“Build it and they will come” is what I had envisioned when I took steps to start a domestic violence program for batterers. I was aware that there were no social service agencies in our county who treated the people who commit acts of violence on their intimate partners. We have a fabulous agency that […]
Let’s talk about depression. There are many myths about what depression is, and what it isn’t. Frequently, people who have not experienced severe depression have a misunderstanding of what they believe it is. They may think, “it’s all in your head,” “you’re not depressed, you’re just having a bad day,” or “you just need a […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that heroin use and overdose deaths have increased significantly in the United States. They attribute the rise in heroin use with addiction to prescribed painkillers and the low cost of heroin. This is so worrisome that the CDC is calling the trend an “epidemic.” At the same […]
I met an interesting man yesterday. David Smith has hosted 114 international Rotary students over the past 36 years. When asked why he does this, he stated that it broadens his understanding of different cultures. It has allowed him to create new friendships and new family bonds around the world as a host father. Although […]
In reading the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper today, I see an article of a domestic violence victim. Lynette Butler fears for her safety. Although she took her husband to court and received an order of protection, she feels afraid. Her husband, Maurice Martin, was fitted with a GPS device so that Lynette can be alerted if […]
In Kenton County, Kentucky, a sheriff’s deputy worked as a school resource officer in an elementary school. There were an 8-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl in that school who suffer from ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. When the children acted out in class, becoming aggressive, the deputy placed them in handcuffs. The children […]
I admire people who lose weight and keep it off. I respect people who train for and run marathons. I celebrate cancer survivors. It takes great discipline to achieve these goals. It is time that we celebrate the achievement of people who recover from drug addiction. It is no small feat to achieve long term […]
21-year-old Dylann Roof entered a church in Charleston, South Carolina. He sat with some members for a bible study, then opened gunfire on them, killing eight people. A ninth person later died at a hospital. The pastor was among the six women and three men who were killed. This was a racially motivated hate crime. […]
I was caught by a news headline “Couple married for 75 years die together.” Jeanette and Alexander Toczko were born in 1919, met when they were eight years old, and married in 1940. The coupled couldn’t bear the thought of being apart and said they hoped to one day die in their bed, holding hands. […]
No one is quite as bored as a twelve-year-old boy who cries “I’m bored” every fifteen minutes. He is in a seemingly never ending search for stimulation. But you don’t have to be an adolescent to experience this common human experience. Psychologist John Eastwood studied boredom and found that a bored person doesn’t just have […]