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 »

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 »

 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 »

If only more political discussions could take place this way:

I was impressed how Franken handled the questions and objections thrown at him. No disrespect. No shouting. No rudeness. No unkindness. He was able to disarm any potential arguments with information and with a real understanding o… Read full post »

 Maybe it's my birth sign.....maybe it's birth order, but I feel too sentimental about too many things in life. I always have and most likely, I always will.
 
For instance. There is only one more week left of the pool season. Our neighborhood pool closes after Labor Day weekend. For m… Read full post »

This is a response to TheObsoleteMan who responded to Cyclopic to name ten titles of poems that made an impression on us. It had to be done without looking up anything.

Well, I changed the rules slightly since I could only recall by name and author five poems.....and then had… 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 »

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 »

What started out as a post or two about my feelings concerning my young neighbor, Alex, ended up being a personal journey that took me through a plethora of emotions as Alex prepared for her death.

 As I mentioned in my very first post here on OpenSalon, when we lose a loved one… 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 »

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 »

 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 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 »

I'm so excited about the latest news I've heard about Obama.

 I could never understand how the tobacco industry could be one of our largest industries when tobacco is one of our biggest killers. Pot users will be thrown into jail even though using pot doesn't seem to kill. I can't stand… 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 »

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 »

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 »