I went to the doctor last week for my semi-annual appointment. He asked me how I was feeling to which I said, “fine.” I thought it was casual conversation. Again, he asked, “Are you feeling okay?” At this point, I was starting to wonder myself. “I think so.” I said, meaning it. “Well your blood […]
My recovery requires me to let go of my loved ones. I can’t do this without a strong faith in God. It only requires a small amount to start… […]
“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use.” Emily Post Thinking of my southern grandmother immediately calls to mind the smell of warm yeast rolls, cooling on a kitchen rack, fresh out of the oven. But, it also […]
“Every human being has a true genuine authentic self. Trauma is the disconnection from it and healing is the reconnection to it.” Gabor Mate, MD There was a story that made its way around social media platforms about a kindergartener who returned from the bathroom exclaiming, “I pottyed” only his pants and underwear were still […]
I remember the day that I decided to stop being afraid. Even though it was a quiet decision, deeply held within my being, everything shifted. I try to remember what brought me to it but it remains elusive. Maybe it was a shift in tactic; from fleeing to fighting. Maybe it was a mustard seed’s […]
When Hank Williams, Jr. wrote the song about his country music family asking him, “Hank, why do you drink? Hank, why do you roll smoke? Why must you live out the songs that you wrote” he could have written it about millions of families. It is relatable. I guess that is why it became so […]
The topic of my last twelve-step meeting was ‘Higher Power.’ Our chairperson began with a reading on the topic and then asked each of us to either read another reading on the subject or to share our experience about the god of our understanding. One fellow began to tell us that he didn’t have a […]
I visited with my sisters in Kentucky yesterday. We decided to go to the town of our father’s birth and search the cemeteries for our great-grandparents tombstones. I was captivated as I drove through the lush green countryside along the river banks. Had my father driven these same roads? What would he think about his […]
Sunday, my priest was asked about giving advice to others. He said that we should never tell others what to do. For one thing, most of us never listen to advice. For another, as humans, we will never have all of the information that we need to advise others. In fact, we learn best […]