Be an Outcast
I work with outcasts for a living. And I have never been happier with my job. We are the scapegoats, the outcasts, the weird ones, the people who don’t belong. On one level, it really sucks. ...
The Lens of Life
For the past six years, we have been a proud guinea pig household. I purchased twin guinea pigs for my twin people as gifts when I graduated with my Master’s of Social Work. I know that appears...
Finding Compassion through Boundaries
When it comes to recovery work, there is no more famous buzz word than “boundaries”. There have been thousands of books written about it. Coaches and therapists focus intently on teaching...
Preparing for a Hurricane
There’s a hurricane heading for the East coast. If you live anywhere near me, you have been inundated with the news and warnings about it. That’s a good thing within reason. We all need to be...
What Might Have Been
I sent my son to middle school today. Actually I sent both kids to middle school today, but it was particularly significant for my son. When people meet my son, they instantly fall in love with...
Stop Being Selfish
As survivors, we are often torn between our deep desire to proudly be ourselves and the horrible, defeating messages of childhood. Even if we have changed our external situation since we were...
How We Learned We Weren’t Important
It isn’t about what you do, but who you are. We hear variations of this phrase all the time. And it sounds like a great concept. We can be proud of who we are as a person. We don’t have to...
Finding Freedom
As I have been working with my freedom fighters over these past months, I have come to understand the numerous ways others tried to control me throughout my life. I became so accustomed to these...
