Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
I learnedIn the college classTaught by a nun We turn to poetryWhen it’s the only way to touch That delicate, delicate placeFloating somewhere between inside and outside ~ Marsha Hahn Marsha, thank you for your poem and for reminding us that sometimes poetry is the only way to touch that delicate place. Kevin Miller, a poet friend of mine, sent me a poem by Jane … Continue reading That Delicate Place
NOTE: I recently wrote a post inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Since it was published I’ve had a number of additional thoughts about this literary masterpiece, which I share with you now. ~ Pat Storytellers are gatekeepers to our conscious selves — where we learn everyone’s story is our story. Thank you to: Homer, for The Iliad and The Odyssey; Dante, for The … Continue reading Some Battles Are With Us Always
“The longer you look back, the farther you can look forward.” ~ Winston Churchill During these times when democracies around the world have been under attack by angry, xenophobic extremists my political disposition has become cynical and depressed. While political fires rage all around me I’ve found myself strangely disengaged, treating it all like bothersome background noise. What kind of citizen am I when I refuse … Continue reading Finding Our Finest Hour
“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
My husband and I recently saw a wonderful play called Everybody which was uplifting, hilarious, and joyful. It was also about death. That seems like an oxymoron, but the central message is that everybody dies and you have to take that journey alone. The only thing you can take with you is love. Furthermore, you can joyfully dance to your death. As great as the … Continue reading Everybody (by Eileen)