Gratitude for 2022, Excitement for 2023
by Karen L, Chair
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2022:
The headline pretty much sums up my thoughts for 2022. I am so grateful for the 60+ Al-Anon trusted servants in 2022 who contributed to the Seattle AIS operations. They regularly came to Council and Board meetings, answered phones, handled the literature orders, updated the meeting directory and website, published the BITS, and held Seattle AIS service positions. And I’m grateful to the many members and Groups that purchased literature and donated. We persevered through the administratively necessary, and very important, Bylaws and Standing Rules and Procedures Manual (SRPM) revisions to give us a foundation to grow. (Check out our work at https://www.seattle-al-anon.org/ais-info.html.) We held our first fellowship gathering, the Gratitude Garden Party, since Lois’ Birthday on February 29th, 2020. It was fun to see everyone again! AIS is currently running a digital outreach campaign like last year. The Board and Council voted to reduce our funding from $6,000 to $3,000, partly due to donations being below budget this year. We thought it would increase back to the $21,000 pre-pandemic level in 2018 (and $15,000 in 2019); however, we have remained around $13,000 in 2021 and 2022. Holidays are a hard time, and there are many families and friends affected by alcoholism and looking for support. Thank you to the helping hands of the 2021 and 2023 Outreach Coordinators for filling the gap in our current vacancy. (Asking for help worked again!) |
Photo by Clif H
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During the pandemic, we prioritized serving members ahead of making a profit on literature by offering free shipping to Seattle AIS members. Due to increased USPS shipping costs in 2022, we decided to end the program in June, limiting the loss to a negative gross income of just over $1,000 on literature sales.
While 2022 has not been a great financial year on the surface, I am still grateful! Seattle AIS has had excess ample reserves for several years. The Board and Council approved a plan in 2019 to spend down the excess reserves, and we have done that each year making AIS sustainable and investing in outreach projects.
2023:
I am excited to serve with the new 2023 AIS team. Be sure to read the January BITS and hear from your Group reps about the new and fun AIS opportunities next year. I am very grateful for the following members who are willing to serve. We have two vacant Coordinator positions. If you are interested, please contact us or find others who would be willing.
While 2022 has not been a great financial year on the surface, I am still grateful! Seattle AIS has had excess ample reserves for several years. The Board and Council approved a plan in 2019 to spend down the excess reserves, and we have done that each year making AIS sustainable and investing in outreach projects.
2023:
I am excited to serve with the new 2023 AIS team. Be sure to read the January BITS and hear from your Group reps about the new and fun AIS opportunities next year. I am very grateful for the following members who are willing to serve. We have two vacant Coordinator positions. If you are interested, please contact us or find others who would be willing.
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AIS elected Officers at the November Council meeting:
Chair: Karen L Vice Chair: Dave M Treasurer: Gary H Secretary: Kathy K |
Coordinators:
Communications: Jackie T Outreach: Solveig W LDC: (pending) Phones: Vacant (email Dave M, phones@seattle-al-anon.org, if interested) Tech: Vacant (email Doug L, tech@seattle-al-anon.org, if interested) |
There will also be more committee member positions available in 2023. Would you like to join the excitement (and fun) in 2023? If so, let us know at chair@seattle-al-anon.org. There are positions for a variety of skills and time requirements.
Drifting Off to Sleep
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Today I reflected on my gratitude for how wonderful it is to have the opportunity to carry the message as I write these thoughts to share with you. Thank you, one and all, readers of the BITS, for your individual contributions to my recovery. Tonight I look forward to drifting off to sleep with yet another silly grin on my face. New WA Area AFG
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Step Twelve Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. 
Photo by Clif H
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Need a Free Newcomer Packet?Anyone local to Seattle who is a newcomer and wants an individual newcomer packet (or in Spanish, too!), please send an email to LDC@seattle-al-anon.org with the name and mailing address. |
Let Us Know If Your Meeting Has:
Please send all meeting changes to the WA Area Group Records Coordinator [https://wa-al-anon.org/meeting-changes/] Changes and Updates are made Weekly. (Seattle AIS is cc'd in the change request) If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Seattle AIS updated meeting schedule, please contact meetingdirectoryeditor@seattle-al-anon.org |
Childcare Meeting AvailableBeginning Tuesday, Nov 22, the Bothell Tuesday Niters AFG meeting will have childcare available each week. 
AIS Council Meeting
The next Council meeting is Thursday, December 8, 2022, 7:30-9:00 pm. Check the AIS website calendar (https://www.seattle-al-anon.org/events) for the zoom link. |
Below are what AIS volunteers have written about their service experience. Please consider “giving back” through an AIS service position. We have many positions with a wide range of duties and skills. There is a position match for everyone! Please contact any of the AIS Officers or Coordinators, or email chair@seattle-al-anon.org for more information.
Karen L, AIS Chair I was new to WA state but not new to Al-Anon when I volunteered to help with literature at the AIS office. I knew I would get to meet more members, see the office and get to learn how the process worked for ordering and filling book orders. I met some wonderful volunteers and the members who came into the office to purchase books and pamphlets (before COVID hit). This way, I met many more members than I would have by just attending my meetings in the suburbs of Seattle. Ellen Concept Twelve
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I want to celebrate the Holidays and be filled with spirit and gratitude. However, the carnage generated by alcoholism often leaves me confused and depressed. Sometimes people seem happy and loving, and then the mood can shift into a reactive heart-wrenching mess within seconds. Even when nothing seems glaringly obvious, I tend to experience an emotional “hangover” after spending time within the dysfunctional dynamics.
I have childhood memories of horrible verbal exchanges and sometimes drunken accidents. A relative passed out on the floor or driving off into the night fully loaded. If a beloved uncle drank whiskey, he became mean and said things that devastated a child’s heart. Mixed within the chaos and insanity, my mom would go to great lengths to get me the gift of my dreams. I know that was her way of trying to make up with me for all the mistreatment.
Of course, there were a lot of good and cherished memories entwined with the bad. I believe those memories tend to fuel my magical thinking and the hope that maybe this time, things will be better. The isolation of COVID made last year especially painful for me. I tried to make the best of it and spent time with an alcoholic loved one. They ended up feeling sorry for themselves and acting mean-spirited toward me. It was one of the worst Christmases of my life.
I have had so many defining moments that urge me to work on detachment and fine-tune my boundaries. One year, I was so excited to give a gift to one of my alcoholics; but they outright rejected it and said they didn’t want it! I went to my Al-Anon meeting that night and burst into tears!
I have seen considerable injuries on loved ones due to the physical and mental impairments that intoxication brings. Broken bones, bruises, and lacerations, unfortunately, have not deterred the drinking. However, I am getting to the point where the self-destruction and madness of it all are making me sick.
“By learning to focus on ourselves, our attitudes and well-being improve” (Detachment Supplement). I have been making progress by mindfully stepping out of the disordered vortex of alcoholism. It is like emerging from greyscale to full technicolor! I am worrying less and able to enjoy the simple things more. There are still dark days and frightful nights of angst … but serenity comes after I do the work. It is so painful to love alcoholics and not be able to reach them. However, sacrificing my life will not save theirs.
I am working at bringing order to my personal chaos and taking responsibility for my own happiness.
I have childhood memories of horrible verbal exchanges and sometimes drunken accidents. A relative passed out on the floor or driving off into the night fully loaded. If a beloved uncle drank whiskey, he became mean and said things that devastated a child’s heart. Mixed within the chaos and insanity, my mom would go to great lengths to get me the gift of my dreams. I know that was her way of trying to make up with me for all the mistreatment.
Of course, there were a lot of good and cherished memories entwined with the bad. I believe those memories tend to fuel my magical thinking and the hope that maybe this time, things will be better. The isolation of COVID made last year especially painful for me. I tried to make the best of it and spent time with an alcoholic loved one. They ended up feeling sorry for themselves and acting mean-spirited toward me. It was one of the worst Christmases of my life.
I have had so many defining moments that urge me to work on detachment and fine-tune my boundaries. One year, I was so excited to give a gift to one of my alcoholics; but they outright rejected it and said they didn’t want it! I went to my Al-Anon meeting that night and burst into tears!
I have seen considerable injuries on loved ones due to the physical and mental impairments that intoxication brings. Broken bones, bruises, and lacerations, unfortunately, have not deterred the drinking. However, I am getting to the point where the self-destruction and madness of it all are making me sick.
“By learning to focus on ourselves, our attitudes and well-being improve” (Detachment Supplement). I have been making progress by mindfully stepping out of the disordered vortex of alcoholism. It is like emerging from greyscale to full technicolor! I am worrying less and able to enjoy the simple things more. There are still dark days and frightful nights of angst … but serenity comes after I do the work. It is so painful to love alcoholics and not be able to reach them. However, sacrificing my life will not save theirs.
I am working at bringing order to my personal chaos and taking responsibility for my own happiness.
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November 2022 AIS Council Meeting Minutes (Summary)
Meeting Opened at 7:32 PM with the Serenity Prayer
Attendance: 25 individuals
Tradition 11: read by Arden C
Concept 11: read by Karen L
Secretary: Helen V moved that the September Meeting Minutes be accepted as presented, Dave M seconded. Motion passed.
Elections: Officers for 2023: Chair: Karen L; Vice Chair: Dave M; Treasurer: Gary H; Secretary: Kathy K
Treasurer: Proposed Budget for 2023 Mary R moved to accept the proposed budget. Linda H seconded. Motion passed. AFG donations are not steady. Remind groups about the AIS service arm.
Chair: Board Meeting. Fellowship and fundraiser events are in the future. The Literature Distribution Center may be open to the public, depending on volunteer availability.
Vice Chair: Standing Rules and Procedures Manual (SRPM) Helen moved to ratify the SRPM. Seconded by Doug L. Motion passed.
Coordinators:
Coordinator Positions open: Phone, Tech, and LDC
Meeting closed at 9:09 PM with Al-Anon/Alateen Declaration
Respectfully submitted by Elizabeth G, Secretary
Attendance: 25 individuals
Tradition 11: read by Arden C
Concept 11: read by Karen L
Secretary: Helen V moved that the September Meeting Minutes be accepted as presented, Dave M seconded. Motion passed.
Elections: Officers for 2023: Chair: Karen L; Vice Chair: Dave M; Treasurer: Gary H; Secretary: Kathy K
Treasurer: Proposed Budget for 2023 Mary R moved to accept the proposed budget. Linda H seconded. Motion passed. AFG donations are not steady. Remind groups about the AIS service arm.
Chair: Board Meeting. Fellowship and fundraiser events are in the future. The Literature Distribution Center may be open to the public, depending on volunteer availability.
Vice Chair: Standing Rules and Procedures Manual (SRPM) Helen moved to ratify the SRPM. Seconded by Doug L. Motion passed.
Coordinators:
Coordinator Positions open: Phone, Tech, and LDC
Meeting closed at 9:09 PM with Al-Anon/Alateen Declaration
Respectfully submitted by Elizabeth G, Secretary
Thank you for your donations and your support of AIS!
Our funding now comes primarily from:
*Donations by Members, Groups, and Districts
*Literature Sales
Please send all AIS mail, including checks for literature orders and donations, to:
Seattle AIS
505 Broadway E #400
Seattle, WA 98102-5023
Donate Now
Our funding now comes primarily from:
*Donations by Members, Groups, and Districts
*Literature Sales
Please send all AIS mail, including checks for literature orders and donations, to:
Seattle AIS
505 Broadway E #400
Seattle, WA 98102-5023
Donate Now
And More ...
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MEETING SCHEDULE: registered Al-Anon groups in the Greater Seattle Area. All virtual and in-person meetings are listed.
Please visit our Members section for the most up-to-date information on:
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Meeting NewsMeeting Changes Reported During the 30-Day Period Ending November 26, 2022
Complete details at: https://www.seattle-al-anon.org/meetings.html/ Changes are bolded, underlined and purpled.
SUPPORT: Groups Needing Support
HOLIDAYS and Temporary Closures
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