Thursday
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

Life on Life's Terms

Driving lessons

When I got home that night my daughter met me at the door.

"I drove home from PT!" she said.

"You drove through Oakland?  Down 79?"

"I did!"

I was proud of her, but I could feel her moving away even as she came to hug me.  On the other hand, I imagined her driving to see me someday, my grandchildren in their car seats. 

Today I will remember a loved one's independence may strengthen her ties to me.

Life on Life's Terms (c) 2014 by Ken Montrose

Freebie

This week's freebie is the Kindle version of My Favorite Character Defects: The second workbook written by your Addiction.  It is available at  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S.

Other Blogs

AArdvarks, a daily messages blog about a group of young people in recovery can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/6932660-scary.

Upcoming  Trainings

When Even the Voices Are Hungover
September 10, 2014 at Kerr Presbyterian Church in Verona
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
$50 payable in advance, at the door, or by invoice after the training

This five hour training is accredited for:

• Addiction Counselors by the Pa. Certification Board
• Nurses by the PSNA #101-1-O-14
• Counselors by NAADAC #477 and NBCC #6352
• EAPs by the Employee Assistance Certification Commission
• Social Workers by the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

To register, please visit our website greenbriartraining.com or send an email to kmontrose@greenbriar.net.

Smart Bears, Angry Rats

Rats   150 Years later

Sitting on Sonya's nightstand was a picture of her husband standing next to the Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet.  A computer system ranked among the most powerful in the world allowed the plane's weapons systems to track and fight four enemy planes at once. The plane's twin engines could blast it to any spot on the globe in less than two hours.   It could carry its own weight in bombs and still take off vertically or horizontally. 

In the picture her husband was pointing at the wheels of the plane.  The rubber tires of the landing gear had been partially chewed away.  Rats with pea-sized brains, and armed only with sharp teeth, had grounded one of the deadliest machines on the planet.

Sonya's husband had been an alcoholic who drank his way out of the Air Force.  Like the plane, he had been smart, powerful, and quick to meet any challenge.  Sometimes Sonya thought each beer he drank was like a rat, chewing the wheels out from under him.  She had tried to help him, but his anger and his pride wouldn't let him see he had a problem.

Today I will beware of anything that might be gnawing at me, be it an addiction, anger, envy, arrogance, or other character flaws.

Smart Bears, Angry Rats (c) 2014 by Ken Montrose