Steppers' Wisdom Second Edition

Welcome to the second edition of the
Steppers' Wisdom Blog Carnival!

We are lucky to have entries from several new blogs as well as some returning bloggers. Once again, the submissions covered a broad range of topics, styles and issues.. I'm confident readers and subscribers can find something helpful in the links below.

(To view the first edition of this carnival, click here)

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To begin with, here are two great posts by returning blogger Patricia Singleton. Everything I've seen at Patricia's blog, Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker, has been worth reading. Enjoy the following submissions:

In Let Go and Let God Patricia writes about Al-Anon and the well known twelve step slogan.

In There's a Hole in My Sidewalk Patricia covers a Portia Nelson Poem that speaks to any kind of recovery.

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The next post I'd like to include is one for which I can thank my sponsor. When I was doing my third step, she asked me a question that really got me to thinking. Click here to read "89,000" and contemplate this!

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Intimacy: Do it Afraid  is a really remarkable post that I am very happy to be able to include. I believe people in recovery of any kind can run into issues with intimacy.  In this post by psychologist Melissa Greene at Get to the Inside there are several simple and concrete examples of how one can begin to find intimacy in their most personal relationships. Take time to browse this website, if you can. There are many great finds within its pages.

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The next two posts deal with the first days of recovery:

Click here to read "Day Zero" from Jenny Menthol at Hey Man, Now You're Really Living. This submission is about the realization that there is more to life than addiction and avoidance.

Click here  to read "Learning about Codependency" at Reunited Selves. This post is about my realization that I really did fit into one of the twelve step programs.

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Finally, here are two more posts which touch on topics close to the heart of recovery for many of us.

In another post by Jenny Menthol, Trying Out Anger Management is a sometimes humorous account of anger and some ways to deal with it.

At Spiritual Wisdom for Conscious People, Erin Pavlina tells us about goals and achievement in her post entitled Believe It and Achieve It.

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That's it! Thank you to all who submitted this time around. I feel grateful to be able to run this carnival. Through this forum I've come to know several knew bloggers and all of them have a message worth reading.

This is a growing carnival and I hope to have even more submissions to choose from in the third edition,  which is due to come out in February.  If you are a blogger and you have written anything related to your twelve step recovery, please consider submitting a post for the next edition of Steppers' Wisdom. It doesn't have to be a new post, only an original post covering a topic twelve steppers might find helpful.

There is so much in blogland related to recovery. Some of the best, most informative and most interesting reads are yet to be discovered! If come across a post that would benefit this carnival, please let the author know about Steppers' Wisdom.

There were a few submitted posts that didn't quite fit the perameters of this carnival. If your submitted post was not accepted, please don't let it discourage you from submitting in the future. Any topic related to twelve step recovery would be welcomed.

Step Up to Steppers Wisdom

The deadline for submissions to the next edition of the Steppers' Wisdom Blog Carnival is coming up!

The second issue of Steppers' Wisdom is due to be released November 15th, 2010. If you would like to be part of this growing blog carnival, please have your submissions in by November 1st. There is a link to the submission page at the top of the sidebar.

Submissions can be about any aspect of any twelve step program.  Feel free to submit several or your own, original blog posts. Also, if you come across a post that you feel would add to the carnival, please let the author know about Steppers' Wisdom.

Sharing experience, strength and hope is key to personal growth. The more accessable these blog posts are, the better for everyone! I look forward to reading and putting up a link to your blog posts next month.

~Shen

Finding Strength and Hope in the Twelve Steps: The First Edition of Steppers' Wisdom

I am very happy with the the turn out for this very first edition of the Steppers Wisdom Blog Carnival. These kick-off posts include a broad range of styles, programs and issues and offer readers and subscribers to this carnival a wonderful array of information, strength and hope.

Several of the submitted posts address issues common to newcomers. I'm going to start out with three posts addressing the "God Question".

Our first entry was submitted by Recovering, creator of Stumbling Alcoholic , a blog about his experiences in AA. In a post entitled "Step 2" he describes his path to defining God.

Katie, at Sharing Our Spaces. wrote a post she simply called "12 step programs". This post addresses issues she's had with various twelve step programs, as well as the reasons she has not been able to work the steps, so far.

And Redefining God, is from my own blog, Reunited Selves.  It was written when I was trying to create and internalize a workable concept of my Higher Power.
 
Other posts that could be very helpful to newcomers include this one from Dan Hays. Dan is the author of the book, "Freedom's Just Another Word" and of a blog called Thoughts Along the Road to Healing. Both are full of insightful remembrances of his family-of-origin issues and his healing journey.  His submission, "Upon the New Year"  is a poem he wrote when he was first working the twelve steps.

Step Zero is a post written early in my CoDA recovery. It talks about getting ready for the first step.

I was thrilled to receive a submission from Patricia Singleton. Her blog, Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker, is an intuitive and perceptive account of her courageous work towards healing from childhood abuse. Please take the time to check out her post,  Al-Anon and ACoA Played Major Roles In My Recovery From Incest .

Another author graces us with her presense in this first edition of Steppers Wisdom. Kathy M's entire blog, Grace was Calling and I Didn't Pick Up, is dedicated to twelve step recovery. I've gained a lot of understanding from reading Kathy's blog, which focuses on Al-Anon, and am very glad she decided to share the following five posts, each with her particular flavor and style.

Standing on Ceremony  is about looking at our lives and ourselves in a new light.

In Thanks a Lot, Kathy talks about sponsorship.

Kathy gives a great explanation and example of why holding resentments can be a big problem in When Someone Else is My Problem.

Two Windows on My Life is about seeing progress... and so much more.

And the final post from Kathy, Seeing Green  is about an issue near and dear to me... well, near anyway. Like any good codependent, controll and manipulation are facets of my life I need to continually address.

What Motivates You, from my blog, runs along a similar vein.

While not specifically about twelve step programs, this list of blogs, submitted by Brown Sylvia, could be helpful for anyone who is challenged with food addictions.

Finally, here is one more post from my blog, Reunited Selves. The title DID and the Fifth Step explains it all.
Thank you to the bloggers who submitted to this carnival. All of you have so much experience, strength and hope to share with the world, your contributions are very worthwhile. These posts, filled with twelve-step wisdom, are offered to everyone in need of support and answers. I can imagine many new doors of understanding and growth opening as the following of this carnival continues to grow.

Please, spread the word!

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The next edition of the Steppers Wisdom Blog Carnival will be posted right here, November 15, 2010. Feel free to submit articles pertaining to twelve step work and programs, using the link at the top of the sidebar.

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Stepper's Wisdom Blog Carnival

Welcome to the homepage of the Stepper’s Wisdom Blog Carnival!

Millions of people all over the world have found help and peace in twelve-step programs. While we may struggle with the day-to-day issues that brought us into our programs, we each have wisdom to share about the growth and hope we've found.

Blogging is a wonderful way to say what we need to say, as well as to hear what we didn't even know we needed to hear. Blog Carnivals are a great way to find out what's out there in blogland, just waiting for us. So, imagine my surprise when I went to the Blog Carnival List and could not find one Blog Carnival dedicated to twelve-step recovery! To me, it seems the Stepper's Wisdom Blog Carnival is long overdue!

Right now, there is someone out there who needs to hear what you have to say. This quarterly compilation of posts is dedicated to promoting healing and recovery through sharing experience, strength and hope. If you have written a post about your twelve-step experience, please feel free to submit it to our next Carnival.

To submit a post, click here.

The first edition is posted here.
The second edition will be posted on November 15th, 2010
Submission deadline for the next edition is November 10th.

Contact me if you would like a link to your blog posted here.
Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome!

Spread the word! If you come across a post written about a twelve-step experience, please let the author know about this carnival. Feel free to post a link to this blog on your web page.