“… most of the world’s spiritual giants have had dark nights of unbelief.” – In God’s Care

“…we can come to the sangha.” – FEAR: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm

Sometimes life is going along fine. Oh sure, there’s the ups and downs, but it’s a great life. Then suddenly… POW! A bad thing happens. It can feel like it’s just too much to bear. What now? Thitch Nhat Hanh suggests that in these moments we turn to our sangha, our community. For us, this means sharing our pain and hopelessness with our brothers and sisters in recovery in order to make room for healing and hope to come in. The last few days I’ve been in some financial fear. Building a house is expensive! Some of my guys are going through much worse. But no matter how scary it is, or how bad we may feel, there is a solution. We work our program and trust a loving higher power, which often expresses itself through the healthy members of our sangha. When I’m ready to feel better, and embrace the solution I’ve been so lucky to have been given, fear and pain dissipate, and once again, ILML! 

– James