As I was leaving my annual physical, the doctor stopped me in the hallway, “Hey, your labs came back from your last appointment. You’re normal on all tests.” “Oh that’s good.” Then, I laughed, “Actually that’s a first. I don’t think anyone has ever called me normal before. “My doctor chuckled and said, “Let […]
If you show up at a 12-step meeting for friends and family members, it won’t take long before someone tells you to mind your own business. “You need to get out of God’s way” is usually the next piece of advice. Out in the world when we tell someone to mind their own business it […]
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 […]
Yesterday, I traveled a hundred miles to visit with my sisters in my hometown. It’s always good to reconnect with family. When we get together time feels irrelevant. It’s just me and my sisters being who we’ve always been. Alone, I often feel burdened by the struggles that life brings me but when we are […]
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 […]
There is a patch of light that comes through my window, late in the afternoon. On cooler days, the dogs find their way upstairs to bask in that light. Sometimes, I join them. I like to imagine that the warmth that soaks into my skin is a loving embrace from God. I imagine Him with […]
In my home growing up, there was no alcohol. Between my grandfather’s alcoholism and my southern Baptist roots, it was simply forbidden. Those rules didn’t stop some members of my family from drinking to excess. That drinking caused a lot of problems. It seemed that our family’s prohibition wasn’t achieving what it had set […]