I am delighted to welcome you to the 35th Al-Anon Catalina Twelve Step Conference. It’s an honor to serve as your 2026 Chair alongside my Co-Chair Toni R, and an amazing team of committee members. We are privileged to host an inspiring group of fellows on a pathway of continued recovery. The island setting is as special as our agenda. 

 

This year’s theme “THE ONLY WAY OUT IS THROUGH” reminds us that, like a surfer navigating the uncertainty inside a wave or a kayaker going down a river and suddenly coming face to face with the turbulence of the rapids, we meet life’s challenges head on. Like the effects of someone’s alcoholism or addiction, life can be calm one moment and fierce the next.

 

In Al-anon, we learn how to get through many types of difficulties. The path to healing doesn’t lie in fighting the water or fleeing from it, but in learning to flow with it, to adjust and ride it through. We manage by learning to take care of ourselves and utilizing the tools, experience, strength and hope of others in the program. We don’t have to do it alone, and we don’t have to do it perfectly.

 

As a water enthusiast, I’ve come to appreciate and respect the ocean not just as a playground, but as a teacher, a spiritual place that mirrors life itself. Looking forward to a great weekend of recovery, laughter, fellowship and mostly good memories.

 

I’ll never forget my first trip to Catalina; “I laughed so hard my face hurt for days and I rediscovered how to enjoy life again”. That renewal is why I keep coming back.

 

“Be like water”- Water is flexible, yielding and powerful. It takes the shape of its container yet wears down a stone. - Bruce Lee

 

See you on the Island!

 

Randy Singer

2026 Chair – Catalina Twelve Step Conference