Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
When I was 14 years old I got a job selling newspapers at the County Hospital. The hospital served an indigent population, many in need of long term care. It was my first real job and one in which I encountered many remarkable people. One such lesson was from a woman named Lilly. She lived in a room on the 4th floor on a secured … Continue reading Making Use of Depression
(Originally published January 19, 2016.) I recently read in an educational journal that 60% of today’s school age children see themselves as “exceptional.” In 1964, only eight percent of children would have so described themselves. When I think back to 1964, when I was 16, did I see myself as exceptional? Not so much. In those days Teachers were always right Coaches were never to be questioned … Continue reading Coming of Age
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (This Latin phrase, meaning For the Greater Glory of God, is the motto of the Jesuit Order, and Seattle Preparatory School, my alma mater, is a Jesuit high school.) Last weekend I attended my 50th high school reunion. What an experience it was! It took me back, literally back, to another time and another age. It had been a long, long … Continue reading Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Dear Erin, I had a strange dream the other night and it got me thinking about you and your one-year-old Sam, and the meaning of fatherhood. The dream poked me in the eye and reminded me of a remarkable moment we shared when you were growing up. I often settle myself into sleep by recalling happy thoughts of our time together: shooting hoops in the back … Continue reading A Letter to Erin
How did you find the key to your life’s song? A little story on how I found mine. I was blessed with an enlightened aunt, a Catholic nun with the Sisters of Charity Providence. Born Annabelle, she took the name Sister Mary Audrey. She was a wise woman, raised during the Depression in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. She learned many lessons from her life and … Continue reading Living Your Questions