Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
I once thought wisdom was the exclusive domain of old folks but I’ve discovered some of my most important lessons have been taught by the very young. One such lesson came from my nephew Jack when he was all of six years old. I was newly sober and still stinging from a number of painful losses. At the time I kept pretty much to myself as I felt … Continue reading The Practice of Listening
“If in the last few years you haven’t discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead.” ~ Gelett Burgess I find with age I have to guard against becoming set in my ways and thinking there’s nothing left for me to learn. There’s so much beauty we miss when we fail to see life through an unfiltered … Continue reading Beauty Through an Unfiltered Lens
Over the last few years MAGA (Make America Great Again) has become the call letters of a new political movement, one that has attracted millions of fervent followers. But this movement and its call to return to a nondescript time of American greatness is one that has raised many thorny questions. Like — what era would we be returning to? President John Adams counseled against … Continue reading Greatness In Goodness
Sometimes it’s impossibly hard to believe this truth. A story on how I learned: On St. Patrick’s Day it’s simply not possible for me to consider the day without thinking of my family. St. Patrick’s Day was like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving all rolled together. I have so many memories. The big three men in my life: Grandpa, Dad and Cousin Dennis huddled together spilling … Continue reading Life Goes On
“Tell my friends that I’ve died. Tell them that I’m out here in the sky, my eyes wide open. My face covered up by this endless blue shroud. That I’ve gone off, empty, to the stars.” ~ Federico Garcia Lorca Several years ago a friend of mine, someone I’d known since childhood, committed suicide. He left no note, no explanation, not a word to … Continue reading How to Get Through the Valley