You should have seen my son, David,  last Saturday, September 5. He was so excited and so happy to have his freedom back, and we, his parents, were as excited for him as we were for ourselves. On that Saturday, September 5, David got his driving license back and purchased a… Read full post »

Instead of being concerned about my style of writing or if what I have to say is post worthy, I'm just going to write as though this is an entry to my journal. Style, formatting, and eloquence doesn't seem to have a place here when I'm talking about my son's addiction.… Read full post »

I've been wanting to write about homeschooling, but have been holding back for some reason. After reading about the eleven year old boy who hanged himself, I decided now was the time to write.

I started homeschooling my oldest back in 1988 when it wasn't the popular thing to do. Michael… Read full post »

For those of you who viewed the Steven Colbert show the other night...the one that took place in Iraq for our American soldiers...you might enjoy reading this post. (For those of you who didn't see it, check out ronp01's post. He's got the link to the show. http://open.salon.com/blog/ronp01/2009/06/0… Read full post »

 I'm discovering for myself that " facing my fear" really is a powerful tool for overcoming that fear.

I'm referring to Alex, the young 22 year old friend/neighbor who is dying of esophagus cancer and will be dead any day now. (For those of you who are new to my blog, I've writt… Read full post »

Although I knew this was going to happen, I am still crying with a sadness that only the death of a loved one can cause. Alex, the 22 year old girl I've been writing about here at OpenSalon, has died. I don't know the details yet, whether it was last night… Read full post »

Before I continue this story, I owe it to my husband to make two corrections from part one. First of all, my husband never said he "loathed" our son....what he "loathed" was the drug addiction. Secondly, at the end of the story when I walked upstairs to crawl in bed to… Read full post »

I will have to admit that I'm feeling rather paranoid and a little taken back by a personal message (PM) that I received from another OpenSalon member. Out of respect for this person  since he did send me a private/personal message, I will not mention his name to protect him, even thou… Read full post »

This is a letter I wrote to my son as a follow up to my last post here on Open Salon. Some of the points made in my letter came from OS readers who responded to the last post. Thank you.  You may have helped to save a life.

Dear David,

First… Read full post »

With keen interest I have been following the posts on abortions and comments supporting pro-choice and women's rights. I have kept an open mind with an inquisitive search for answers and information that will help  to balance my staunch and unwavering view.
 
Even though I'm well aware of my… Read full post »

 It's really a happening place and it's really happening!
 
Don't tell me you've forgotten already!
 
You are invited to Kansas City, Missouri....any time, but there are a group of us from OpenSalon who will be gathering in Kansas City on the weekend of October 9 - 10, 2009! Yes, fo… Read full post »

I was just curious if anyone of you OS writers/artists have experienced the  Landmark Forum? Please let me know if you have and what your experience was like.

For those of you who don't know what it is, go to www.landmarkforum.com

In a nutshell, it's an educational seminar or a "powerful… Read full post »

Trying to ignore the knots in my stomach, I got into my car, more than ready to drive around, run errands and do anything just to get me out of the house. There are two superficial  activities that can trigger  stress and emotional intensity within me: kids fighting and… Read full post »

One of the characteristics that goes along with having a child  that is an addict is paranoia.

My son, David, is no longer doing hard drugs like he was over a year ago. i.e. heroin

Thank God and I sincerely mean, thank you God for that gift of helping… Read full post »

Alex is the 20 year old neighbor/friend of mine and my kids who lives just up the street from us. My last post was about her. She came home from the hospital yesterday to live out her remaining few days of life. She is dying from esophagus cancer at almost 21… Read full post »

I am not a political analyst like some here at OS are. (i.e. ronp01) In spite of the limited knowledge I have concerning the political arena and worldly news, I feel outrage when I hear what's being spread as "news" from the far right and especially from FOX News. The lies… Read full post »

When I was  younger, perhaps in my 30's, I used to be concerned about the future of my life, because until I hit about 41, life had been fairly easy. Her deck of cards were definitely stacked in my favor. Although the joker would occasionally show  up unannounced, and no magic… Read full post »

Maybe this doesn't affect most of you, but I am excited for my daughter and others who are drowning in their student loans. The cost to attend college and universities has skyrocketed to unreasonable heights that go way beyond the cost of living considerations, inflation, people's salaries etc. Not o… Read full post »

I was mindlessly washing a few last dishes before I went to bed when the thought occurred to me how the same we all really are....in many ways.

Being the self-centered person that I am, I so badly want to think that I'm unique.  After all, when a young girl… Read full post »

Although there is not much I like about being fifty years old, there is one quality about being middle aged that I truly appreciate and treasure. I am abundantly more confident about who I am which means  I am more free to express my love for  others. I like that!
 

 If &n… Read full post »

We all have some favorite birthday gifts stored in our treasure box of memories, don't we? We may even still possess those gifts. Perhaps it was the diamond tennis bracelet your husband presented to you unexpectantly. Maybe it was the gold hoop earrings your eight  year old son purchased from th… Read full post »

I'm struggling with the reality of "gay marriage." I'm truly trying to be open minded and accepting, but I'm having a difficult time with it. Why? I'm not sure.

Possibly it's my age. Possibly it's my Catholic beliefs. Possibly because it's new. Possibly it's because I'm not gay. It's probably a… Read full post »