Lifting our Self-Inflicted Ban

We all haven’t been able to do much doing this last year. Constant realizations of, “Oh yeah, I can’t do that.” I can’t visit my friend  in a rehabilitation facility, I can’t go to a concert because there aren’t any.  I entertained a big party idea and then remembered I can’t entertain big ideas of parties.  My meeting isn’t normal, my work isn’t normal, my church isn’t normal, and you never know which people are not normal (by my standards), certainly I’m not normal. Best line lately from a shop owner, “I feel like I’m living in a Stephen King novel.”

Read more

Beautiful People

I was parking at the grocery store when words came up on my phone. “Did you see that there’s going to be a movie of Beautiful Boy?”

Read more

What if?

Brennan Manning tells the sweet and simple story of a friend’s elderly uncle who spontaneously skipped on a hill in Ireland, filled with delight of life itself. “Uncle,” the man said, “why are you so happy?” “Ahhhh,” the uncle replied through his brogue accent in which you could almost hear him grin, “Ohhhhh, you see …” he paused in joy,  “the Father is very fond of me. The Father is is so awfully fond of me.” …

Read more

The Power of So What

scared babyBush and I were sitting at our kitchen table with the windows open. Next door a tradesman was pouring a concrete driveway for our neighbors.  His kids were with him, playing with a hose around the corner of the house.  You know what happened — water spewed on the wet cement when the kids accidentally diverted it. That didn’t sit well with their dad — at all. …

Read more

Sailing Through Christmas — Guest Post

I tear up as I read this article because Christmas 2008, we were a family in early recovery. Ted had a 24 hour leave at home from treatment to be with us. It was weird and wonderful — at the exact same time.

Read more