Minister Of Mocha

A little over a week ago I began experiencing severe pain in my hip and back. I’ve dealt with chronic pain and discomfort in those areas for the better part of my life, but the past week was beyond what is my “normal”. The medical assessment from my daughter said it was bursitis in my…

I spent the morning digging holes. Shoot, I’ve spent a lot of my life digging holes of one sort or another. Holes are an interesting proposition. They provide a chance to fall in or trip but they also provide the opportunity to build something. My post holes this morning are for a play set for…

Fall is coming, which means a lot of things. In my family, one of those things is picking apples. We went out to our favorite You-Pick orchard and saw a chain draped over the driveway. “Sold Out for the Season”. Wow, we hadn’t planned on that. What to do…? So we did what we do,…

This week we were able to meet for Celebrate Recovery in person once again. If you haven’t been affected by COVID at this point, you, my friend, are a massive rule breaker! We all know what it’s been like. The isolation and angst has pervaded everyone’s life. Being back on last Friday night was fantastic.…

It’s not my birthday. Not even close. Yet last night when my friends took me out to dinner a scoop of ice cream arrived at the table with clapping and singing. During the early part of our meal my friend Faith left the table to go take care of something that got in her eye.…

Today your MoM is flying into Portland. Yes. With fires and protests and everything, I am purposely flying to Oregon. It’s not on a lark or a pleasure trip. This time we have a dear friend who is having surgery tomorrow so we are flying up to help with the family. We know that the…

I woke up to a sky filled with smoke today. It’s been like this in California for a couple of weeks now. Today, the smoke is blotting out the sun to a large extent. It feels a lot like an eclipse. But it’s Labor Day in America, and for me and my “son” that actually…

I have a friend who has spent the past ten years in prison. He only has thirteen more to go. If you got twenty three, your math is correct. Prison sentences are divided into two sections: the base term is served first, then all of the enhancements. Enhancements are additional time added for special circumstances…

Remember that playground wisdom that claimed “sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Yeah, that’s a load of garbage! Words are powerful. Words can uplift, but they can also destroy. We are emotional beings, so to claim that words won’t hurt us is just nonsense. As a writer and…

A lot of basketball fans are hoping for a return to the court. My friend J is not one of them. I’m sitting outside the courthouse now waiting for his court date. I met J through a friend. J had been over imbibing and caused a bit of a ruckus. It became obvious to J…