My beloved readers, I know that most of you have been negatively affected by drugs and alcohol and so let me ask you to please indulge me in this post. For the sake of growth, I’d like for you to read it with an open mind. I grew up in a small town in a […]
I used to watch the reality television program, “19 Kids and Counting.” Could you really disconnect from society and be as happy and successful as they appeared to be? Could you develop a system of rules that would keep everyone in line and insure success in the family? Well, it would certainly be nice if […]
I realize that I am a day late for the feast day of Ignatius Loyola, still, let me share a few perspectives of Ignatian spirituality that have been helpful to me in my recovery from the addictions of others and in my addictions from my own harmful ways of being. I hope that you will […]
My sisters came to my house a few weeks back to make strawberry jam. There are three of us. My oldest sister, Jane is 11 years older than me. My sister Joy is 8 years older than me. It wasn’t until we were adults that they felt less like second-mothers and more like sisters. I […]
I’ve been in a period of mourning since the season and perhaps the series finale of Ted Lasso aired. I watch these episodes again and again, catching little things that I might have missed before. I love story. And I love good characters. This show excels at both. When I stumble upon a gem like […]
I remember thinking that when my loved one stopped drinking, that our problems would be over… I’ve since learned how naive this kind of thinking is. If you are new to recovery, you need to know that drugs and alcohol are not the problem. They are a symptom. And while the symptom causes additional problems, […]
When you are the first member of your family to change, it is going to be difficult. Resistance will meet you at every corner. Change feels very uncomfortable. It will be hard. But hard is not impossible. If you think about it, hard is easier than living the way that you’ve been living. It’s like […]
When I was growing up I had a very controlling great aunt who had no children. She was my grandmother’s youngest sister. Because she was unable to have children, she picked favorite nieces and nephews to dote on. If you were one of her ‘favorites’ this devotion came with strings attached. I remember my grandmother […]
Bill Wilson was truly ahead of his time. One of the topics that he’d hoped to explore before he died was one that he considered to be a root problem of addiction: emotional sobriety. He described emotional sobriety as “real maturity and balance in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows and with God.” It […]
“I trust in God,” I used to say without much thought. Or, “At least I have my faith.” But what do those things mean? Do I really mean it? What do they mean to you? Have you ever thought about faith? What is the difference between faith and trust? I’m doing the spiritual exercises in […]