latest projects and concerns of committees and offer your input or ask questions.

Tradition 4 meeting – Sunday, February 16  from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.

Concept 4 meeting:  Sunday, February 23 from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.
 
Audio  Recording Links:
January 12 Committees Connecting meeting: http://bit.ly/2S0ANGS
 
January 26 Tradition 3 meeting: http://bit.ly/2RZT0o0
 
January 19th Concept 3 meeting: http://bit.ly/2uMYzhm
 
YouTube Audio recording of Service Matters January issue: http://bit.ly/2UaMZYm
 
Board of Trustees Town Hall Jan. 26:  https://bit.ly/3aZiWJ4

Help Wanted

You Tube coordinator for Southwest Intergroup YouTube channel

Qualifications:
1. Long association with the 12 Traditions in order to understand when the Traditions are being followed properly or being violated. Understanding of our desire to avoid outside issues. There needs to be a sensitivity as to when a speaker is bashing other 12 Step food programs, or when they are simply mentioning them in passing.
 
2. Long enough abstinent in GSA so that the volunteer is not bouncing in and out of abstinence, which would create chaos.
 
3. Ability to edit video, preferably on iMovie but other software programs can be worked with. 
 
4. Enough bandwidth to download large files from the Internet and to upload large files to YouTube.


World Service Conference Training coordinator
The President is responsible to help the conference committee chairs prepare their annual reports and conference motions. All the conference delegates also need to know how to function as a delegate before, during, and after the conference. We plan four training sessions:
 

We need a GSA member who will work with the President to arrange this training. This would involve working with the board and the committee chairs, updating 2019 materials, and communicating with all delegates. It could also involve delivering the training depending on your interest. It would require comfort with Zoom, MS Office, and daily email communication.

“This position would be best for a WSC2019 delegate who attended last year’s training or has other Twelve Step fellowship conference or parliamentary experience.

Estimated time commitment:  several hours of work every week between now and the WSC.

Call for Writings

Help us create the first GSA Daily Reflections Book! 



For more information please contact: Reflections@greysheet.org or +359 896 33 26 97 (What's App).

Note to GSRs and ISRs

Has your group or intergroup voted in new officers?

Please make sure you notify the Structure Committee with any new changes at structure@greysheet.org or notify your ISR to update the spreadsheet on google drive. Every ISR has access to this spreadsheet on Google Drive.

Welcome to the First Issue of SERVICE MATTERS in 2020!

Welcome to the first issue of Service Matters in 2020 – May our vision benefit not only from hindsight, which they say is 20-20, but also from clear, abstinent and grateful eyes! We don’t need to celebrate the new year with re-solutions, because we already have a solution that works!!

The Structure Committee

Purpose: to make recommendations for GSA service structure and to document current board policies, procedures, job descriptions and standard practices and to present them for approval at the World Service Conference.

The Structure Committee is hard at work preparing for the next GreySheet World Service Conference by drafting procedures to be included in our Service Manual and Conference Charter. To be assigned to a committee, please contact your ISR or e-mail Structure@greysheet.org

Town Hall Meeting

The next Board of Trustees Town Hall meeting will be on Sunday, January 26 at 11:00 AM ET, on the following link: https://zoom.us/j/717731799. All are welcome!!The phone link for this meeting is: +1 669 900 6833, and when prompted please use the meeting ID, 717 731 799 # to join. Any questions for the board may be sent through the Communications Committee at communication@greysheet.org or submitted directly to the Board at president@greysheet.org.
 
The next Committees Connecting Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 12, at 12:00 noon ET at the following link: https://zoom.us/j/663470166.  The Finance Committee and the Conference Committee are presenting the work of their committees and opportunities for new people to volunteer. You may also use the phone link: +14086380968, 663470166# US (San Jose) and then when prompted use the meeting ID: 663 470 166. All are welcome!

Concept 3 meeting:  Sunday, January 19 from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.
 
Tradition 3 meeting – Sunday, January 26 from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.

January 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Joyce S. - Treasurer

Hello!  I’m honored to write this column to introduce myself as the newly elected Treasurer of our fellowship.  First, I am a grateful member of GSA and I have enjoyed 22 years of back-to-back abstinence, one day at a time, since March 24, 1997.  I live in Overland Park, KS, the wife of a retired CPA, the mother of three adult sons, the grandmother of 5 grandchildren and one on the way.  I’m a retired accountant having spent time in my career as a tax auditor for the IRS, as an auditor with the inspector general’s office of the USDA, as the accountant for our parish, and bookkeeper for a small non-profit organization for 11 years.  I’ve been the treasurer of our local Kansas City GreySheet community for many years. I like to live a quiet life of simple pleasures. I enjoy bookkeeping and find it very relaxing, somewhat like the order and peace I find in weighing and measuring my food.  These days, I find myself very busy in my role as GSAWS Treasurer.

December Theme: Committees Work for All of Us!

In the next two issues, we are going to highlight the World Service Committees that work for us all throughout the year. These are GreySheeters who, for the most part, are GSR’s in their groups, ISR’s for their intergroups, and/or Board of Trustees members, but there are also non-delegate volunteers who work on committees. We will hear about their projects and plans for the coming year, all the work of which is done without compensation of any kind. Committee members usually meet monthly for an hour at a time, often on the Zoom platform. It is the work of committees that generates motions at the WSC, which are voted on by delegates.
 
This month, we have the Archives, Communications, Conference, Finance and Literature Committees presenting what they are currently working on.
 
If you have questions, concerns, or wish to find out more, please come to the next Committees Connecting meeting which will be held on December 8, 12:00 noon ET. Zoom link for this meeting is: https://zoom.us/j/663470166.

The next Board of Trustees Town Hall Zoom meeting will be held on Sunday, January 26, at 11:00 AM ET. All are welcome. Send questions or concerns you’d like the Board to address to communication@greysheet.org before January 17^th. Use Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/717731799 to attend.

December 2019 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Joey M. - Assistant Treasurer

My name is Joey, and I am a compulsive eater. Today I take responsibility for my actions- meaning I weigh and measure three meals from the GreySheet, I write them down,  call and commit to my sponsor on time, and I don’t eat no matter what. Abstinence is my primary purpose, so I can help the next compulsive eater.
 
The last World Service Conference in Chicago was a magical experience for me. I met GreySheeters from all walks of life with a primary purpose of helping the still-suffering compulsive eater. I learned to do service in early abstinence starting with arranging chairs, booking speakers, handling 7th tradition contributions, and then as a GSR for my intergroup, World Service Conference Committee member, and now as a Board of Trustees member.  In my intergroup area in New York, we enhanced 7th Tradition contributions by including speaker jams, anniversary gift-giving, and contributions for the World Service Conference delegate fund. 
 
I asked myself, How can I make a difference? Does it serve my primary purpose? Would it help the still-suffering compulsive eater? Today, I am privileged to be a Board member for GreySheeters Anonymous World Services. We are currently looking for passionate members of the GreySheet community to join the Board of Trustees. There are three open spots open and if you are willing to join us in this amazing and exciting journey, the Nominating Committee is currently accepting applications. Service is vital for my recovery. If I want to keep what was freely given to me, then I have to freely give it away. If interested, find out more at: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee.
 
Lastly, I was asked by a fellow GreySheeter why I do service. I explained that when I do service, I get so much more than I bargained for. I am able to live life on life’s terms. I have a full life only because I am GreySheet abstinent.
 
I am Joey, Abstinent and Grateful. Just another bozo on the bus.

Question and Answer

Q: How can I get involved in a committee? 
A: Committee members can be Group Service Representatives, Intergroup Service Representatives or volunteers. GSR's and ISR's are voting members on committees. Volunteers are welcome to participate in the work of committees. 
 
Q: Whom should I contact? 
A: Staci L. serves as chair of the Structure Committee. You can contact her at Labovitzstaci@gmail.com. She'll be happy to answer questions and assist  in finding a  committee that's a good fit for you.

 The Archive Committee

The Archive Committee is building a structure for information.

 Purpose:  to collect, organize, categorize, copy, preserve and electronically store historically valued documents, digital materials, printed materials, and historical items of GreySheeters Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Ongoing Projects:

The Conference Committee

Purpose:  to organize and run the World Service Conference.

 The Finance Committee

FOLLOW THE MONEY...

November Theme: Thank You, GreySheet!!

Focus on Giving Back to this Life-Giving Solution

When was the last time you thought about what it means to tell someone you’re abstinent and grateful? It is often the replacement response for “Fine, Thank you!” when  a fellow GreySheeter asks, “How are you?” on a phone call or at a meeting.

‘Abstinent and grateful’ can be true regardless of the kind of day we’re having, or the news we’ve just listened to, or the report from the doctor on test results we just received. No matter what is going on in our world, we know we can honestly say, “Abstinent and Grateful.”
 
In this issue, we are going to highlight some of the ways we can say ‘Thank You’ for the blessings of this program in order to carry the message and support our own abstinence. We dedicate the November 2019 issue of Service Matters to the two main ways we can Give back: with our time and with our money.
 
Here are some bullet points to help us zero in on the ways we may already be giving back, and also some new ways we haven’t considered yet.
 
How Can I Give Back to GreySheeters Anonymous? Let me count the ways!!
Take a look at this chart and see which of these you already do or have done, which you’d like to do, and which you’d like more information about. Contact us at communication@greysheet.org

November 2019 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

2019 World Service Conference in Chicago was a huge success!!

Friday:

1. Submission of Voting Roll

2. Roll Call

3. Adopted Standing Rules of Order

4. Adopted the Agenda

5. Accepted minutes for 2013, 2014, and 2016 minutes as corrected.

Saturday:

1. Accepted Treasurer’s Report

2. Passed Motion to Elect Board Candidates

3. Passed Motion to adopt approved 12 Concepts of AA adapted with permission

4. Passed Motion to publish report of the GS Committee (Clarification of GreySheet Abstinence)

5. Archives Committee motions were withdrawn

6. Passed Motion to make Website Committee stand-alone

7. Passed Motion to create a GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Style Guide

8. Passed Motion to have the Structure Committee review and work on GreySheeters Anonymous World   Service Conference Charter

9. Passed Motion to have the next World Service Conference October 16-18, 2020

10. Passed Motion   have the next World Service Conference at the Cenacle in Chicago, IL

11. Passed Motion to approve the Process for Reading, Amending, and Approving Draft Minutes for the 2019 and Subsequent Word Service Conferences

12. Failed Motion to schedule future World Service Conferences only when reserve is saved

13. Failed Motion to cap individual contributions to less than 10% of operating budget

14. Failed Motion to consult the fellowship when budget changes exceed $1000 or 25% of total budget

15. Passed Motion to develop Financial Policies and Procedures in conjunction with Service Manual

Sunday:

1. Passed Motion for the concept of long-form literature Living Abstinent

2. Passed Motion to define short-form literature as less than 2000 words and long-form literature as 2000 words or more

3. Passed Motion for the concept of long-form literature One Day at a Time in GreySheeters Anonymous.

4. Motion rescinded to remove the proposed Tagline

5. Passed Motion to make Nominating Committee stand alone

6. Passed Motion to approved method of nominating candidate to the GS Board of Trustees

7. Installation of New Board of Trustees

8. Committee Reports with questions and answers

9. Closing Ceremony and Adjourn

The next conference will be held October 16-18, 2020, so we have one year to get ready for that!! Please, if your group was not able to attend this year due to lack of funds for the GSR’s expenses, start saving money from your 7^th tradition to save for next year’s conference. And if anyone has the desire to do service at this level, please stay tuned to the November issue of Service Matters which will be chockful of ideas on how to get involved.

Quotes from the delegates: At the end of the conference all delegates were asked to think of one sentence to describe what was most meaningful to them from our time together. Here is a sampling of their thoughts. The first is a haiku!!   

"We make the motions
While sitting down: we are still
God moves and shakes us"
 
“Not only did I survive the WSC, I thrived.”
 
"Wellness starts with ‘we’--Illness starts with ‘I."’
 
"Every delegate had a chance to be heard. The debate was often passionate, but ultimately productive."
 
"Doing service at the level of a GS CONFERENCE.. raises the level of my recovery!!"
 
“So many ideas, so little time. Creating the infrastructure to carry the message takes so much work and that work is being done by a very dedicated and hard-working 5% of our fellowship”

"We cannot do anything alone!  Service is truly what matters as GreySheeters Anonymous grows and continues to carry the message."
 
"It was as if I found a family I never knew – a fellowship of those who were able to listen and hear one another."
 
"One of the Committee leaders referred to their members as "PASSION-ISTAS."  I love that!  May we all stay passionistas for living a beautiful, abstinent life in recovery!"
 
"There's something very special about spending a weekend with people with backgrounds vastly different to mine, that nevertheless share my disease and are just as passionate about this solution. Listening to various arguments for different issues, my mind was changed repeatedly by new points of view that hadn't occurred to me. I return to my world with a refreshed feeling that people really are wonderful."
 
"Service!Service!Service! I slumber in addiction; together we can thrive with abundance to be shared. Having attended two previous WSC's, I was very moved to see how our program has grown in professionalism and purpose." 

"My first conference has further energized me not only to carry the message to the compulsive eater who still suffers, but to carry the message to our GreySheet community of what exciting and vital work our World Services is doing!."

October 2019 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Note: Each month, Service Matters will publish a column written by a different trustee on the Board. Each column will include the name of the trustee, a departure from most Service Matters articles, in order to help members get to know their trustees better. Our first column is written by Grainne M, newly elected President of the Board of Trustees for GSAWS.
 
Please meet your 2020 Board of Trustees nominated by the 48 delegates of the 2019 World Service Conference in Chicago and elected by the 2019 Board of Trustees. 

After three years of diligent service, seven Board of Trustees members rotated off the Board of Trustees at the conference. I am sure I speak for the entire fellowship when I say that we are incredibly grateful to them for their stewardship of our organization since the last World Service Conference in 2016.

• Mary M., President

• Yael A. Vice President

• Sue S., Secretary

• Nicole A., Treasurer

• Joy C., Assistant Treasurer

• Bennie T., liaison to the Conference Committee  

• Gulla B., liaison to the Website Committee

We are lucky that Ofer L. and Sara S. agreed to serve another year to help the new members find their feet and ensure continuity. 

Thanks also to the Nominating Committee. The committee worked hard to fill so many positions in one year. Linda GS and her committee (Leigh F., Raina D., Susan B., and Theda S.) met twice a month and reviewed a lot of potential candidates. The Nominating Committee is going to work to return the board to its original 13 members and to continue the rotation of one-third of members each year. If you are interested and qualified, please volunteer via the website (or suggest another talented and willing GreySheeter).
https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee

The incoming board is already transitioning the business of the not-for-profit corporation. We are working with the conference committees to implement the decisions of the delegates and to continue their existing projects. And we are supporting the Intergroup Service Representatives in ensuring that every member of our fellowship hears the results of the conference and has a chance to ask questions. We are excited to get started supporting members, groups, and intergroups in our primary purpose – to stay abstinent and carry the message.
Stay tuned for monthly updates from your board and get in touch: gsawsbot@gmail.com. We want to hear from you.

Board of Trustees Town Hall on October 27, 2019 at 10:00 AM EST

The incoming Board of Trustees of GreySheeters Anonymous World Service will continue the wonderful innovation of the outgoing Board of Trustees and host a Zoom Town Hall quarterly. All GreySheeters Anonymous members are invited, especially those who serve the fellowship as trusted servants. We ask all Intergroup Service Representatives and WSC Committee Chairs to encourage their members to participate.

The first quarterly Town Hall will be October 27th at 10 am ET. Subsequent Town Halls will be in January. April, and July 2020.
 
We will report on the just-completed World Service Conference – informing you of changes approved by your delegates. We will also introduce your new Board of Trustees and outline projects the conference committees will be working on in 2020.
 
We welcome your questions before the Town Hall to the chair of the Communications Committee at southwestintergroup@gmail.com. We welcome your questions and suggestions during the Town Hall, too! Come meet your new board and hear the exciting work your committees will be undertaking so we can all fulfil our primary purpose – to stay abstinent and carry the message to the next compulsive eater.
 
The meeting will be recorded and the audio published in Service Matters in November. We will record and publish the Questions and Answers as well as your suggestions.
 
GSAWS BOT is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
 
Topic: GSAWS Town Hall
Time: Oct 27, 2019 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/717731799 
Dial by your location
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 717 731 799
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ag7TOBn9z

The post-conference version (committee chairs only) of Committees Connecting will take place on Tuesday, October 22, at 8:00 PM EST as committee chairs meet to gear up for our very busy new year in anticipation of WSC 2020.  The usual Zoom meeting of all committee members will start up again soon.
 
ISR’s (Intergroup Service Representatives) will be meeting on Sunday, October 13, at 12:00 PM EST to discuss how best to communicate the results of WSC 2019 to the entire fellowship. Intergroups are encouraged to send their alternate ISR, ISR-elect, or vice-chair or other officer if they can’t make it.

Upcoming Events

*** Please check https://greysheet.org/events for details and contact information.

• European Intergroup Retreat, October 18 - 20, 2019, Newmarket, England

• 29^th Annual NYC GreySheet Roundup:  November 9  - 10, 2019, New York, NY

The September 2019 World Service Conference in Chicago is nearly here!!

Town Hall Meeting

Town Hall Meeting

Town Hall Meeting Next Month!

The next Board of Trustees (BOT) Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Sunday, July 21^st at 11:00 AM EDT. Groups with questions or concerns they would like the Board to address should send them to southwestsintergroup@gmail.com before June 13^th.
 
The Zoom Link for the Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting July 21 at 11:00 AM EST is: https://zoom.us/j/555523493.
You can attend by telephone using the following numbers.
 
Dial by your location
        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 555 523 493

A Friendly Reminder from the Conference Committee to Delegates of the 2019 WSC

Regarding Minutes and Transcripts

June 15, 2019 is the deadline to submit in writing to the Conference Committee (wscregistration@greysheet.org) any questions, concerns, inconsistencies, etc. between the proposed Minutes and the Transcripts for 2013, 2014, or 2016. As noted in the documentProcess for Approving Draft Minutes WSC 2013, 2014, 2016 of GreySheeters Anonymous(previously provided), remember to include the following information:

1. The year of the Minutes (2013, 2014 or 2016);
2. The year of the Transcript (this will match the year of the Minutes);
3. The page number(s) in the Minutes;
4. The page number(s) and line number(s) in the Transcript;
5. Your recommended correction to the Minutes; and
6. Your reasoning for the correction.

Committees Connecting Meeting!

The May 5^th Committees Connecting meeting began at 2:00 PM EST on Zoom. Two committees shared their motions and recommendations: the GS Committee and Archives Committee.
 
GreySheet Committee 
First, the GS Committee Chair explained the mandate from the Board of Trustees for the GreySheet Committee, how the committee has been working, and the two motions that we publish two pamphlets.
 
Comments from 2019 delegates included questions about the Conference Approved Literature process, concern that members get to read the GS Committee report before voting on its approval at the World Service Conference, a desire that more time be given for members to look at the content of the pamphlets and not just the concepts for them, a question as to whether the pamphlets are needed by the fellowship and follow the principles of the program; specific situations that the GS Committee, e.g., members counting days, members under a doctor’s care, instances of religious practices observance, etc. Please listen to the audio version of the meeting for the entire content of the meeting.
 
Archives Committee
Archives Chair explained the role of the Archives Committee and the work she has been doing to archive documents and to interview people about the history of GreySheeters Anonymous. She described the two proposed pamphlets. Comments and questions included: are interviews available for people to listen to or read? Were interviews edited by the Literature Committee before publication? The chair responded that some of the interviews would be edited for publication in the Oral History book that the Literature Committee is working on, and that it would be great to have them archived on a website that members could search. The Literature Committee has access to all of the interview recordings.
 
Note: For complete audio recording of this Committees Connecting meeting, go to the following link:
https://zoom.us/recording/play/y4Rw8LJtZthVWTcWdrsxd7U7J288-fRK3uq3KvC3VplRhoCh2pJL84kG5EvVu58S?autoplay=true
 
The next Committees Connecting meeting will be held on Sunday, June 9 at 2:00 PM EST. All GSR’s, ISR’s, and delegates to the World Service Conference are especially invited to attend, but all GreySheeeters are welcome. Please use this link:https://zoom.us/j/524747067. Note: this is a new meeting ID.  Committees set to present motions in June are: Communications Committee (Website Subcommittee) and Conference Committee. We suggest that you read the motions before the meeting, which can be found on pp. 8-12 of Motions Worksheet on the GreySheet.org webpage at this link:https://www.greysheet.org/images/WSC2019/GSAWSC2019_Motion_Worksheet_03222019.pdf

Audio recordings of Preparation for Delegate Meetings held on April 28 and April 30 explaining the role of delegates and discussing concerns and questions are available – here are the links!!
Note: There will be another meeting scheduled for August to address delegate concerns as well.

It's Not Too Late to Introduction to Traditions and Concepts!

Delegates to the WSC Conference and other GS members are invited to attend two sets ofZoom meetings on Traditions and Concepts. More information on the GreySheet.org under World Service Conference 2019. 

Most recent Traditions 3&4 meeting held May 5: audio link here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6jEY-jK2sLaRWFtaGlQVFYtcERjS2ZiVy1NWWtpS1FNY3ZR/view
 

If you missed last month’s traditions and concepts meeting, here are links to the audio:
 
Most recent Concepts 3&4 meeting held May 12: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6jEY-jK2sLaM0FhNExEaGZPSGQ1bjVlTFc0LTVtRGpFd0tj/view

• (Please fast forward to  minute 7:15 to start at the beginning of the meeting.)

Most recent Traditions 3&4 meeting held May 5:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6jEY-jK2sLaRWFtaGlQVFYtcERjS2ZiVy1NWWtpS1FNY3ZR/view

Openings to New Board of Trustees Members

The Board of Trustees has openings for new Board of Trustees members. Nominating Committee Procedures are located at this link on our greysheet.org website:https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee

If interested, please check out the info at this link, along with nomination forms and the email address for the forms.

GreySheet Committee Report

• We are currently answering questions about GreySheet abstinence under various circumstances like eating out, traveling, pregnancy, illness, surgery, hospitalization, maintenance, etc.

• On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we presented the two Board of Trustees/GreySheet Committee WSC2019 motions at the May Committees Connecting meeting. Many GreySheeters Anonymous Groups and Intergroups began discussing the 20 motions for WSC2019 at their May meetings and started with the BOT/GSC motions. As a result of this and the Committees Connecting meeting, we have received many questions and suggestions to our email address (GreySheetCommittee@GreySheet.org). We have added these to the list of topics we are working through.

Once we have addressed all the questions that the fellowship has submitted to us about weighing and measuring from the GreySheet under different circumstances, we plan to review the entirety of our work to make sure that all the clarifications and statements are consistent with each other and to make sure we have covered all the areas where questions and variations have arisen.

Please share these regular updates about our work with your group or intergroup. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email GreySheetCommittee@greysheet.org

Connecticut GreySheet Report

The GreySheet Connecticut Retreat took place May 17-19, 2019 at the Incarnation Center of Ivoryton, CT. The leaders truly gave of their Experience, Strength and Hope to take us farther down the Road of Happy Destiny. The main theme was “Surrender to Win,” and the speakers elicited such honesty and wisdom from the group of sixty-three attendees. The leaders gave of themselves and their own inspiring journeys of recovery. They prepared powerful, exciting, fun exercises to help us form deeper bonds with ourselves and each other. Add to that the gorgeous setting in nature, friendships, new and old, and three rather wonderful GreySheet meals a day, and this Retreat was just extraordinary. Many thanks to the organizers for their expert and loving planning. The swag and raffle provided abundant, clever and beautiful mementos for all.

Service Matters Audio Versions

Service Matters audio versions now available on YouTube. Subscribe to this channel and listen to qualifications and more... 
https://www.youtube.com/user/SoWestIntergroupGSA
 
Link to Service Matters Audio May 2019 issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBl42b8E-0I&t=5s
Link to Service Matters Audio April 2019 issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cWVEkEr6dM
Link to Service Matters Audio March 2019 issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JurazphN8Ro&t=150s

GreySheets Available at the 2019 WSC

The Conference Committee of the GSA WSC 2019 will have GreySheets available for purchase at the conference for $1 each, which will save groups and sponsors the cost of shipping and handling.

Coming Events

Here are some 1-3-day retreats and roundups coming up soon.  Details available athttps://greysheet.org/events:

• 8^th Annual Northern California Roundup July 26-28
• Chicago, IL: August 9-11
• Dublin, Ireland Roundup: August 17^th
• Newmarket, UK retreat October 18^th -20^th

A Friendly Reminder from the Conference Committee to Delegates of the 2019 WSC regarding Minutes and Transcripts

Openings for New Board of Trustees Members

Audio Version of Service Matters Now Available on YouTube!

Preparing for the 2019 World Service Conference (WSC)

Registration Packet

Preparing for the 2019 World Service Conference (WSC)

Registration Packet

Preparing for the 2019 World Service Conference (WSC)

Registration Packet

March 1st is the Deadline for Board and Committee Reports & Motions!

On April 1st, delegates will download your reports, motions, and submitted materials from greysheet.org. Will your committee be ready?

WSC2019 is September 20th – 22nd  2019 in Chicago.

Delegates from intergroups, groups, and the board will be considering motions from the board and all seven conference committees:

• Archives
• Communication
• Conference
• Finance
• Literature
• Public Information
• Structure

Grainne M. will offer two Zoom sessions for the board and committee members to review the Guide to Preparing Your Report.

Come hear issues raised by other committees and ask your own questions.

Please read the four-page Guide beforehand (but come to the session even if you don’t!)

Click the appropriate link to register for either or both sessions and receive the link to join:

Saturday December 15th  11:30 am ET            https://zoom.us/meeting/

Monday December 17th  8:00 pm ET               https://zoom.us/meeting/

Questions? Contact  grainneam@yahoo.com

Board of Trustees Town Hall Zoom meeting

The next GSA Board of Trustees Town Hall Zoom meeting will be held on Sunday, January 20, at 11:00 AM EDT. This is an hour later than previous Town Hall meetings to accommodate members who found it conflicted with their Sunday morning commitments. We hope these members can come to the meeting!!

Please submit any questions you’d like the board to consider by Wednesday, December 12 to ekwiard@gmail.com, so that they can be discussed at the December Board meeting on Sunday, December 16^th.

Anyone and everyone can attend this Zoom meeting. The Meeting ID and time will be announced in the January 2019 Service Matters.

2019 World Service Conference Deadlines

 Registrations and full payment needs to be submitted by February 15, 2019. GSR’s and ISR’s who are attending our World Service Conference (which is a fellowship-wide business meeting)  need to make sure they are informed and ready to vote on issues.

Update from the Literature Committee

We meet once a month usually the third Sunday at 2:30pm EST on the Zoom platform.

We have about 12 permanent members and most come to every meeting.

Current Projects:

--the History Book which was CAL* in 2014.  That will probably not be finished for quite awhile.  Many of the members are doing interviews of GSers who have been around for a long time.  We feel strongly that we want to preserve our history.  The Archives Committee is helping us and we are helping them.

—a book “Living Abstinent” (using Living Sober” as a model).  We hope to have 4 or 5 chapters written to present to WSC 2019 as a motion to have it CAL.  The intention of the book is to present as many questions as possible that a newcomer might have for getting through the first year or so.

—a bookmark to sell at meetings or handout to newcomers.  We hope to have it finished and get permission to use money to have it printed in time for WSC 2019.  GSRs can bring a lot back from WSC 2019 to their meetings.

—Translations of the GS: We are encouraging other countries to translate the GS into their own language.  There is a CAL process to go through.  At present, a Polish translation has been approved for the growing Polish GS community and a French translation is in the works and may be approved within a couple of months.

* Conference Approved Literature

Update from the Greysheet Committee

The GreySheet Committee, an ad hoc committee convened by the Board of Trustees to capture in writing the oral tradition of the original Cambridge GreySheet community, continued its every-other week meeting in October and November.

The ten members, each with over 20 years of back to back GreySheet abstinence and several from the original Cambridge community, continue to clarify areas of the GreySheet where varied interpretations have developed over the years.

In October and November, we covered Fruits, Vegetables, and began Proteins. As we work through the GreySheet itself, we address other questions and issues related to these areas as well.

Our goal is publish a Guide for Sponsors with Clarifications and Explanations, i.e., a thorough and comprehensive list of clarifications of potential misinterpretations of the written GreySheet food plan plus additional explanations for how we have traditionally followed the GreySheet, for example, when eating out, traveling, ill, maintaining a healthy weight range, pregnant, etc. We will also recommend how GreySheeters Anonymous World Service might use the Guide.

Please share these regular updates about our work with your group or intergroup. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email GreySheetCommittee@greysheet.org

Update From the Conference Committee 

The 2019 GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Conference
Friday, September 20th - September 22nd, 2019
@ the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center.
Chicago, Illinois

GreySheeters Anonymous World Services (GSAWS)

Board of Trustees - Announcements

Sunday, September 16 TOWN HALL Meeting Summary

GreySheeters Anonymous World Services (GSAWS) - Board of Trustees

Announcements

NEXT Meet the Board Zoom Town Hall Meeting: 
Sunday, September 16 at 10:00 AM EST

GreySheeters Anonymous World Services (GSAWS) - Board of Trustees

Announcements

NEXT Meet the Board Zoom Town Hall Meeting: 
Sunday, September 16 at 10:00 AM EST

GreySheeters Anonymous World Services (GSAWS) - Board of Trustees

Announcements

Meet the Board Zoom Town Hall Meeting - 50+ in Attendance!

The GSAWS-open-to-all Town Hall meeting held on June 17th was a wonderful thing to participate in, as 50+ GreySheeters can attest.  While several of the people on the meeting were only using their phone for connection, at least half of us were able to see ourselves face to face, and to meet the board members who are working on our behalf to handle the business of GreySheet world-wide.

The Board members introduced themselves and explained the purpose of the GSAWS Board of Trustees, which is to manage the business of the GreySheet community internationally in matters such as maintaining 501.c.3 status, copyright issues of the GreySheet, and the conferences we hold.

In addition, the questions that were sent in through the Communications Committee prior to the meeting were addressed, one by one, by individual board members. Here is the link to those questions sent to the Board: 

http://greysheet.org/images/pdf/Questions_for_June_17_Zoom_Meeting.pdf

Just as the difference between live face to face meetings and phone meetings cannot be over-emphasized, so too the ability to be together in this cyberspacial way, to have the benefit of nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and hand gestures, added greatly to our understanding each other, emotionally as well as with content. In this way, members could voice their questions and concerns and experience that these were received with humility and respect. Board members often, when tackling a question, affirmed that they were ‘just one GreySheeter, not a spokesperson for GreySheeters Anonymous, and then proceeded to give their best response to the questions.



NEXT Board of Trustees Zoom Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, September 16, at 10:00 AM EST. All are invited to attend. We encourage all GSR’s and ISR’s to collect questions and concerns from their groups and send to the Communications Committee at ekwiard@gmail.com by August 15, 2018. These will be compiled and forwarded to the Board of Trustees so that they can respond to them at the September 16 Zoom meeting.  

If GreySheeters would like to attend but are unfamiliar with the Zoom platform and attending video face to face meetings, please feel free to contact ekwiard@gmail.com by Aug. 15 for help downloading the Zoom application on your computer, tablet or phone to be ready for the meeting. Telephone (audio only) connection is also possible.

NEXT GSAWS Conference: Third week of September 2019, Sept 20-22, in Chicago. Details as to conference place are being worked out now! Stay tuned in upcoming Service Matters issue to know how plans are progressing. In the meantime, it’s never too soon to start directing contributions in your groups to help GSR’s and ISR’s get registration, flights and hotel accommodations for the conference.

Q & A Corner

Question: What are the requirements to be a voting member on a Committee or at the World Service Conference?

Answer:  While anyone can attend the World Service Conference and participate in committees, whenever a vote is taken, only those members with one year of back to back abstinence who represent a GreySheet  group or intergroup as a GSR (Group Service Representative)  or three years of service and is active in service as an ISR (Intergroup Service Representative)  may vote. This is to insure the validity and participation of our upside-down pyramid structure where the groups are the most important part of our community. So please, step up to service and get involved, so that your group’s ideas and concerns can be counted!!

The GreySheet Committee Report    

The GSAWS Board of Trustees created the GreySheet Committee to clarify the definition of GreySheet-abstinence as passed down to us from early Cambridge GreySheeters and to draft guidance for sponsors who wish to sponsor GreySheet-abstinence. The intent is for our fellowship to unite again around a common understanding of GreySheet-abstinence.

The twelve members and our Board of Trustees liaison have met twice a month since February. We agreed that our copyrighted GreySheet food plan itself has areas that are ambiguous. We reviewed the GreySheet document to identify those areas that might have led different members of our fellowship to different interpretations of GreySheet-abstinence. Now we are going through these areas one by one.

Each member shares what we had originally been taught when we first got abstinent. Then we agree on a statement that captures our common understanding of that item on the GreySheet. Each statement has “substantial unanimity,” that is, at least 75% of members vote “yes” AND those who vote “no” or abstain (the “minority opinion”) do not have any serious disagreement. In this way, we will have a set of clarifying statements with which the entire committee agrees.

The first set of items we covered was “fats,” i.e., how does the Cambridge GreySheet community interpret the GreySheet when it comes to adding or using butter, oil, and dressing, etc. Now we are working on what the GreySheet says about vegetables. Once we finish our item by item review of the GreySheet itself, we will go back to make sure our statements are consistent and that a substantial unanimity of the committee members still supports them as a totality.

 As you can see, we are working slowly, deliberately, and with consensus. The GreySheet was first published in the late 1960s. The GreySheet community was born in Cambridge, MA in the late 1970s. GreySheeters Anonymous was incorporated in New York in the late 1990s. It took a while for us to get where we are; it will take a while to get back to true north.

Please watch this space for regular updates about our work. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email GreySheetCommittee@greysheet.org. And thanks to those who have already emailed.

The Archives Committee Report    

Since we reported in Dec 2017 Service Matters, the Archive Committee has been busy interviewing people who’ve given service over the years.  The committee is interviewing current and former GSers and support staff from around the world.  Most recently committee chair interviewed a few folks at the London Roundup.

The Archives Committee is interested in what it was like to set up a committee in the early days when our community was small and we didn’t have social media.  Some observations include a small percentage of members take on service positions.  Some have kept the same position for several years while others have changed positions. In addition, the committee is interested in how members extended our reach by adding retreats/roundups, phone bridge, SWIG YouTube channel and Zoom Meetings.

While many are not born leaders, they have stepped up to give service, to carry the message around the world, to support their abstinence, and to build the community.  

Call to Action: GSR’s and ISR’s, please note the following service opportunity and let members in your groups know how they can participate. If you’re interested in being interviewed or assisting with archive activities such as scanning, summarizing and indexing documents send an email to dottie301@hotmail.com. 

The London Roundup   

The 20th Annual London GreySheeters Anonymous Roundup, June 2-3, 2018 was held in a beautiful venue, the Light Centre Monument building, 36 St. Mary at Hill in London.  Since the rooms we used were in a yoga studio, we took off our shoes during the talks! 

Each of the speakers used “Let It Begin With Me” as the theme for their talk.  One member shared in honor of her 37th anniversary of Greysheet abstinence, using questions as a guide for her talk.   How is life when I take “Let It Begin With Me” seriously?  What does it mean to take full responsibility?  Do I believe I am responsible for my thoughts? What have the 12 Steps taught me about this topic throughout my life? 
 
A GSAWS Board member shared and also taught everyone present how to use Zoom. Other shares included experience, strength and hope on staying abstinent through losing a job and a marriage; the trauma of being fat in childhood and the corresponding gift of GreySheet abstinence; trusting in a Higher Power instead of trusting in fear; radiating the joy in abstinence, and the amazing down-to-earth example of service in supporting and sharing this abstinent way of life. 
 
Members enjoyed fellowship while eating the abstinent lunches we brought outside in a lovely courtyard. Many thanks to those whose service made this experience of sharing with GreySheeters from all over the world possible. 

GreySheeters Anonymous World Service (GSAWS) - Board of Trustees
Announcements 

 MEET THE BOARD!

What a wonderful outpouring from the fellowship we have had in response to a request for members to send in questions and topics to be included in the first ever Meet the Board Zoom meeting on Sunday, June 17th at 10:00 AM EST.

The Communication Committee received input from seven groups from Queens, Toronto, Worcester, Taos, Chicago and the Southern Serenity Zoom meeting as well as a few individual members.  Thank you to all for contributing to this effort.   Please attend the meeting on the 17th and encourage fellow GreySheeters to attend. All GreySheeters are welcome!!

Listed below are several of the items mentioned. Similar concerns are grouped below in the interests of space. Please know that the Board has received all questions sent:

• Highlight and increase the offerings of face to face zoom meetings as more become available.

• Concerns about definitions of GreySheet abstinence.

• Questions about literature and the approval process— where and how to get approved pamphlets.

• Suggestion that thank you notes be sent when donations are made.

• Questions about how meetings get listed and changes made in a timely way on the website.

• Concerns about the phone bridge and its connection to GSAWS.

• Concerns about rumors and controversy — that is, when things are said with seeming authority, how does one check for accuracy?

On Sunday, June 17th, at 10:00 AM EST, all are invited to a special Zoom “MEET THE BOARD” video meeting. If you wish to attend, first download the Zoom.us app (free for anyone attending), if you haven’t done so already, and enter the meeting ID at the time the meeting begins. The Meeting ID is:

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/690802497
Or iPhone one-tap: US: +14087403766,,690802497#  or +16468769923,,690802497# 
Or Telephone:
    Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): 
    US: +1 408 740 3766  or +1 646 876 9923  or +1 669 900 6833 
    Meeting ID: 690 802 497
    International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/Xy5IBSNy

 Q & A Corner

Question: What is the GreySheet Committee and why was it started? What are they actually doing?

Answer: As announced in March, our Board of Trustees of GreySheeters Anonymous World Service, in response to increasing concern about varying interpretations of what we mean when we say we are “GreySheet-abstinent,” convened a committee of GreySheeters with at least 20 years of back to back GreySheet-abstinence. Two of our members have over 40 years and four have over 30 years. Four of the Committee members got abstinent in the early days of the GreySheet community in Cambridge. The committee includes members from all over the USA and from Israel.

The Board asked this GreySheet Committee to clarify the definition of GreySheet-abstinence as passed down to us from those early Cambridge GreySheeters and to draft guidance for sponsors who wish to sponsor GreySheet-abstinence. The intent is for our fellowship to unite again around a common understanding of “GreySheet-abstinence.”

The Committee has been meeting twice a month since February. They agreed that the GreySheet pamphlet itself has areas that were ambiguous or open to different understandings and so they decided to start by reviewing the GreySheet to identify those areas that might have led different members of our fellowship to different interpretations of “GreySheet-abstinence.”

Once they identified these ambiguities, they agreed to review them one by one. Each member shares what he/she had originally been taught when they first got abstinent. It has been quite amazing how much commonality there has been. Then, they agreed on a statement that captures their common or agreed understanding of that item on the GreySheet. For the statement to carry, it must pass with what AA calls “substantial unanimity,” that is, at least 75% of they committee voting “yes” AND those voting “no” or abstaining had to be able to live with it, i.e., they did not have any serious disagreement. In this way, the committee members want to produce a set of clarifying statements with which the entire committee is comfortable. The committee is working slowly and deliberately because they know how important this is to the survival of the GreySheet message. 

Any input or questions, please forward to GreySheetCommittee@greysheet.org"

Connecticut's Annual GSA Weekend Retreat, May 18-20, 2018

This vibrant GSA community just had their 18th successful retreat at the Incarnation Center in Ivoryton, CT,  with approximately 60 participants from all over the United States and International communities.

“RETREAT INTO ACTION,” this year’s theme, started with our pulling back from the individual demands of our everyday lives, allowing space and time to concentrate on being present, without needing to prepare, plan, or cook. What a gift to be with fellow greysheeters weighing guilt-free meals deliciously prepared by the staff.

The breakout group topics focused on: Don’t Eat NMW; Greysheet Abstinence and Health Issues; Letting Go of Fear; and To Thine Own Self Be True.

It was heartening to have the full range of abstinence represented, from 1 day to multiple decades of back-to-back recovery. Being able to show newly abstinent folks the practical NMW hands-on actions was satisfying and heart-warming. The speakers’ and group shares certainly showed how this 3-fold disease has a 3- fold solution through the 12 Steps and the GSA Tools.

The balance between serious and fun, interactive and reflective, relaxing and active was just right. For the creative spark, a crafts table was set up for designing inspiring slogan signs. There was time for Step 11 prayer & meditation, writing exercises, and resting. Connecting with self and each other truly made this weekend restorative and healing.