Not New -Just Renewed! — I’ve walked this planet for 66 years, and hope to stay around for another 34 — then, I’ll reevaluate! This from someone who wasn’t expected to reach age 30, and hoped to live down to that expectation! I didn’t trust anyone over 30 then — so I never wanted to…

Sometimes, the very things that harm us, can also serve to heal — Connections undergroundmedium.com Born into dysfunction, Raised in an age not known For enlightenment, nor emotional insight; I assumed a role from early on. Mine was to break up the tension In a large family gripped by dark forces, Addiction fueled the insanity that prevailed; Enter the clown, the perennial mascot. Practical joker…

In Between Here and There — The veil between this life and the next sometimes grows a bit thinner while I am grieving the loss of a friend who’s gone over. I learned of my dear friend Paul’s departure for parts unknown a little over a week ago. I’ve been a little “off” ever since. Since…

Things are, necessarily, a bit different — We started coming down here to South Carolina the week of July 4th in 1997, the year after Dad passed. Dad has always been the hub of the wheel of family connection. We all communicated regularly with him, and he kept us all informed of each other’s lives. That had…

A Dance that Changed Me Forever 1971 was a pretty wild year for me. I was 16 for most of the year, turning 17 in November. I had started drinking in 1970, at age 15, when I got a job in a restaurant. I was one of the younger busboys…

Drinking from the Grail — Comes a time when you’re drifting Comes a time when you settle down Comes a light, feelings lifting Lift that baby right up off the ground Oh, this old world keeps spinning ‘round It’s a wonder tall trees ain’t layin’ down There comes a time… You and I, we were…

She’s still here, in my heart — Yesterday would’ve been Mom’s 99th birthday. Her birthday and Mother’s Day were two of the things that always made May cool. Of course, since she’s been gone, going on 11 years now, I still always think about her in May. …

A Life-Changing Decision I always joked that it was hard to come up with something new that none of my older siblings had ever done. …

One Early Spring Saturday — My I-Phone alarm went off at 7:45. I know this because my wife told me it was going off. It was blending right into whatever dream I was having. I didn’t have to be anywhere in particular until 9:00, so I reset it for 8:00. This time, I heard it…