“Always have time for another person.” Brother Jack Moylan, OSF I met Brother Jack in March of 1980 at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. He visited me on the tier as the Catholic Chaplain. He was on the job less than a year, the first full-time Catholic Chaplain at the jail. That meeting was the … Read more
To consciously manifest life joyously in the present! Aloha I do not remember the show I was watching but a few months back I heard the actor make this statement. I thought, “wow that is wonderful, I want to write about that.” So I jotted it in my notes and well, today is the day. … Read more
Unless you have gone through school with the Common Core system you probably remember the “Multiplication” tables. We needed to memorize those tables and had better learn some shortcuts and not with our fingers to assist in the process. I recently saw a “gif” of the multiples of “10,” it went like this: 10 x … Read more
My response, “My family impressed upon me the need in our lives for community service. Helping others is essential aspect of our lives. Community and family are one!” He responded, “So it was really an internal/natural desire to help people, right?” Me, “Yes coupled with our family belief system.” We live in a complicated world, … Read more
I have read the articles, heard the narrative, and it goes like this. We would never blame a patient with a serious medical condition for their condition the way we blame the addict or alcoholic for addiction or alcoholism. Or would we? How about a diabetic with a sugar relapse, or an overweight smoker after … Read more
There’s something about losing friends, particularly young people, where it’s not something that you get over. I don’t believe there’s a healing process. Chris Cornell Without a doubt, in my mind at least, Chris Cornell was in the top three of all time great vocalists. On top of that his lyrics rank way up there … Read more
At some of these [steps] we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. —Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., pg. 58 One of the biggest misnomers when looking into treatment for addiction is the idea that a treatment center is a “Twelve Step Program.” Truth be told, when it comes … Read more
“To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.” Walt Whitman In early recovery I had an issue with celebrating how long I was sober. I remember saying to my sponsor it seemed like it was an Academy Awards speech thanking everyone involved for the help and trust. He told … Read more
It took me a long time to understand that I could be what I choose to be, that I am, indeed, that which has the capacity to look fear in the eye and dissolve it. No problem can be resolved from the point of view of the problem. I learned to ask myself, “What’s another … Read more
Then, gathering all his forces, he attempted to stop altogether and found he could not. Big Book, 4th ed., pg. 32 If you are not an alcoholic, it is difficult to comprehend the subtle compulsion to drink. Likewise, if you are not an addict you may be baffled by the compulsion to use despite the … Read more