79 of my former classmates met last Sunday night on Zoom for our 45 year reunion. I signed up and paid to go and then had what can best be described as an emotional relapse to the way I felt about myself and how I believed others perceived me dating back to 1975. Instead of… Read More My 45 Year Class Reunion via Zoom
Dear Dad, Well, here it is again – the 40th Father’s Day without you. As I write this, it feels like I am talking about someone else. You died when I was 21. I remember the first many Father’s Days without you, and they were horrible. The day was spent getting stoned or drunk, trying hard… Read More Not Everyone Gets to Celebrate Father’s Day
Dear Daddy, At this very moment, on this day in 1979, I came in through the garage, walked up the stairs, and found you lying there. The best I can tell is that you came home, let the dog out on his run, and just keeled over and dropped dead. You didn’t even get a… Read More A Letter to My Daddy
I have been competitive in every area of my life for as long as I can remember. In most, but not all cases, it has served me well. A crossroads has been placed in front of me that I am figuring out how to navigate. In my mind I know what to do, but my… Read More Not Being First Doesn’t Mean I Am Last
When I was a teen in the 70’s, my family would periodically visit friends of my parents. I so wished our family could be like them. They were happy and all got along. In 1995, early in recovery, I remember going to a meeting because I was very upset about something. I needed to be around… Read More When I Compare My Insides to Your Outsides
I woke up this morning second guessing my decision to buy another home and move to a new city. It went as far as my calling my real estate agent to find out what would happen if I backed out (closing is tomorrow). She talked me down off the ledge, reminding me how I looked… Read More When In Doubt, Say It Out Loud