The sudden quiet in their voices catches my ear. The group has been chattering for about an hour. My husband and I are sharing sushi with our son and his friends at a favorite Thai restaurant. The talk is mostly about food, weekend plans and the next retreat. Then, their voices drop. I hear, so …
Each January my husband and I visit our son in South Florida. Frequently he invites us to attend open AA meetings. It’s a glimpse into a world few who are not addicts or alcoholics get to see, or perhaps even want to see. For me AA meetings are intensely interesting. In South Florida they are …
Note: Today in Florida my son attends two funerals, both for young men. This post is for survivors. Recently, two mothers who each lost a son to overdose invited me to lunch – just to sit and talk. We sat overlooking a sunny harbor where boats breezed by. Their sons had died within weeks …
A mother from Texas writes “our family is still struggling a lot. It seems like the wall that our son is putting around him is getting taller every day. It’s heartbreaking to watch him alienate us when he needs our help the most.” She longs for a “roadmap” to help her family decide when to …
The Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services is arranging a daylong visit for Lisa to address three groups in south Palm Beach County, Florida: (1) a luncheon with area rabbis, (2) an afternoon with students from local Jewish day schools, and (3) an evening session open to the larger community. Lisa’s son, Jacob, will …
If you don’t know one yet, you will These are the mothers whose sons’ and daughters’ obituaries you read in the local newspaper. Joe could light up a room just by his smile. He loved hiking and fishing. He leaves behind his parents, grandparents, girlfriend Jill and his loving dog Bo. There will be a …
“Naloxone isn’t the antidote for heroin. Community is.” Recently, Sam Quinones, journalist and author of “Dreamland,” addressed the Maryland Patient Safety Center conference regarding the opioid scourge in America. His talk was so profound that it’s worth sharing a few highlights. (Note: all quotes are his.) A 1979 brief letter to the Journal of American …