I’m just trying to save lives, but I’m handcuffed. It breaks my heart, and leaves me feeling set aside. Youth suicide is epidemic, often the second leading cause of death for those between 15 and 24. No one understands why, and there are many valuable efforts to curb the onslaught. But what we are doing …
The Better Angels of Our Nature
I began as I always do…“Thank you for calling the depression hotline. How can I help?” The young man at the other end sounded disappointed; he had hoped to discuss, not depression, but anger management. He had just left a store and was sitting in his car, overwhelmed with anger and self-loathing. Moments earlier, he …
It IS a Small World After All
Note: The following will be published in the July/August issue of Neighbors of Batavia magazine. I thought it was a small world in 1964, but I had no idea. When I was 13, the family visited the New York World’s Fair. There is so much I remember: seeing New York City for the first time, …
Listen & Believe
There is a Buddhist tale about parents who asked a local monk to teach their child to live free of anger and hatred. “Of course,” replied the monk. “Bring your child back in two years.” Two years later they returned and instruction commenced. Confused, they asked why the teachings had to wait. “Because,” the monk …
Surrender…It’s not for the Faint of Heart
Try to get over the narrow idea that surrender is abject defeat. Surrender, in spirituality, is total acceptance. From the Bhagavad Gita, as translated by Jack Hawley When he finished playing, we …
Learning to Love the Not Knowing
Neil Armstrong, on his return from the moon said “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” What if the same …
Blessings That Lie Ahead
Last Sunday morning I unexpectedly found myself in the embrace of an African American teen who was crying uncontrollably. His deep emotional response was too much for me to remain untouched; my tears soon followed. After several minutes, he released his grip, looked me in the eye and said “Thank you so much.” I felt …
Dear David & Kathryn
Dear David & Kathryn, Yesterday, on the suicide hotline, I spoke with a young man who is struggling greatly as he nears the end of his high school career. A number of years ago, life opened before him a horrific, hellacious valley. He fell in and was held captive for too many years. In the …
Creativity at the Edge of Chaos
Note: The following will be published in the November-December issue of Neighbors of Batavia Magazine. I am thankful to Suzanne & Steve Heronemus for their friendship, kindness and wisdom. Twenty years later, the paradox grows even more relevant. We long for stable, creative lives. What if that is impossible? Many years ago, I worked with …