Category Archives: Acceptance

My Inscrutable Shadow

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ~ Carl Jung  For the past two months I’ve been battling kidney stones. Ugh. It has felt very much like living in the presence of constant shadow.  There’s been no time in the past 50 years when I’ve been so sedentary. I’ve had nothing to distract me and have … Continue reading My Inscrutable Shadow »

A Master Class In Living In The Moment

I recently visited my friend Joe Thomas in Mobile, Alabama. It was my first trip away from the Northwest in three years and I was really looking forward to it. Joe and I go back more than fifty years and when we do get together we unabashedly indulge our Three Great Pleasures: Food  Football  Fellowship  Now with each passing year I’m ever more grateful to … Continue reading A Master Class In Living In The Moment »

Surviving Without a Security Blanket

“Security is a strange thing, a myth that the brain allows in exchange for a brief moment of peace.”  ― Alessandra Torre Did you have a security blanket, or something like it, when you were a kid? If you did, perhaps you remember how you felt if it got misplaced or lost.  Our grandson Sam discovered this on a recent visit to our house.  Erin … Continue reading Surviving Without a Security Blanket »

The “Happenstance” of Sobriety

A happenstance is defined simply as a chance encounter. Some happenstances we remember for a lifetime, others we forget quickly, and then there are those few that miraculously change our lives forever. Here’s the story of a miraculous happenstance that ricocheted through history, saving the lives of millions — even my own. It began with a man named Rowland Hazzard. Rowland was born In 1881 … Continue reading The “Happenstance” of Sobriety »