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I am continuing my time in Maine. My heart gets quieter as I sit by the water and walk in the woods.

Classes are continuing this week. The classes will start on Wednesday this week to let everyone get back from their holiday trips. We will be doing:

Depression which is a wonderful resource for those of you on medication or considering it. This will give you a sense of the biochemistry of depression and an intro to pharmacology.

Restart: Waking Up is a class to getting you back on track if you have gotten to step 7 and then got in trouble. This is not for those of you who are bumpy along the way. (smile) Step 7 drop outs only please. You will love this class.

Recovery from Alcoholism: A Beginning Roadmap is a NEW class for people who are in recovery from alcoholism or thinking they should be, or are working with folks who are. I will cover how to determine the seriousness of your problem, how to design a safe detox and what kind of support will work best for you. This will be a 2-week class.

We have posted a schedule of the classes for the rest of the month. So you can go ahead and sign up for what you want to join. Please note that I will be doing a money recovery class next week.

A number of you have asked me about how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover.

A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page. Do not email me, do not get mad at me, just click on the link and you will be forever removed.

And be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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July 4, 2005
** Quote From Kathleen **

You will be thrilled and excited when you master the moods that have haunted you for so long.

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** Testimonial for the Week**


Well, my journal and journaling has been given a new lease on life, thanks to a bunch of factors, especially the two journaling classes I took the past two weeks. I have had a history of journaling on and off - mostly off. Journal 3 days, skip 8; journal 1 day, skip 30 days; journal 4 days, skip 2; journal 3, skip 65. I actually went through journals recently to look at the pattern. And finally didn't really feel too critical or hopeless about it.

Somehow in the classes, and probably because of some other work I am doing for myself, I have become inspired to take care of myself by journaling... to learn and to heal, and to start to feel better. My first few days were pretty shaky - most food, occasional physical feelings. My journaling is still not great - I mostly journal dinner the next morning, and need to work on journaling feelings at times besides when I eat. BUT!! I am on my 16th straight day of journaling. That is a record for me. And I now feel like I want to hear my body. She deserves better than she has gotten.

I've lived in chronic pain most of my life, and have survived by plowing through and ignoring the pain, and evidently every other signal I could have gotten. I am now working with a wonderful physical therapist who has spent 7 months trying to convince me to slow down and listen to what my body wants. My overall pain levels are much reduced. I feel hope for a normal life for the first time in years. I also feel like, if I journal, my other feelings, physical and emotional, can become part of me, not separate and frightening. And, as a result of some connections I've made, and some feeling of wanting to treat myself better, my food has improved.

My morning shake is better, and on time. I'm mostly now eating 3 meals a day without snacking - though that hasn't been a goal - just a side benefit of journaling and caring for myself. Several times in the past, I've tried to skip journaling, because I couldn't do it. I've been stagnant on RR for 3 years, because of being "unable" to journal. I feel like I've experienced a rebirth, and I am very excited to be fully committed to this step.

It is great to be on this journey with all of you. I look forward to learning with each of you on your journey.

Melanie in CNY

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**Recipe of the Week**


Sour Cream Potato Pancakes

Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Spoon batter into greased pan. Allow pancakes to brown, flip and brown other side. Serve pancakes with sour cream, warm unsweetened applesauce.

I have made these using whole grain or wheat pancakes mix. Batter is a little dry so add some milk or water. I have eaten these with breakfast along with eggs or at dinner for my brown. Fun different way to do that potato.

Dry Pancake Mix

Store in Tupperware container.

To make plain pancakes

Chloe

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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**


We are starting to shift gears in YLD. In chat we talked about the 7 steps of weight loss and how they fit with your bigger program. We will begin discussing these in depth in the YLDweight loss class as well.

And what a joy the main YLD list is these days. I love hearing your problem solving about life skills. You guys rock!

For those of you who are not yet YLD members, Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.
 


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**David's Corner **



Well all right, all right, our cookbooks are here!!! I am so happy, I am doing the happy dance. If you don't have one, come get one now. We love our cookbook and you will too!!!


Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

Thanks
David

And of course, we have something for everybody in our store


 
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**Our Online Groups**


Hi, my name is Val and I am the liaison of the Radiantjournal group. Radiant Journal is a great source of helpful information and support for your journal journey. We talk about how to get started with the journal, how to start listening to your body, and why giving your body a voice is so important. We also discuss how we use the journal for detective work in our programs and, of course, the things we do make journaling fun! (Hint: it involves office supply stores!) Right now the list is really hopping, with people supporting each other and making some great discoveries with their journals. So whether you are just starting out or are looking for a recharge in your journaling, come on over and join in the fun!

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** Featured Topic**
Step 7
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


Many time people ask me what it means to be on step 7. There is a quality of life that happens that is kinda hard to explain. However, Vicki recently was telling us about her helping her parents transition out of their home into a retirement community. I think all of us who listened to her process were in awe of her role. I asked her if she would write about the process. She has and I am sharing it in this week's newsletter. Vicki is modest so she does not really describe how much she had to do with it working this way. But you will soon see that there was an energy, a loving force that made it happen this way. THAT is what the 7th step is about at its very best. I hope you love this as much as I do.

I had the pleasure, and pain, of helping my parents (aged 86 and 87) move from their large home to a lovely retirement community. This was a move that they chose to make. They researched local facilities and visited a lot of them. They attended seminars. And, they made a choice a year ago, in May to put their names on a waiting list at one of the facilities. They knew that it would be about a year before their name would come up for an apartment, but they were in no rush.

When the call came in April that an apartment was available, they asked me to go with them to see it. This was the real start of my involvement. We debated the pros and cons of the location of the apartment – how close it was to the dining room, the laundry facilities, the storage room and the mailboxes. We were not sure that this was the best apartment, but Mom and Dad decided to accept it and then, if they were not happy with it, they could request a different location if one became available.

Mom and Dad had 6 months to sell their house and move into their new digs. They started to interview some realtors, and I was there every step of the way. (smile) They really liked one company and gave them the listing. Wouldn’t you know it, the house sold the day the sign went up! Mom went into panic mode. How would we ever get everything done and moved? I suggested that they have the moving company do the packing. All we would have to do is separate things into 'pack' and 'sell'.

In the meantime, Dad called moving companies for quotes and decided on one. He discovered that if they moved before May 15th that it was cheaper, so scheduled the move for May 12th. That meant that we had about 3 weeks to get everything ready for the movers. I made helping Mom my priority and spent time with her every day sorting through a lifetime of accumulation. It was very difficult for her to part with anything, but they were moving to a small apartment and she had to make a lot of very hard choices.

It helped a lot that some of her favorite things went to family members. We packed up her china service and shipped it to my daughter who lives across the country. I took some treasures for myself, as did my sister and my other daughter who lives locally. They had their great grandsons each select a picture from the walls to take to their own rooms. This part was very healing. Now when my parents walk into my house, they see the pieces from their previous foyer. And, on Thanksgiving we will all enjoy our feast on Mom’s china at my daughter’s house.

Dad got graph paper and figured out what furniture to take and how it would fit in. We then went to the apartment and measured and re-measured. Several times, in fact. LOL But, it really helped Mom and Dad to be able to visualize how their things would fit into the apartment. We also contacted a woman who would conduct a house sale of all the things left after the move. This was scheduled for about 10 days after Mom and Dad moved, so that we had time to bring things back to the house that they decided they did not want in the apartment and vice versa.

One other service that we utilized was a company that came in after the house sale and took out everything that remained. They also broom cleaned the house so that it was ready for the new owners. That closing went smoothly and now Mom and Dad have settled into their new home. I am very happy to report that my parents are extremely happy with the move. They love the location of their apartment and can’t imagine a better spot. They do not feel as though they are in a small apartment. They are enjoying the social aspects of having dinner every evening with others in the dining room. They have made friends quickly and are so busy, that it is hard for me to find them. (grin)

For any of you that are facing this large and daunting task, my suggestion is to have your parents as involved as possible. I was there to support and to make suggestions. I helped find people to do the heavy work. I was a calm and reasoned voice when tempers flared or when Mom got really emotional. I was there to help sort, supervise the packing and moving, did a lot of the unpacking and tried to make the move as easy as it could be for my parents. My sister was a big help when she could be here. (She lives and works in another city about 2 hours away.) The best reward is to hear the happiness in their voices every day. And, I know, that when the day comes that I lose one of my parents, a large network of friends will support the other. The one left behind will not be eating alone. My parents never wanted to become a burden on my sister, or me and this move has given them the confidence that they can remain independent and maintain a social lifestyle.

©Kathleen DesMaisons 2005.

Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together
Naomi gathers the recipes
JoAnna, the liaison for Rolling Hills gathers the testimonials
Terri, the liaison for Ambassadors sends over the ambassadors quote
Marie, the liaison for diabetes gathers the info on the online lists
David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have.