Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
I recently turned 74 and to celebrate the event Marsha took me out to breakfast. It’s customary for us to mark the passing of each year with a reflective question. This year Marsha asked me, “Pat, how have you grown?” Hmmmm — nothing came to mind, nothing at all. It seems with the passage of time life has become a game of subtractions, not additions. Where … Continue reading A Time for Pruning
And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God bless Us, Every One!” ― From A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens Hmm. So how do you keep Christmas — well? Dickens shared his notion … Continue reading What Does It Mean To “Keep Christmas?”
Friend Paul Schrijnen sent me an extraordinary poem written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while he was in Flossenburg Prison. Bonhoeffer wrote the poem shortly after he was sentenced to be hanged for his role in the conspiracy to assassinate Adolph Hitler. The poem is entitled Who Am I? Who am I? They often tell meI stepped from my cell’s confinementCalmly, cheerfully, firmly,Like a Squire from his … Continue reading At The End, Who Are We?
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
“What worries you, masters you.” ~ John Locke It’s been said: Some people people worry that every time the tide goes out it might not come back in again. Some people storm imaginary Alps all their lives and die in the foothills, cursing difficulties which do not exist. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But isn’t it true when worry sets up shop in your head, rational thought … Continue reading Curing the Wart of Worry