In his recent hit, Rob Thomas sings “I’m not afraid of getting older….” Well, I am. As I approach a milestone birthday and witness my parents and in-laws decline, I worry. I worry about their waning health and quality of life. But I also worry for me. What can I do, as I approach my…
Nicole Hughes – Drowning Prevention
Nicole Hughes glanced out the window, saw her three-year-old son floating in the pool, and was, for a fraction of a second, confused. Levi was bathed, fed, and ready for bed. “We aren’t swimming….” she remembers thinking. Six couples from around the country, long-time friends since medical school, gather each summer near Gulf Shores, Alabama….
Charlie Mingus – Doughnuts and a Truck
A man smiled and handed a crisp $100 bill to the young woman doling out maple and blueberry and key lime doughnuts to the early morning risers. Nodding at the long line of folks behind him, he wanted to buy breakfast for all of them. “My eight-year-old son recently passed away,” he said quietly, “and…
Sharon Ball – What is Your Enneagram Type?
You may have shaken hands with someone wearing a tiny pin, or even a t-shirt, announcing “I am a 7.” Some people introduce themselves by offering, “I’m a 5.” They want us to immediately know what to expect from them – and their behavior. After seventeen years of counseling and steering clients through depression, grief,…
Tressie Lewis – Crime Scene Cleaner
Let’s imagine for a moment….A resident of an apartment building slips on the bathroom floor, hits her head on the counter as she falls, and, sadly, dies. She is on the ground for a week until someone finally discovers her. All kinds of ugly things have happened with her body in the meantime, and the…