Come Alongside
I’ve told this story so many times, perplexed, always with no emotion until The Loving Parent Guidebook and the questions on page 26 and 27: What would you tell a child … ? I was in first grade sitting at the kitchen table after dinner struggling with single...
Mother Wounds
This is a poem I wrote to my mother. I have had no contact with her for 3 years. As I have been grieving the loss of my childhood and coming to the realization that I never really had a “mother”, poetry has been one way for me to express my grief. Before coming to...
Walk With Me
Before and during my recovery, many would try to “fix” me, to “help” me, to straighten me out. Some came from a place of dominance; others were well-intentioned. But they didn’t connect with my heart; they didn’t hear my internal ache. Many wanted me to wear a plastic...
Thank You For Your Service
It’s like puppies in a basket,hunkered down for warmth,happy to be joined togetherin common purpose.Then, a puppy wakes, jumpsout of the basket, startssniffing at the floor, beginsto race around the room.Another puppy startles, seeswhat looks like independenceand...
2022 ABC Delegate Summary Information
Here is some important information that has been reviewed and approved by both the ABC Committee and the Service Network Committee. We hope this is helpful in understanding: the purpose and function of ACA’s Annual Business Conference (ABC);the role of Delegates to...
Healthy Boundaries
I feel like I’m just learning to find healthy boundaries within myself. Recognizing the inner critical voice was pretty straightforward. It has been loud for a very long time. At first, when I heard it, I would try to demand it be silent or go away. Now I have come to...
Waking Up To ACA Daily Meditation
I often wake up anxious. My eyes pop open and my heart rate increases. Not because I'm in immediate danger or late for work. But because after growing up in an alcoholic home, my fragile nervous system is set to "High Alert". My survival instinct is programmed for any...
Measure Of Loss
Step Five: We admitted to our Higher Power, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our childhood abandonment. They say the difference between what you got and what you could have received is the measure of loss. Here’s what could have been: My...
Literature Is Truly A Worldwide Affair
In 2020, WSO established an International Literature Scholarship Fund, which currently has over $8,000 contributed. The purpose of the fund is to help countries around the world obtain literature. One example is South Africa, which was unable to purchase literature...
Survey Results Support Book Price Increases
A poll of ACA members that was placed in the March 1 issue of The Traveler asked these questions: WSO is considering an increase for ACA book prices due to substantial increases in printing and distribution costs. Have you heard about this? Would you rather see...