We who are in recovery are all good people. None of us prayed to be sick, none of us asked God for addiction.

The first gift I received was intervention. For some time, I had been drinking before going to work—fighting the nausea and gag reflex at the smell and taste—and drinking at work as well. My boss called me into the office; there sat the Rector of the parish, my Bishop, and our senior elected Lay Officer. My Bishop said, “I want you to go, do not worry about the cost, I want to see you well.” ...more

I’d rather not write about you, because writing about you means you’re somewhere else. I’d rather not write in the second person, as if the ‘you' (you) were right here instead of at Mt. Auburn Hospital in your pajamas. ...more

Xiao Bien and Da Bien
Pet ownership comes with responsibility. There is one obligation that my wife, daughter, and relatives all shun. They run the other way. That duty is to pick up and clean up after Toby meets his sanitary requirements: pees and poops, performs #1 and #2, does xiao bien and da bien (Chinese)—i.e., does his business. ...more