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In the aftermath of losing a child, several dads I know now value time differently and orient their lives to helping others overcome crushing obstacles. This is not heroic. It can be grueling with setbacks and triggers. Sometimes we rush into the very forces that took a loved one away. Which carries a cost. Yet…
Read MoreWhile so much feels at stake during these unsettled times, we have a celebration of solidarity coming. Just yesterday, a friend helped me reframe my approach to part of Hope Floats’ 10-year Gala next Friday, Nov. 9. Called “A Decade of Hope,” the gathering is both a chance to thank a community that supports grieving…
Read MoreIt’s crazy how unintended and even unwanted experiences bring us to new circles of friends. How our lives shift in ways that once seemed unimaginable. I feel such a stirring as this summer unfolds. This comes in the context of helping other men cope with the loss of a child. So many guys—myself partly included—“gut…
Read MoreYou might say the shift is on. This feels like a time to bridge the old and new. A season to clear out clutter and embrace a fresh start, while surrendering to not having full control over events. More than doing a spring cleaning, there is a push and pull of taking healthy risks versus…
Read MoreWhile preparing for prostate surgery more than a year ago, one of the most helpful practices I found was a meditative CD that helped loosen my anticipated pain and fears. I could envision releasing them through my toes and fingertips. This visioning practice, if you will, helped guide me for a successful result: removing cancer…
Read MoreWishing you peace this holiday season, plus a rekindling of belief. This is a time to rediscover joy and perhaps count our blessings. For many of us, the good cheer is coupled with a keen vulnerability: sharp pangs of lament and isolation poking through. Wounds are exacerbated during the holidays, stinging along with winter’s first…
Read MoreGrowing up, I was an avid breakfast reader of the Globe’s sports section, fond of the “Thoughts While Shaving” column. In his regular piece, sportswriter Ernie Roberts offered tidbits of critiques and impressions regarding players on the doomed Red Sox and Pats, or the vaunted Celtics and Bruins. My post today adopts some of that…
Read MoreWithout a doubt, it’s chaos out there. A world spins out of control. Our dysfunctional divisions widen. There’s no progress in sight to tackle the burgeoning challenges of the day. It’s enough to make one wonder: What’s the point? What gives? And yet, this midsummer I am reminded again to slow down and take in…
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