Sacrifice. What images come to mind at the mention of the word? Blood, screams of agony, death? As a noun, sacrifice is defined by Merriam Webster as “the offering of something precious to deity, loss, deprivation.” The verb form is defined “to offer up or kill as a sacrifice, to accept the loss or destruction [...]

Tags: addiction

Isn’t it just like God to use the ordinary to introduce the extraordinary? Mary and Joseph traveled many miles to register for a census in Joseph’s home town. Mary rode a donkey or some sort of work animal because she was due to deliver Jesus and couldn’t walk the trip. A humble, non-descript animal transported [...]

Tags: addict

Our oldest grandson, Kody, is a baseball player. He eats, breathes, and dreams baseball. In the early days of his playing, he didn’t hit well. On many occasions he struck out on his own, missing pitch after pitch. Other times, the three strikes and you’re out call was announced as pitches flew across the home plate and his [...]

Tags: addicts

MCDONALDS. CHICK-FIL-A. CRACKER BARREL. HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS. On a recent trip to visit our daughter in South Carolina, billboard invitations tempted my husband and me with food, lodging, gas, and myriad products and services. They lured us with expectations of met needs. When we see the iconic black and white cow encouraging patrons to “eat [...]

Tags: addiction

CAUTION! NO SHOULDERS 1 MILE The road sign caught my attention as I traveled to work one morning. My mind flew back to a period in my life when no shoulders could be found. My son’s addiction became more and more obvious, and I was about to explode from trying to hide the situation from [...]

Tags: addiction

“Let commencement of Tai Chi begin,” said the instructor. Thus began the slow-paced movements of a Tai Chi set, a series of 108 movements. My husband and I attended an open house at a Taoist Tai Chi Center near our home. Most of the time I sat with my arms folded tight across my chest—the [...]

Tags: AA

Mushy romantic cards stand like soldiers in card racks across the country. It is, after all, Valentine’s Day week.  Folks rush to the local drugstore to select a card for that special person. Some make a last-minute dash to the grocery store and purchase a bouquet of flowers, an attempt to say, “I love you.” [...]

Tags: 12 Steps

I do not like house cleaning, but I like my clean house. How do I achieve the latter when I dislike the former? I pick up a broom and start sweeping. I find all sorts of excuses to avoid house cleaning chores: There’s a blog or article to write. There’s a book to read. There’s a movie [...]

Tags: 12 Steps

Thanksgiving 2012 is a memory. What will you remember? The fabulous turkey dressing? The green bean casserole? The calorie-crushing carrot cake? A memory that warms your heart might strike terror in the heart of another family member. Not everyone recalls hot chocolate and cookies beside a fireplace. For many people, holidays bring tension instead of tinsel. The [...]

Tags: alcohol

An apron-clad server escorted our family to a round, gray plastic table. The cold chair sent shivers through my pants legs as I sat down. White scalloped-edged paper placemats adorned the table. Cheap institutional silverware lay atop a white paper napkin. A small silk flower arrangement completed the table decorations. Welcome to Thanksgiving Dinner 2000 [...]

Tags: addiction