Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
Are you familiar with the sound of silence? The pain associated with mental anguish in all its forms often feels unspeakable. I’ve come to think of mental health and mental illness as two ends of a continuum on which we all find ourselves. Our place on the continuum may shift throughout the course of our lives, and hopefully, we can become better at nurturing … Continue reading A Sober Thought on Mental Health
What are seeds of faith? I suppose the answer is different for each person, but for me, more often than not they come as small revelations in times of deep crisis when I’m grappling with forces pulling in opposite directions. For me, faith is not so much an idea but an identity, not so much about believing but becoming. Maybe an My teachers have generally been … Continue reading Finding Faith
[This is an edited version of the post, “A Thoughtful Heart,” originally published February 27, 2016.] L “A heart weary of hate cannot learn to love.” I came upon this quote, credited to a Russian poet, in a New York Times article written by Mikhail Shishkin, “How Russians Lost the War.” He was decrying the manner in which the Russian authorities were ratcheting up … Continue reading Seeing the World with Clear Eyes
I would rather walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light. ~ Helen Keller How many walks? How many friends? I wonder. This past week I’ve had a tutorial on friendship. I watched in awe as two hundred friends gathered for my cousin Amy’s funeral as they came to give comfort to a grieving family. It was a moving scene, … Continue reading How Friends Sustain Us
Yet again, death has struck a member of my family — my cousin Amy, at 46. Death has visited our family all too frequently and all too early. My father died at 45, brother Steve at 59, brother Kevin at 62. We are a family of unfinished stories. Death leaves its mark when it comes unexpected and early. So many unspoken words So many unsung … Continue reading Passings and Epilogues