The Department of Justice recently announced its intention to resume executions. I am appalled by this decision, and this is why. In 1986, my 70-year-old mother was asleep in her own bed when a teenaged neighbor broke into her home, … Continue reading
Join Thor and me on our last day in Greece, as we providentially get lost and find ourselves at this beautifully serene monastery that has been active since the early 10th century. NOTE: Since my 4-month backpacking trip around Greece … Continue reading
Paradise by Chaz Brenchley A miracle may cure cancer in one teenage boy, but can it cure a community…? They call it Paradise: an inner-city danger zone, starved of resources and starved of hope. Run-down housing, run-down lives. Then comes … Continue reading
I know this journey well, for it was one of the lifelines that carried me back from my personal abyss, which I’ve written about before and will do so again. I have heard a dozen variations of what brought writers … Continue reading
I’m a surviving family member of a murder victim. Twenty-six years ago, my 70-year old mother was raped and beaten to death by a teenaged neighbor on drugs. I’ve had a long time to find my way through rage and … Continue reading
Fantasy and horror have a natural affinity, one that goes back to the pre-literate times when people sat around the campfire, terrifying each other with stories of ghosts and skin-walkers and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night or that-are-not-quite-dead. Supernatural elements infused these tales with … Continue reading
Twenty-five years ago, my mother was raped and beaten to death by a teenaged neighbor on drugs. My mother was 70 years old and had been his friend since the time he was a small child. For a long time, … Continue reading
At this time of year, I often feel out of step with the rest of the country, at least as portrayed by the media and demonstrated by election results. This year is different. Like just about everyone else I know … Continue reading
One of the hardest parts of a personal crisis, whether it be a life-threatening illness, a death, or some other catastrophic situation, is that sometimes the relationships we value the most become casualties, the collateral damage of our tragedies. Not … Continue reading
