There is something that happens when you finally face yourself fully. It must be what a snake feels like when it sheds its skin. There is a freshness, newness, and change. Though, while the old skin sheds into the new, there is complete vulnerability because the mirror that you have now hold up is sometimes unkind. The skin you are shedding is on display and many will not like the changes you have made. Some will stay with you and some will be left behind. It is not personal.

He would show up in the basement every so often and say, “Put the gloves on,” as he gestured to the red boxing gloves that hung on the wall. I would sit on the end of the bench and lower my head, knowing what was next.  I’ve written about my father often, mostly for myself, attempting like hell to dissect the relationship that we had. Maybe I have shared too much or maybe not enough. I’m not sure either way, and it probably doesn’t matter to anyone but me. Father and son rela

Depression can be verbally and emotionally abusive. Yes, the abuse is coming from your own mind. It is the dialogue that you tell yourself, “I am worthless. I am a burden.” The dialogue can get worse. It might even tell you that life is not worth living anymore and you should just be done. “Go ahead, leave this world, ”You hear repeating in your thoughts.  You find yourself around coworkers, friends, loved ones, and nothing is feeling right. It’s dark inside, so much so that

Some phone calls hit you differently. They are the ones that don’t discriminate between day or night, sunny days or stormy ones. It’s the...

Death dates are hard. I don’t call them “Anniversary dates” because I do not celebrate them. Instead, I honor the dead through my...

This is for the restless spirits who contemplate life on a deeper level. The risk takers. The few that put themselves on the line and...

I am going into year nineteen as an educator. Often, when the start of a new year approaches, I reflect on my individual journey as an...

I remember when I was a boy, I watched a movie called, “To Hell and Back,” starring Audie Murphy. For those that don’t know who Audie...

I believe we have lost something in this country, and the world, that has not been here in a while and has drifted further away in the...

I wanted to take a moment to discuss the internal dialogue that often accompanies depression. For one, it is a cruel bastard. When the...

I sat across from her after my second novel was released. My mom was proud. She read Somewhere Between The Trees And Clouds twice before...

I finished a hike recently and wept. I looked down at the wetness on my shirt from falling tears and thought, “I am stained by grief.” ...

I am discouraged with the world. Go to the grocery store and people will cut in front of you, desperately grabbing what they need, not...

Most disagreements come from lack of communication, lack of understanding, or a lack of compassion. In the fall of 2023, I hurt a...

I paid my mom the best tribute I could and placed the letters that I wrote to her while dying into a book. As many know, the publisher...

“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” -Seneca We are in trying times with our political climate. There is no denying that no...

It seems we have had yet one more attack from this administration. One more false narrative and harmful rhetoric. This time the rhetoric...

There will be many that will look at this photo and say, “Why should the United States be responsible to help everyone?” At least, that’s...

It can be difficult for a son to understand their father and who he is. We come into this world as boys and whether we know it or not, we...

My mom was struggling with pain from Multiple Myeloma. It was attacking her spine, as the cancer will do, and every movement had her in...