Jody K.'s Introduction to the June Essays

When the IOCC went from a question a month answered by all contributors to a monthly featured contributor, I committed to the month of June for various reasons. The academic year ends for me at the end of April, and between settling back in at home full-time and the kick-off of the outdoor gardening season here in the Northeast, I figured I’d find some time to write. Porch-sitting season usually starts in late April/early May, too, and that’s where my writing seems to take a more spiritual turn. Perhaps it’s the act of watching Mother Earth come back to life, or seeing all my feathered friends return to dine at the feeders. Maybe it’s just the feeling of freedom after having been corralled inside so much in the colder months. While the Great Spirit is always on my mind and in my heart, I feel Its presence much more acutely when I can be out of doors, communing with the heart of nature.

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I also didn’t offer a topic or focus for “my” month because I can’t know six months ahead of time where I’ll be spiritually. Although some writers like to get emotional distance from a subject, I find my most honest spiritual writing comes from the place I happen to be occupying when I write it. My plan this month is to write a short essay every few days to a week addressing my 11th step process. They’ll likely be in narrative form, as I’ve found that I can most closely relate to the experience of another when he or she tells me a story than distilling the moral and presenting a lesson in that way. So, no lofty lectures from me. I write more about the way I live than what I think.

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a short essay on how I struggled to pray in early recovery. In searching the archives of the IOCC, I found a very similar essay, and at first, I felt that this “Beginnings of Prayer in Recovery” was redundant. I’m going to post it anyway. In recovery, some of the most valuable things I’ve learned from others have come from hearing them repeat the same story with a different emphasis. It’s one of the reasons I won’t skip a lead meeting because “I’ve heard that story before.” So, tomorrow on the first official day of June (Rabbit, Rabbit) after I bring my car home from the shop, I’ll come back to post that little essay. This brief introduction is enough jumping of the gun. Until tomorrow, I’ll try to practice patience!

Peace & Love,
Jody K.