When my son was in active addiction I hated holidays. Mother’s Day was among the worst. Walking through town I passed families with teenagers, toddlers and baby carriages. My eye would catch a grandmother smiling beside her daughter, both women sporting painfully bright pink corsages or carrying a single, long-stemmed, red rose, or worse a …
Funny how a worldwide pandemic can prompt a new gratitude list. Husband, children, a home – my son years into recovery – all still count. But weeks of quarantine and social distancing have added a few others. They include… Legs that carry me three to four miles on a daily walk Other walkers who …
Have you ever taken one of those online personality quizzes? Where some inscrutable formula takes your answers to lame questions and then spits out your top leadership traits? Recently, such a quiz popped up on social media. Given these odd times, I gave it a try. After a brief questionnaire, the results came in: my …
While we stay shuttered in, while we honor the people who serve, and pray for healthcare workers risking their lives to save ours, I cling to what I know. During a crisis, beliefs don’t change. They just become clearer. This day, more than ever, I am grateful for what addiction has taught me. It reminds …
You know the word – even if the last time you read it was seventh grade English. Shakespeare’s tragedies defined it. Hubris: excessive pride or self-confidence often combined with arrogance. Hubris was the fatal flaw that brought down kings and deities alike. The more prideful, the greater the fall. As we witness the worst plague …
She was hiding. Even after years of headlines and documentaries and front page coverage on America’s drug crisis, this mother refused to share her story – with anyone. I can tell she is hiding. And I ache to help her. A professional colleague, she was just beginning to get a glimpse of this new world. …
I’ve often wondered if personal messiness was cause or symptom of an otherwise disorganized life. When Jacob was using, I tried to ignore it, rationalizing – didn’t all kids go through this phase? Or at least some? Surely he would grow out of it if I let him alone. There were bigger battles. But his …
She was small with glossy brown hair and a pout that ensured she got what she wanted. At age 18 she was what my son wanted. Or so he thought . When Jacob was in his freshman year in college – and in active addiction – he visited his girlfriend in New England for Valentine’s Day …
In this high season of football a recent article about a well-known coach caught my eye. Two of his sons suffered with addiction. The chaos lasted years. This was full-blown addiction with one or both boys in and out of jails, treatment centers and attempts at recovery. It’s unclear if it continues. The coach visited …
The day after I couldn’t stop smiling – until I saw him. The man was all black. His shirt, pants, the cigar he held to his lips, even his skin was black-brown. He was seated alone outside the small Italian café. It’s a place I often walk to when we visit Jacob. I’d seen him …