First Step Consultation – Brian Farr M.S. in Ed., C.A.S.A.C.

Is part of your holiday tradition watching the same movies and holiday shows each year?  I prefer to watch what I consider “The Classics” while wrapping gifts in front of the fireplace. And yes, gifts must be placed in boxes and wrapped – not bagged.  I worked as a bagger at the local Grand Union… Read more: The True Reason For The Season?

I’ve been thinking about the musical Hamilton alot lately.  A refrain from the song “The Schuyler Sisters” keeps running through my head.  Throughout the show, Peggy, Angelica, and Eliza (the sisters) repeat the chorus “look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now.”  The irony in this statement is that the… Read more: An Attitude of Gratitude

The line suddenly went tight and my body instinctively blocked out everything else but the feel of the monofilament held between my fingers on the rod.  Up until that time in my life, there was nothing else that could drown out the background noise and bring my anxious, scattered thoughts into more focus than the… Read more: Gone Fishing

While my children were home for their college break, we were rummaging around the garage and came upon a pile of plastic and inflatable sleds that they’d had for well over a decade.  As we discussed the possibility of donating the collection to the next generation of young people at “Big Hill,” our local spot… Read more: So, Did You Kids Have Fun?

If you’ve never spent this time of year as a patient or a visitor in a hospital, count your blessings.  I’ve spent two of my 52 December Holiday Seasons holding vigil in stuffy, sanitized rooms for family members that were balancing delicately on the precipice of this world and the next during this time of… Read more: Count Your Blessings

The best part of that morning was the bagels.  They were made in Long Island, which in my opinion are the only authentic bagels in the world.  I wasn’t labeled a “fussy eater” back then, like all those kids that in modern times might be identified as lactose intolerant or having severe allergies to certain… Read more: I Love A Parade (at home-on the tv)!

I blame the following series of events on Steven Spielberg and his gross but adorable alien E.T.  It was October of 1982, I was 12 years old, and I absolutely loved Halloween.  Mostly just the free candy part, but dressing up and going door-to-door was also exciting.  Jack-O-Lanterns and fallen leaves on the ground with… Read more: E.T. Kills Halloween

I’ve had a fair amount of jobs in my lifetime which were completely unrelated to what I now do for a professional living.  Here is a quick glimpse, starting with the first work I can remember doing in the 4th or 5th grade: -lawn boy (I mowed several in our neighborhood, using the family’s push… Read more: What Matters Most?

The older brother was drunk.  All three of us were, so this wasn’t particularly surprising.  What made the incident exceptional was just how drunk the older brother now appeared to be.  He had bounded off into the darkness, jumping precariously from boulder to boulder and screaming “Get down! Get down!  They’re coming for us, man!”… Read more: Remember That Trip Up Old Rag Mountain?

As a public service announcement, I’m recommending that anyone planning to visit Lake George take a stroll up the Prospect Mountain Hiking Trail.  Bring your kids and every relative, friend, or neighbor you can find – regardless of age, shape, or physical ability.  Before getting underway on the trail, stop by Canada Street and invite… Read more: Come One, Come All, To Prospect Mountain Hiking Trail!

            I enjoy the ocean now.  Well, not swimming in the ocean – ever.  But the dry part of the ocean, what some call the shore.  That part is good now.  Well, it’s tolerable.  If you have a beach tent that doesn’t get blown over and if you have plenty of water and snacks.  Then,… Read more: An Amends (Sort Of) To The Ocean

               I almost got a tattoo of a buffalo when I was younger.  At the time I was living in Boulder, Colorado and surrounded by other tree huggers, fun-seekers, and free-spirits in their early 20’s.  Ironically, the only thing that stopped me was the fact that the Buffalo was the mascot of the University of… Read more: Buffalo in the Mist – Custer State Park

July 15 is a special day for Ballston Spa resident Sean Kelleher Posted on 07.14.14 by pcadmin By Lauren Mineau for The Saratogian>> July 15 is a special day for Ballston Spa resident Sean Kelleher. He’ll be three years sober and attending a film screening at Bow Tie Cinemas that he brought to life. “The Anonymous People,”… Read more: The Ying and Yang of RAIS

Since quitting alcohol and other drugs 25 years ago, I always took a pass when it came to making New Year’s Resolutions.  If asked about a resolution for the upcoming year, I simply responded, “I thought I might quit drinking.”  I felt justified in giving other changes and sacrifices a pass not only because the… Read more: Becoming Lighter in 2022

Welcome friends and thank you for checking out my first blog of 2020! If you are a returning reader, welcome back! I’m assuming you require less acclamation and explanation for what’s in store. If this is your first time reading my thoughts, I feel that a preamble is necessary. Some of my rambles may not… Read more: Top Movies for the Quarantine – Part One!

I’ve never had much game when it came to making initial conversation with women I find attractive.  But despite this affliction, I managed to marry a hottie, whom I love truly and deeply.  The fact that she dealt with my inability to read signs of flirtation (and the countless other character defects she’s put up… Read more: Wonder Woman’s QTip of Love

I learned from a young age how to be a hard worker.  It took considerably longer to learn how to work smart. One of the worst four-lettered insults around my house growing up, especially from my Dad, was being labeled as lazy.  I don’t believe the man ever slept beyond seven-o’clock in the morning, choosing… Read more: Lessons From My Dad, Professor Hinkle, and Craftsman Tools

              I’ve been told by far healthier people than myself that in a successful Program of Recovery, it’s important to make amends quickly when you’re wrong or when you’ve hurt someone else with your words and actions.  Bill W. and the creators of the 12 Step Program thought this… Read more: The Art of The Smirk: If You Can Spot It, You Got It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K5_YQ_e8hY This clip is from my favorite Simpson’s episode, and I think it’s an excellent (and hysterical) depiction of the weird and often uncomfortable dynamic that happens so often once someone enters recovery. When I stopped drinking, I knew some things would need to change. Like drinking so much, and during most of my free… Read more: Homer’s Guide to Friendship and Sobriety

  Since the presidential elections last November, I’ve been doing my best to make lemonade with the countless lemons that keep raining down from the White House.  As a person in long-term Recovery from addiction, a substance abuse counselor, and a professor of Addictions Studies, I’m well aware of the wisdom of The Serenity Prayer… Read more: An Intervention Plan for America

  I’ve decided that enough is enough.  According to this recent article in The New York Times, close to 60,000 people died in 2016 as a direct result of drug overdoses, and the number of deaths has continued to rise in 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/05/upshot/opioid-epidemic-drug-overdose-deaths-are-rising-faster-than-ever.html These numbers indicate the striking, undeniable truth that we as a society… Read more: How to End America’s Heroin Epidemic

  July 25th may not have been a significant date for you this year, but for 8-year-old Charlotte McCue and her family it will forever be a day when everything was lost.  At 9:30 p.m. on that night, Charlotte’s life was taken by Alexander West, a 24-year-old man who collided with the boat that McCue… Read more: The Deadliest Drug in America

As Father’s Day approaches, I am in the bittersweet position of missing my own dad who died nearly 20 years ago, while at the same time being extremely grateful for all I learned from him and from many other men of distinction that have been placed in my life through these years. I owe much… Read more: Men of Distinction

I believe that the best moms are the ones that want to have fun with their children, especially in those fleeting years when the kids are young, and the summers seem long. My mother really knew how to rock the summers when we grew up, and I never really appreciated this until I became a… Read more: Mom Rocks the Summer!

  We just wanted some ice cream cones. My family had been to this particular store on our last vacation and we were all looking forward to returning. There are very few foods and even fewer beverages of which I can honestly call myself a connoisseur, but ice cream is the exception to this rule.… Read more: Ice Cream With the Walking Dead

You won’t be receiving our annual Christmas/non-specific politically correct holiday card sent with love from The Farr Family this year. But it doesn’t mean we don’t love you. And it doesn’t mean we’re getting divorced or going through such a rough time in our lives that we couldn’t muster up enough strength to send out… Read more: About Those Christmas Cards…

  October 24th of this year marks 15 years of marriage to my wife “and 24 years since we first met”! Although our lives are wonderfully hectic right now, I wanted to take a moment and name the first 15 things that come to mind about why I love Suzanne Kellett Farr, and why I… Read more: 15!

  The first time I saw him perform it was clear that there was something wrong with him. And that was why I could not stop watching. Because there was something wrong with me as well, and this guy immediately struck me as a familiar, frantic soul. It was like his words could barely keep… Read more: Thanks Mr. Williams

I really enjoy some of the writing and ironic humor in The Simpsons. One of my favorite episodes is from Season 11 and is titled “Days of Wine and D’oh’ses”. It focuses on Barney Gumble, who is well-known for his blatant abuse of alcohol on the show, and how he has decided to quit drinking… Read more: Life Lessons From Homer Simpson

Here’s an activity I do with young people who are in treatment for abusing substances: Write down all of the words you can think of that have to do with being under the influence of a substance : “being messed up, tipsy, drunk, high, etc..” Take your time and write down any you can think… Read more: Wasted!

  One of my favorite teachers in 7th grade used to jokingly gauge the difficulty of our tests by the number of Martinis we would need to drink after taking the test to recover from the mental effort required. He would refer to the hardest challenges as “3 Martini Tests” and most of the students… Read more: Mixed Messages

My father and I stood before the door of the small, run down trailer and I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest as my fists slowly clenched and unclenched. He walked up and knocked on the door, and I moved up, standing behind him, looking over his shoulder, and noticing for the… Read more: Leading the way with love

I have worked with many young people in the Saratoga region over the last 17 years who were in treatment for problems associated with addiction. Although these kids were very different in many ways, there were some common risk factors among them that are rarely discussed in our community. And that needs to change if… Read more: Access + Attitude = Addiction

  I think I had Alaska all wrong.  But I refuse to take full responsibility for my ignorance, instead choosing to blame Jack London and George Lucas.  London’s short story “To Build a Fire,” was one of the first pieces of literature I read describing that unknown and mysterious area, and it made me feel… Read more: From Alaska with Love

Fear is a funny thing.  Recently my wife rallied up the courage to enter a school board meeting held  inside the same school building in which she was sexually assaulted one year ago.  She was there to overcome her fear of the student who assaulted her, her fear of the building in which it happened, and of… Read more: FEAR

    Earlier this year, a middle school student in a special education classroom in the Corinth School District violently attacked a substitute teacher.  The large, strong young man waited until dismissal time when all of the other students had left the room before sexually assaulting the teacher.  Only her quick thinking and actions allowed… Read more: Ignorance is Bliss?

This will be my last blog until August or September – it depends on when our upcoming road trip ends and how much I have accumulated to write upon along the way.  I have a feeling that I will have plenty to say and that most of it will be expressions of extreme gratitude for… Read more: Wally World or Bust!

In an effort to get in better shape and to save some gasoline, I have been riding my bike to work on nice days.  The distance is four miles each way, and the route is fairly flat with a wide, generous bike lane for most of the way.  It takes me about 15 to 20… Read more: Built to Last

  October 14, 2001 was a pivotal day in my life, even though I had no idea of the real significance at that time.  On that crisp fall day, I stood before a National Guard recruiter and expressed my desire to sign up for the Guard.  The recruiter looked to be about my age, although… Read more: Breaking The Silence

My life today is precious and priceless and nearly perfect.  I am not looking to trade my life in for another, and I have faith that all will be well in the end if I continue to keep moving forward and do my best in the roles that have been assigned to me.  People sometimes… Read more: Fatherhood

  Some weeks I despise writing this blog.  Especially when the topic is about something I would rather ignore.  This was the case last week, when I felt compelled to shine some light into the dark corner I had been sitting in while stuffing my face with unhealthy, sugar laden treats.  Despite my refusal to… Read more: Come Out Swinging…

I like muffins.  And I must admit that when I first heard the slang term “muffin top” used to describe the puffy layer of fat-filled skin that oozes over one’s waist line and overhangs the waistline of one’s clothing, I knew that my appreciation and taste for muffins would be forever altered.  I don’t think… Read more: Do You Know The Muffin Man?

My two girls were both in school plays this year, and both shone like the bright stars they are in this father’s humble opinion.  One was Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the other was The Cat in the Hat in Seussical the Musical. The pose and talent and joy that my… Read more: The Show Must Go On…

In my experience, the term “harmless drug” is an oxymoron, an expression meant to convince someone that the use of a certain substance is perfectly acceptable because of the low possibility of damage the drug may cause to one’s body or mind.  The problem with this line of thinking is that most drugs are considered… Read more: Buyer Beware

I know how the Colonel feels.  Starting this fall, “Professor” Farr will begin a full time position at Hudson Valley Community College teaching and supervising future substance abuse counselors.  And although I did not use any explosives, machine guns, or covert means to knock Bosco Albert “B.A.” Baracus out and get him on the plane,… Read more: Stick to The Plan

My mom is a great lady, but you don’t want to get on her bad side.  The term “Hurricane Rosy” was coined about the time I was entering adolescence and had the misfortune of joining my mother on a trip to an electronics store with a radio that my sister had received as a gift… Read more: A Force of Nature

  In case you missed it, time stopped briefly on April 7th of this year.  You may not have noticed, or it may have only happened to me, but I know for sure that it happened.  I had just gotten into my car after buying some last minute Easter supplies at the pharmacy.  I glanced… Read more: Stop, Look, & Listen

Another Easter season has come and gone and my family and I are not attending any church services with regularity.  This disturbs me to some extent.  It had been a goal of mine this year to find a place of organized religion that I felt comfortable with and to begin attending services as a family. … Read more: The Prefect Church

For those of you who do not know “and I find it extremely hard to believe that any of you would not know,” April 1st of each year is the official start of trout fishing season in New York State.  Having grown up in and around a family business that was based on fishing, this… Read more: A Fish Story

I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must… Read more: Man Down

By my senior year of high school, I had seen the movie “Easy Rider” with Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nickalaus numerous times.  Several of my friends and I had started a cult following of types for the film, and we discussed various aspects of it often and in detail.  I even got the… Read more: The American Dream

When I was growing up, my mother never missed a chance to bust out the decorations and gussy up our house for every single holiday that came down the line.  The “big” ones were no surprise – Christmas, Halloween, and Easter – those seemed to warrant the time and effort spent on breaking out the… Read more: Erin Go Braugh!

We should have set up the tent first.  More accurately, I should have set it up.  In the back yard.  Before we were here, in this moment, and needed it.  Such lack of planning and complete inability to look into the future is a hallmark of my personality.  A quirk – a habit – part… Read more: Pure Love

    Rage.  White hot heart pounding fists clenched teeth grinding head screaming ready to attack or scream at any minute rage.  My family is threatened by forces completely outside of our control – again.  And that makes me angry.     It’s always surprising to me – Mr. Counselor, Mr. Recovery, Mr. Spokesperson for… Read more: A time to rage?

Let me just begin by saying that I am not an avid fan of any sport.  I like to watch the World Series and the Superbowl each year, but that has much more to do with the traditions surrounding those events and the excuse to eat unhealthy foods than with who actually wins.  I also… Read more: Franken-Fashion: A Husky Boy’s Tale

  Some of the best and most challenging advice I have gotten over these last 15 years of looking through the world with sober eyes is to “Keep it Simple”.  An alternate version of this motto floating around recovery circles is “Keep it Simple Stupid,” and in either case, it usually works for a trouble… Read more: Keep it Simple

I grew up in and around a bait and tackle shop business, and, consequently, learned quite a bit about fishermen “and women,” and the sport of fishing from a very young age.  As the family legend goes, my grandfather decided that our small town needed a store to supply fishing goods after an excursion with… Read more: Taking the Bait

  When I decided to take a hiatus from my weekly blogs, a few things happened that I did not expect.  The first was that I stopped writing regularly. I had hoped I would have the discipline to write each week, maybe even each day without knowing that I had something to publish – a… Read more: Want to or got to?

My wife and I recently celebrated 12 years of marital bliss.  This year we kept it simple, staying at our house together alone, and asking our in laws to watch the kids for the night.  We refused to answer the phone, and basked in the quality time together that seems so rare in our wonderful… Read more: A Better Mousetrap

Pharmaceutical drugs are quickly becoming a huge problem among young people.  The number one drug of abuse for the youngest age group in our country continues to be inhalants, however.  Can you guess what these two substances have in common that makes them so attractive to these curious young minds? They can both cause death… Read more: Easy Access Equals Permission

  52 weeks ago I set down a challenge for myself.  I wanted to see if I could post a weekly blog for one year.  Now I have done that.  Hooray! And now, much like I assume Forest Gump felt like when he began running across the country and eventually realized he had no tangible… Read more: #52 -The End. Sort of…

Here is some free and unsolicited advice for you: if you are ever mandated to go for any type of evaluation with a counselor, and they ask questions about your family of origin, DO NOT say that things were “fantastic, wonderful, or, the worst choice of all – normal”. Any of these answers will quickly… Read more: Family Ties – The Ties That Bind

Last week, my family and I spent a few days in what can best be described as paradise.  Well, for some it might be paradise “unplugged”.  And for others it may just be tedious, boring, torture.  But for us it was magnificent.  The place I am talking about is a resort hidden deep in the… Read more: New Jersey Drivers

  The question I have this week is rather delicate, so I decided to just come out and ask it:  As a parent, have you ever found yourself watching your child/children at play and thought “Wow, what they are doing right now is really not too intelligent?”  Not that the behavior is necessarily dangerous, although… Read more: The Fine Line

To the trained eye, many things around our house may look substandard .  Substandard may be a tad too harsh, though – I’ll go with “slightly askew” instead.  If a contractor, or handyman, or anyone with a background in professional building was to stroll through the rooms and hallways of our home, their eyes may… Read more: DIY Blues

  For anyone who has been in or around a 12 Step program, the concept of “people, places, and things” is nothing new.  One of the first suggestions for people trying to recover from any addictive or destructive behavior is to focus on, and to change these three key areas.  At first glance, it may… Read more: People, Places, and Things

My lawn looks good.  Not great.  But good.  I don’t know if it will ever look great.  I certainly don’t think it will ever meet the standards of my neighbor whose turf looks like it was transplanted from a P.G.A. golf course.  Every blade of rich, dark green grass on their lawn appears to be… Read more: Lawn Mower Therapy

  We have been having some fun at my house recently by watching some of the iconic movies from the past with my kids.  They are at the age now where they understand many of the deeper meanings in these films, and it is also interesting to see just how far film-making, technology, and the… Read more: Are You Smart Enough to Survive?

“When we grew up and went to school, there were certain teachers who would hurt the children any way they could…” Those lyrics by the band Pink Floyd are ominous, filled with pain, and hard to fathom.  Why would teachers want to intentionally hurt students?  What is harder to believe is that the song, though… Read more: Tear Down The Wall!

  I realized something odd this week.  I feel O.K.  Peaceful.  Tranquil.  Serene.  And this is odd for me, because my life circumstances haven’t changed in any significant way to cultivate these feelings.  If anything, my life situation today is more uncertain, unpredictable, and downright scary than ever before.  And it would seem that I… Read more: Promises, Promises

  Things were getting ugly.  You could feel the anger and tension rising in the mob as each second passed by.  More and more people were joining the unruly group, many of them visibly burned, and tired, and dehydrated from hours in the sun.  There were children in the midst of it all – some… Read more: The Time of Our Lives?

Do you enjoy science?  I enjoy it now more than I used to.  I never much cared for math, either, unless it involved money.  Then I found it interesting.  I can remember sitting at my grandparent’s kitchen table counting small piles of coins and putting them in paper rolls to bring to the bank.  I… Read more: Just Keep Moving Forward

  I am part of the great “social network” now, and I log in every now and then to check on my status and to see if anyone new wants to be my friend.  I was resistant to joining it all at first, and it was my wife who convinced me.  Up until then, I had… Read more: Oh, What a Tangled Web…

I turned myself in last week.  It had to be done.  It was only a matter of time until they found me, and took me, and made me responsible for what I had done.  In truth, I was relieved when I was finally in the building and gave myself up.  I had expected that the… Read more: Watch N Weight

I recently saw a bumper sticker that read “Do you feel safer yet?”  I could relate.  Because usually I don’t.  But the sentiment got me thinking about the countless times I have turned to anger, resentments, or good old revenge when I have felt threatened or challenged, or worst of all, scared in the past. … Read more: You Won’t Like Me When I’m Angry!

There is a lion in my backyard.  But if you come to visit, don’t worry – she won’t attack you.  She can’t.  And she wouldn’t even if she could.  She’s not that kind of a lion.    Simba was sent to me – like most things that have entered my life – from God.  I… Read more: The Lion Queen

  Last week I talked about the chasm that appears to exist between religious beliefs and scientific explanation of the origins of our world and everything around it.  This relationship has troubled me for years.  It seems ironic that religion and science, both having the same goal of discovering the “truth,” are often viewed in… Read more: The Answer to Everything – Sort Of…

  One of the goals on my “bucket list” is to make a movie.  My wife is on board with the project.  We are both fans of movies, well, good movies – movies that show in every scene that there was a great deal of time, and effort, and thought put into them.  I am… Read more: He’s Back!

  The Hubble Space Telescope took over 13 years to build and cost about 200 million dollars.  The engineers who built the telescope took the term “meticulous” meticulously. Everything needed to be right.  Everything needed to be perfect.  And when the the first pictures were sent back from the telescope, while press cameras rolled and… Read more: Good Enough?

  One of the most unique things about spring in the northeast is the rich smell of the dirt.  Not dirt, really, but some combination of land, rain, and air.  It is the smell of the earth soaking in water and sun.  It is the smell of wet leaves, of damp wood, of a thick,… Read more: Sensing spring

There have been a few stories in our town lately involving drugs and alcohol that are upsetting people.  The first happened a few weeks ago at a high school dance.  Some of the young people who attended turned out to be inebriated.  And that is an understatement.  They had consumed enough alcohol so that their… Read more: Not My Kid!

When I grew up, we did not go on many  long  car trips.  Well, not as many  as other families might have.  I had cousins who lived on Long Island, and that was the only lengthy trip we took with any regularity.  I used to look forward to the ride – I loved it, in fact. … Read more: Are We There Yet?

Check out this link:  http://www.schooltube.com/video/45d3fd06a34e19297620/This-Too-Shall-Pass-Rube-Goldberg-Version-by-OK-Go Lately I’ve been reminded of what powerful forces chain reactions can produce.  The current devastation in Japan is also a grim reminder that despite all we know about the earth and its processes – we really know very little.  The current “advancements” proceeding that tragedy did detect that an earthquake… Read more: Chain Reactions

  What do you take for a headache?  What is your favorite medication to help with a cold?  How about a fever – what works best for that?  Upset stomach?  Insomnia?  Allergies?  When you go to the doctor, do you expect to leave with a prescription?  One last question: Have you ever used heroin for… Read more: One Pill Makes You Larger…

In the clearing stands a boxer, a fighter by his trade.  And he carries the reminders of every glove that’s layed him down or cut him till he cried out, in his anger and his shame “I am leaving, I am leaving” but the fighter still remains, yes he still remains… Last week I talked… Read more: Fight Time!

  Do you know anyone who could use therapy?  A better question might be do you know anyone who could not use some therapy?  I worked with a psychiatrist in the past “who since has retired, sold everything, and moved to Mexico,” who used to say: “If you meet someone without a personality disorder, they… Read more: Car Talk

  Do you have a love story in your life?  Most of us do.  But sometimes we forget it.  I have a really good one. I thought about selling it to a Hollywood producer for a movie, or at least a Hallmark made for t.v. movie, but I could never decide who should play all… Read more: A Love Story

Is there anything worse than a hypocrite?  Well, probably.  In fact, I’m sure there certainly is.  But this week I am feeling like a hypocrite, and it feels pretty bad.  Over the last few weeks, I have been pouring out advice over working through old hurts and pains “all of which was good, solid, accurate… Read more: Do As I Say, Not As I Do…

The winter weather this year has been perfect for a condition on houses commonly referred to as “ice damming”.  This occurs when the warmest part of a roof “near the top,” warms the snow enough for melting to occur. The melted water than flows down the roof under the remaining snow until it meets a… Read more: Melting

I have always loved the snow, and the effects that snow can have on our regular schedules.  Lately I have been reminded of the excitement and endless possibilities that always came with hearing that school had been cancelled due to a snowstorm when I was young.  For me, the day off meant spending time with my father… Read more: Do the Right Thing All Ways

   It’s not always easy or comfortable to walk through the memories of the past, especially if bullying is part of your life story.  I think many people want to “move past it,” or “get over it,” and simply keep moving forward without feeling the old pain.  Many self help philosophies encourage this when it… Read more: Confessions of a Teenage Bully

  Last week I challenged everyone to be mindful of your language and of the language around you.  I hope that you did.  And I hope that you took the time to get honest about the messages you are giving and receiving each day.  Today I want to go even further and ask you a… Read more: Do Your Best All Ways – Week 2

“Hello.”  “Good Morning.”  “Thank You.” “I’m sorry.”  These words are small, but they are powerful.  They set a tone.  They acknowledge a person, or a situation, or a standard of kindness, communication, and a type of humanity that is tremendously important.  Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can make or break our… Read more: Do Your Best All Ways

  Have you ever been thirsty? I mean really thirsty? I mean the kind of thirst that comes when you have been pushing your body to its limit, or you have been out in the sun for a long, long, long, time with no drinking source available. I am talking about the kind of thirst… Read more: Einstein’s Other Theory

  To me, a Christmas tree has always been a sacred spot. I am the first one to turn on the tree’s lights every morning, and I enjoy sitting quietly and looking at the tree during this time of year.  It brings me peace. And serenity. And something else. Hope? Love? Peace of mind? Something. The tree has… Read more: St. Jagger’s Sonnet

      Albany Medical Center. Cancer Unit. Surgical Waiting Room. Friday, December 10th – 2:35 p.m. “Mr. Farr? Is there a Mr. Farr here?” “I’m Mr. Farr.” ” Your wife is out of surgery. The surgeon is on the phone for you…” Do you know what you have? Do you really know? Do any… Read more: Miraculous?

        I know a woman who is a channel. She talks to dead people. And I believe that she can do it. I believe it because she is an old friend who only recently began to concentrate and strengthen the strong intuitive and spiritual consciousness she has had for her whole life. I… Read more: Channel Changing – St. Francis Prayer

  For those of you who do not have a GPS, the phrase “recalculating” is one that we GPS users know all too well. It is either shown on the screen, usually with the dreaded spinning hourglass icon, or it is spoken by the woman who lives inside of your GPS – the one who… Read more: Recalculating

    Do you have an attitude of gratitude? This is the time of year when gratitude is emphasized – or, at least, it is supposed to be. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, even from a young age. It was one of those rare times when our whole family got together to basically… Read more: Giving Thanks

  I can’t believe it’s been five years since Hurricane Katrina struck. It is also hard to believe that the 9/11 attacks happened over 9 years ago. I was thinking about those tragedies recently, thinking about the images and stories that came out during those times, and all of the stories that came out afterward.… Read more: Bucket Filling