…the unity of OA is a matter of life and death to us.~The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous (Kindle Locations 1213-1214).

Organizations are important to who we are,
what we are, how we fit. Some more than others.
Of great importance for many are the church,
the educational structure, the state (government)…
others with a place in the structure of lives.
The family is the of-all-and-be-all for many of us,
a place of great loyalty, a source of marvelous love.
Other organizations like service clubs, social groups,
like-minded study associations, united aficionados
of particular activities…these add significantly to lives.
But how many bodies of people can be described
as a matter of life and death to the membership?
Overeaters Anonymous is that to those who come and stay.
And that phrase…a matter of life and death…
takes on new meaning when we realize the phrase is true
but the matter of life is the creation, the realization,
the fruition of the life we’ve lived as automatons
and, in OA, learn to live as recovered human beings
experiencing that life in a new way…
beyond our wildest dreams!