A friend said something to me the other day that was pretty thought provoking. They said that we are the average of our 5 closest friends. That really got me to thinking about who those friends are. I also thought a lot about who they have been. That group has changed tremendously over time, yet…

I recently heard about the eagle and the crow. It is said that the only bird that dares peck the eagle is the crow. All other birds are afraid of the powerful eagle, but the crow will land on the eagle’s back and peck at its neck. Apparently the eagle does not fight back. Instead…

Spending time in (on?) the island of Hawaii is a wonderful thing. I’ve been here in the past so this trip is not so much about “getting out” or “doing things” as our previous visits have been. It’s kind of a good thing too, because in our almost two week stay now, we have rarely…

I’m sitting in Hilo and thinking about rain. The annual rainfall here is around 143 inches. That’s about 20 times what we get at home in the desert. It’s crazy. Yesterday I watched a sudden deluge create a pond at the back patio of my daughter’s house. Then literally minutes later the rain subsided and…

Im always looking for ways to “rise up”. This week I’ve got one of my faves. We are flying to Hawaii for the upcoming birth of our newest grandson! Of course, going to Hawaii is great in and of itself, but it’s even better seeing family. Each night my 6 year old grandson Luc asks…

In recovery we talk about sobriety birthdays and belly button birthdays. Today happens to be my belly button birthday. 53 years and I still don’t have most of it figured out! Sometimes, especially in the isolated world of today, it can feel a bit lonely. Sometimes I feel somewhat insignificant because I’m not in the…

My football team won a game yesterday. Leeds was just above us in the standings, so going into the game we all would be happy with a result that saw us holding a lead. Going into the half at 3-0 was fantastic. In the second half we came out with another quick goal to make…

(Note: I tried to publish this in the morning, but it failed. Sorry it’s late) I did not know it until I opened up my blog app this morning, but this is your MoM’s 6 year anniversary. Wow, it’s a bit hard to believe. I remember when I started this thing. I was sitting in…

I’m sure you’ve seen the shirts and cups and stickers that say “Not today Satan”. It’s a great reminder that we will get attacked constantly. We never know how it will happen, but inevitably it does. Today (as on many days) it’s my back. I went to make myself breakfast and boom, out went my…

I got a text this weekend that basically came down to a simple question: can you help me? It seems such an easy question to ask, but far too often, it becomes one of the most difficult for a lot of us. There’s an admission that I can’t do it on my own. My pride…