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August 8, 2016 Hi {!firstname_fix} It has been a full week for me. I have been working on my own clutter clearing as David has been doing that as well. He had the opportunity to rent a little guest house across the street. He is enjoying his own space and the commute is great. I love that closet by closet things are getting neat and tidy. I did get some email expressing concern about my mentioning Michelle Obama. I thought it might be helpful to clarify my intention in sharing that. I sat through both conventions. I actually have never done that before. I was really enjoying learning the process more in depth. I was really, really moved by Michelle. It was not something I expected and it felt like a moment of a wonderful bit of light. And I wanted to share that. As I engaged in some dialogue with the people who wrote me, they talked about how hard the last few months have been. In fact, the political struggle has worn them down and they have counted on Radiant Recovery being a *neutral zone* of rest. This was an intriguing idea for me. In fact, I see Radiant Recovery as being an advocate for *recovery* which means to me, not being reactive, being thoughtful and listening to *grace unfolding.* Many of us grew up in homes where there was turmoil, dysfunction and sometimes violence. And the rules were you never told about the reality. You acted as if things were just fine. You presented normalcy to the outside while inside you didn't know if you were going to survive. And I think this is important context for all of us. Those of you who have been reading what I have written over the years know that as human C57 mice, our tendency when unbalanced is to hide in the corner and crouch. We get paralyzed and do nothing. The dilemma is that when we do the food, we get balanced, and then are faced with not really knowing how to stand for something. In not knowing, I certainly often opted out and didn't really engage with speaking my mind...except around Radiant Recovery. And there I was willing to take a pretty radical position - saying that sugar is a drug was not a popular thing back when. Saying that depression and despair can be healed by changing food was a pretty radical thing as well. And I stand by that. As I have woken up, I realized that I pretty much stayed out of political issues because I felt disenfranchised and not personally able to do something about it. Bernie Sanders happened to wake me up, and remind me of some feelings I had back in 1968. Watching the process unfold as he was discounted, ignored by the media and disrespected by the democratic party was actually very painful for me. What I felt intuitively was born out by the email leaks. So the convention process was a difficult one for me. I was angry and disgusted and wanted to take my marbles and walk away. Michelle's speech touched a heart place. Something bigger is happening. All of the last 6 months has always gone on for a long, long time. The only difference is that this time it is in the open. And that struggle is not about party lines, it is about values and respect and integrity. Personally, I think the process is challenging us to listen, to decide, to discern and make choices. A friend of mine challenged me about whether I would go back to the Michelle thing or whether I would just comment privately and then leave it. I decided that I would come back and share with you so you actually know the bigger story. Someone said to me that if I was dissing Trump, that while she respected me, she wouldn't be able to continue doing the program. And I thought...how interesting, because my feeling is that Trump is doing exactly that, turning people away from what will heal them, what will serve them and what will give them the comfort and relief they yearn for. For me, Trump is like addiction. The promise of a solution is so seductive, so compelling. But what you think is healing you is actually sucking you into a dark hole. The analogy helps me be clear. I know that people in addiction do blame and entitlement. It is everyone else's fault and I deserve to be the answer because I am so good. Now, here is the thing, I am against addition. Everything that I believe and stand for is against the deadly darkness that kills in the name of fixing. But that is not about politics, it is way bigger than politics to be honest...and what it asks of me is what do I *do* when so much of the alternative feels like just more of the same. That, my friends, is what step 7 asks of us. No simple answers for sure. The miracle is that many of us who are on step 7 and who take it seriously are asking these questions together. And what heals the darkness of addiction is shining the light on it...so that part is pretty nice. Ironic, that this happens to be the class I chose for this week, LOL. This class will begin Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Please Signup and it will take you to the registration page:
These classes will begin Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Please Signup and it will take you to the registration page:
Check the class list page for more information on how the classes work. See the the Class Schedule here. Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery website and Community Forum regularly. Warmly, Kathleen **********************************************************************
**Quote From Kathleen**You are not striving for perfection. You are seeking commitment and progress. **********************************************************************
**Testimonial of the Week**Hi and welcome! I was very thankful when I found Kathleen's books and this list as well. As a typical sugar sensitive, though, I thought I could speed through the steps and kind of skip what didn't "apply" to me. Boy, was I wrong! I went right back to my bag of M&M peanuts and other sweets. I didn't feel well. I was exhausted all of the time. I was in my 30s and really thought I was too young to be this tired, three children or not! Then I re-read Kathleen's books. I figured, if she made such sacrifices to do the research and write these books, the least I could do was follow the steps as they were designed and give them an honest try. But, that meant I had to give up control. I had to surrender to the steps. I had to let go and just_do_the_steps. They are clearly written. I understood. I just had to let them work! So I started with breakfast and didn't move to step 2 until I couldn't imagine starting a day without breakfast, just as Kathleen recommends. I was still eating sugar, and that was o.k. I was just having breakfast with a protein and brown within an hour of waking every day. My head began to clear. I had more energy. I felt better. Gradually I moved through the steps until I reached step 7. The change in my life is beyond measure. I have the energy I need to make it through the day. I used to feel more like a garbage can. Now I feel good about myself because I am making good choices about the foods I put into my body, which are nourishing fuels. I have a can-do, positive attitude and a sense of peace that I did not have before. My children have noticed and we have more fun together now than ever. David (11), Daniel (10) and Olivia (8) worked through their steps with my help and are now on step 7. They help me put together menus, select foods to buy that are program-friendly, read labels for hidden sugars and help me test new recipes. Our days are peaceful and joyous and radiant. We feel as though our whole family has been liberated from the chains of sugar, thanks to the steps in this program. It's great you're here. We are on the same journey! Best wishes, Amy **********************************************************************
**Radiant Ambassadors**Did you know that you can get free Radiant Recovery business cards from the store with your next order? They are so handy to carry around with you and you never know when you might need one! Here are a few ways you can use them -
These are all tried and tested methods - we've done every single one of them! You never quite know when you might plant a seed and it may develop. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Recovery® Store** I always love to talk about Pycnogenol. Here is the list Kathleen gave me about its wonders:
Whew, OK I can't do any more.... Let me summarize what Kathleen thinks might be most important for SS people:
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen**BLUEBERRY CREAM PARFAITIngredients:
Process:
Yield: 6 servings
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**Radiant Your Last Diet**I thought it would be fun for you to hear from some of the members. Here is a note from Glenn. I am to the point in YLD (my first reading) where I have started the writing exercises. Wow, they are amazing! Really the book is amazing. I couldn't read it and focus the previous time I tried. Now I am just amazed at how smart Kathleen is, how she is answering every question I had and bringing so much incredible depth into the process. So this is why they say to read the book first?! LOL If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here **********************************************************************
**Radiant Living**Yep, we have been talking about *life* here If you would like to join us in Radiant Living, come find us here **********************************************************************
**How Things Change on Step 7**Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
In the last step 7 class we were looking at how things change on step 7. One participant wrote a post about procrastination. I want to share it with you because it touched me so much. It's funny, it shows how something that we might think is a tiny part of our recovery can hold the essence of it. Many of you come here to lose weight. More come to stop the craziness. It is almost impossible for me to convey the power of what happens over time. Step 7, the “Getting a life” step, is really code for getting a transformation at a cellular level. I think Jo captured that. The real issue is dopamine-driven procrastination. I've been mulling this over at length lately. **********************************************************************
Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them. Not a subscriber yet? Like what you have read? Sign up to get future issues delivered straight to you: http://www.radiantrecovery.com Until next time!
Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:
Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together. David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store. Mosaic contributes to the Notes from the Forum column. ©2016 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://radiantrecovery.com/learn/newsletter/ |
A number of people in the Family and Friends group have asked me about doing a special class on the language of recovery. They have shared with me how useful it has been to work through complex family situations when they have practiced *recovery scripts* like, *I am sorry, that won't work for me.* Here will be your opportunity to come and do case studies of weathering dysfunctional family patterns and finding new ways to deal with what seem to be entrenched interactions. This class will be highly interactive so make sure to get your place.
This FREE class will teach you all the ins and outs of the resources in the community. You will learn to navigate the community forum, learn how to use the resource center, check out Radiant Ranch, and learn your way around the website. You will be on your way with an invaluable resource in your pocket!
