Hello! My name is Lydia and I'm from NJ. Please feel free to contact me!

AUGUST 19 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "How does The Program work?" newcomers sometimes ask. The two answers I most often hear are "very well" and "slowly". I'm appreciative of both answers, facetious as they may first sound, because my self-analyzing tends to be faulty. Sometimes I've failed to share my defects with the right people; other times, I've confessed their defects, rather than my own; at still other times, my sharing of defects has been more in the nature of shrill complaints about my problems. The fact is that none of us likes the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, and the confessions of short-comings which The Steps require. But we eventually see that The Program really works. HAVE I PICKED UP THE SIMPLE KIT OF SPIRITUAL TOOLS LAID AT MY FEET? TODAY I PRAY May God keep me from laying out my defects by comparing them to someone else's. We are, by nature, relativists and comparers, who think in terms of "worse than..." "not quite as bad as.. " or "better than..." May I know that my faults are faults, whether or not they are "better than..." others'. TODAY I WILL REMEMBER Bad is bad, even when it is "better than."

AUGUST 17 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY The Fourth Step suggest we make a searching and fearless moral inventory -- not an immoral inventory of ourselves. The Steps are guidelines to recovery, not whipping posts for self-flagellation. Taking my inventory doesn't mean concentrating on my shortcomings until all the good is hidden from view. By the same token, recognizing the good need not be an act of pride or conceit. If I recognize my good qualities as God-given, I can take an inventory with true humility while experiencing satisfaction in what is pleasant, loving and generous in me. WILL I TRY TO BELIEVE IN WALT WHITMAN'S WORDS, THAT "I AM LARGER, BETTER THAN I THOUGHT; I DID NOT KNOW I HELD SO MUCH GOODNESS..."? TODAY I PRAY When I find good things about myself, as I undertake this inner archaeological dig, may I give credit where it is due -- to God, who is the giver of all good. May I appreciate whatever is good about me with humility, as a gift from God. TODAY I WILL REMEMBER Goodness is a gift from God. hugs with love

Hi Marcie: Hello. Glad to meet you. I wish you sucess in getting approved. It can be a long and frustrating procedure. I was approved, then insurance (BC/BS) said now we want you to do a 6 mo. medically supervised weight program. I did Weigh****chers. I had already had my preops, so had to do the 6 mo. deal and have some over again. I was just about to give up hope when the approval came through. I had surgery RNY, Nov 14th 2007. I have lost from 251 to 177 as of today....74 pounds. The last couple of months of been reallllllllll slow! I still get sick at least once or twice a day. Meat continues to be a problem for me. Unfortunately I can eat junk food and it stays down. So I have to really watch it. I started walking a few weeks before surgery and grown to love it. Now, however, I am having a great deal of hip and back pain which is interfering with my walking painfree. All in all, I do not regret the surgery. It is wonderful to lose this burdensome weight. My blood pressure has drastically went down and I no longer take med. Last week at dr. my bp was 112/60. My knees are better and I don't get out of breath doing regular things. Like most of surgery patients I tried everything and couldn't stick with it to lose and lost very slowly. This was my last resort. I am now 57 so decided I'd wasted enough years with this burdensome weight. Where in N. Cal. do you live? I am in Rancho Cucamonga, about 45-1 hr east of L.A. We just got home from meeting (we have 9 am slot) and I'm about to take my after meeting nap!! Then me and my honey (Eddie) are going to JC Penney's to their big sale. We stopped there briefly last night and I bought a nice skirt that was marked $4.97, but at the register it came, with tax, to $3.21!!! Now that's a sale! The store was closing so had to hurry. Please, feel free to write me your story and any questions you may have. My personal email address is [email protected]. Thanks for responding. I posted that "looking for JW" a long time ago. So far I've had 3 resonses. Respectfully, Maggie/Marsha

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