Hi Matto,, congrats on yoiur clean time achievement. im sorry to hear that MBMs being stopped. Ive been a member of the Loner Group MBM for about 20 years now and after Jeff died I stopped getting it. It may also have been becuase i changed my residence last year. That was the first contact I had with NA recovery. In those days of snail mal and vey costly phone calls, my only contact with recovering addicts was MBM. I made many friends there, and they really helped me in my recovery. I sponsored, was sponsored,shared,cared and showed gratitude as many others did by mail.there was a time when that group was about 650 members strong. At a few World conventions,,MBMs have been called on stage to e recognized. Tten in 2004 I met Jeff,,my friend of 16 years in MBM, in the person the first time. We had a Worldwide workshop and he was the coordinator and imagine our joy,,wed been friends for 16 years and I hadnt even seen a photo of him. Then we meet face to face,I played my saxophone for him,and we were also joined by other MBMs like Betul from Turkey,Natalino from London and few from Mumbai and Chenai. Betul,Jeff,Natalino and me went to my old house and spent some time there. Jeff was so happy to see the place where the first NA meeting had been started in Bangalore. Then two years later I met Jeff again,,for the last ime ever. He had served as coordinator of Loner Group and editor of MBM for nearly 20 years. Hed also adopted India as his spiritual home. My friend died year before last and I stopped getting mail sometime after that. I wish I can get copies of the last few issues,,I have an archive already,,many from a far back as 1989. I still have those film photos of many of em at home. I will miss it dearly,,,,,but Id love to hear from you again Matto,,God Bless !!
-- Edited by Raman on Wednesday 22nd of April 2009 03:52:27 PM
-- Edited by Raman on Wednesday 22nd of April 2009 03:55:16 PM
__________________
Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
Meeting by Mail. In those days of snail mail WSO started a group called the loner group to connect isolated addicts all around the world. The format, so to say of the meeting was sharing by mail,,so it got called the Meeting by Mail.
It was published once in two months and there were free shares and topics. It usually ran into about 20 to 30 pages.
__________________
Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
Thjs same Meeting by mail has been my safe harbour when there were storms in the Bangalore Fellowship. I remember the many times in recovery when I was very secure in the knowledge that I could always find a safe place to rest in MBM. MBM was also the first meeting i shared my anniversary gratitude each year. every year,,just after midnite and in the early hours of 21 December I sat and wrote a letter to MBM members thanking them for being there. And each year they sent me a medallion. I did this each year from1990 to 2007. Then the editor,my friend Jeff died in 2008,,and I knew it was time for me to pack up and move. The I came to England,,and did not send a mial on my clean date. I suppose id already guessed that theyd stop MBM after Jeff was gone,,,
I wsh they had informed each of us and brought out a special last issues,,with all our sharings and gratitude to MBM and Loner Group !!
__________________
Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
