Tao of recovery

[nosillasparlkes]

*exerpts from
TAO OF RECOVERY
by Jim McGregory

I Now Understand

Yield and overcome.
Bend and be straight.
Empty and be full.
Wear out and be new.
Have little and gain.
Have much and be confused.

(This is my favorite verse from the Tao Te Ching. But it was totally backward when I first read it. However, accepting the unexplainable is one of the gifts of my spiritual recovery.
My first efforts at letting go were self-willed, but the best I could do. Time and the support of some enlightened friends have helped me to comprehend the wisdom of this message.
I was lucky! I was forced to surrender, forced to make amends, lost everything, and now have everything that I value – peace, serenity, and loving relationships.
I now understand.)

Abundance

Letting go a little improves life.
Letting go a lot brings happiness and joy.
Letting go of all things brings about an abundance of all things.
By letting go of all things, I become a child of the universe.
Being a child of the universe, I rest in the Great Mother...
And all things flow down to me in unbelievable abundance.
I am fulfilled, and I am grateful.

Community

Recovery leads to a sense of community.
Recovering people have a common bond.
Recovering people treat each other as longtime friends.
Recovering people become simple and honest with themselves.
Recovering people consider their fellows as their family.
Recovering people consider their fellows as their family.
Recovering people allow their fellows to live and die with respect.
Recovering people are special...but they are ordinary.