From the womb, until it is time to launch into the great beyond, we all need safe places to escape being emotionally hurt, physically frightened, feeling alone, and endlessly grieving loved ones. Those safety places can be a favorite spot outdoors, a peaceful memory that… Read More »Safe Places
I’m not sure who had more rules-my mom or the Baptists. She had an identical twin sister. My mom was Paulene; her sis was Darlene. Deb and I often called her “Paul.” This was Life According to Paul’s Rules: Remember, we were still kids, not… Read More »Paul’s Rules
My son lived with a physical disability and an incurable disease. He taught me how to celebrate life with a tear and a smile on our journey. In my teens, I dreamed about making a living as a poet. During a visit to the library,… Read More »A Tear And A Smile
My parents met at a bar in Bellwood where my dad worked a second job. He was the bartender. His full-time employment was being a mechanic and the Fleet Superintendent for Goldblatt’s Department Store delivery trucks. Thinking out loud: what do people mostly share after… Read More »The Baptists
A wise, compassionate, and fellow survivor recently posted about High Functioning Depression on Facebook. With Lori’s permission, I share her thoughts below: “A term many have never heard before but I’ll bet you know someone who has it. You know the type. That person who… Read More »High Functioning Depression
I looked up a legal definition of Marital Abandonment. According to Legal Dictionary: 1. The giving up or withdrawal of support from something or someone. 2. The act of leaving or deserting a person or property with no intention of returning. What a sterile, simple… Read More »Blended Abandonment
It is 4 AM. I head down the hallway to the words in my head, “First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.” I make the elixir of regaining consciousness to sit and enjoy the stillness-no such luck. The lyrics… Read More »There Is A Mountain
I grew up in the Midwest near Chicago in a blended family. Each of my parents had been married before to spouses that abandoned them. In my father’s situation, his first wife abandoned their marriage. My mother’s first husband abandoned their marriage and their son.… Read More »Midwestern Backstory