SOUTHERN DELAWARE INTERGROUP NEWSLETTER November 2025

Highlighted Step/Tradition/Concept for November

Step Eleven — Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

“Prayer and meditation” are where it gets sticky for some of us.  Many of us were only familiar with the prayers of our religious upbringing or the foxhole prayers we used to bargain ourselves out of the latest debacle.  Some of us still struggle with who or what our higher power is…so what or who do we pray TO?    Then to further complicate the matter we’re asked to meditate.  What does that entail?  Are we supposed to sit crossed legged on the floor, palms extended outward mumbling some mantra? Well, if that works for you, sure…there is no wrong or right way to do either. 

If traditional prayer and meditation work for you that’s fabulous!  You are ahead of the game!  The rest of us have to work at it a little harder to find our comfort zone with both.  A simplified approach can be to think of prayer as “asking” and meditation as “listening” Perhaps in starting our day we can find a private space to indulge in “coffee with God” (as we understand God). A quiet time in the morning reviewing our recent struggles and successes then asking God for “Good Orderly Direction”. (Prayer) Now starts the quiet listening part(meditation). Take in the sounds of nature around you, dismiss intrusive distracting thoughts and refocus on the thoughts that will take you to the next step in your daily journey.  Our higher power only wants the best for us and will certainly guide us to do the next right thing if we listen intently.  Practice makes it better and better.  Set a timer for 10-15 minutes to start and make a commitment to do it daily.  You will find yourself more and more willing and will be surprised how you start to incorporate the practice into other parts of your day as things “baffle” you! 

Life out of the alcoholic “foxhole” can be amazing!  When we are sober the struggles get more manageable, and the successes get sweeter…if we practice these principals.  So set yourself free to enjoy all sobriety has to offer and watch yourself soar! Beth S.

Tradition Eleven — Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. This Tradition is a constant and practical reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A. In it, each member becomes an active guardian of our Fellowship. — Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions© (page 186), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Protecting anonymity is a major concern for members who are accessing the Internet in ever-growing numbers. When we use digital media, we are responsible for our own anonymity and that of others. When we post, text, or blog, we should assume that we are publishing at the public level. When we break our anonymity in these forums, we may inadvertently break the anonymity of others. For more information, see the A.A. pamphlet Understanding Anonymity, the October 2010 issue of A.A. Grapevine on Anonymity on the Internet, and the A.A. Guidelines on the Internet.

Concept Eleven — While the Trustees hold final responsibility for A.A.’s world service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs, and consultants. Therefore the composition of these underlying committees and service boards, the personal qualifications of their members, the manner of their induction into service, the systems of their rotation, the way in which they are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our executives, staffs, and consultants, together with a proper basis for the financial compensation of these special workers, will always be matters for serious care and concern. The longtime success of our General Service Board will rest not only on the capabilities of the Trustees themselves; it will depend quite as much upon the competent leadership and harmonious association of those non-Trustee committee members, corporate service directors, executives and staff members who must actively carry on A.A.’s world services. Their quality and dedication, or their lack of these characteristics, will make or break our structure of service. Our final dependency on them will always be great indeed.– Reprinted from The A.A. Service Manual combined with Twelve Concepts, 2021-2023 Edition (page c37) , with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR ANY EVENT:
FROM YOUR PHONE:
1. Go to “Sussexaa.org” and Tap on the 3 lines next to the magnifying glass on the blue bar.
2. Tap on “Events” then tap the arrows to get to the date range of the event you’re looking for
3. Tap on the event and enter # of tickets desired & tap the blue box “Get Tickets”
4. Enter info and payment method (Paypal, credit or debit)
5. Tap “Purchase Tickets” in blue box.
6. A confirmation email will be sent to you.

Southern Delaware Intergroup Monthly Meeting — Join us on the first Thursday of every month @  6 pm via Zoom. Meeting ID: 987-8110-5001, Passcode: 914711. Our intergroup is a resource for 12-Step work and Alcoholics Anonymous information in Southern Delaware. Please consider volunteering for a service opportunity, which includes most Intergroup committees. For more information about what each Committee does, see our Service Committees page and plan to attend our next intergroup meeting.

‘’Tis The Season For….Gratitude”

Have you ever thought of starting a group gratitude list?  It’s easy, it’s fun, and it strengthens your connections with your sober fellows and helps you stay focused on what is important on a daily basis.  Here are a few simple steps:

1. Invite the people in your sober circle who you admire for their sobriety and ability to practice the AA principals. Keep it small …maybe 6 people to start.  Ask for their email addresses.
2. Initiate the email to the group in the morning. Starting with “today I am grateful for”.  List a few simple things…doesn’t have to be a profound spiritual awakening.  e. “managing my reactions during a heated discussion” or “yesterday was much better than I expected”
3. Do it daily, even just Monday – Friday. Its ok if everyone doesn’t respond every day – participation will ebb and flow – do not see that as a failure…its life!
4. Keep it short…maybe 3 or 4 things to start. It will get easier as you practice.  
5. Be grateful…. have fun….build relationships…it’s a win-win!!