The following is a letter from me to my grandson, William Palmer (age 19), a patient at Cumberland Heights, a nationally recognized alcohol and treatment center west of Nashville. He is being treated for prescription drug abuse. The accompanying photograph shows my son, Christopher, hugging his then two-year-old son, William. A far better life awaits William, and we intend to help him find it. Dear William: I just wanted you to know that I am proud of you for facing up to your problem … [Read more...]
Remembering That Day of “Infamy”
I was 12 years old when my father, looking very grave, told us-my mother, sister and me-that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor on Oahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands. It was a picture perfect day in Summit, N.J., a charming commuter town 30 miles west of New York City. There was about a foot of snow that day, and we were in the backyard sleigh riding, taking turns on my Flexible Flyer, when my father came out to give us the news. The attack just before 8 a.m. that morning of December 7, … [Read more...]
In Autumn – a New Beginning
One late afternoon in October 1978, I found myself at a deserted outdoor restaurant in Boulder, Colorado with only the bartender for company. In the lengthening shadows of the Rocky Mountains, chilled by the wind, I stood with drink in hand suddenly overcome by a sense of loneliness and isolation. I watched the lights wink on in the little houses on the side of the slope and wished that I was living in one of them doing what normal people did—like mowing the lawn and cleaning the garage and … [Read more...]
A Grandfather’s Tale: Thankful for Turkey
On Building Relationships A grandfather’s Tale By David Palmer The late Dr. Conway Hunter used to sponsor an annual, four-day Thanksgiving retreat at St. Simons Island off the Georgia coast for people in recovery from substance addictions, mainly alcohol. In November of 1990, I joined a contingent from Little Rock at the retreat. I was about ten years sober and felt in need of a spiritual jolt. And I got one. It finally dawned on me at St. Simons that while I had quit drinking ten … [Read more...]
Restoring the American family: A key to greatness
“The reason there is so much violence and chaos in the black precincts is the disintegration of the African-American family.” With this statement, Bill O’Reilly, on Fox News the night of July 22, began to recast the national conversation about the plight of inner city blacks from a race problem to a family problem. “Right now,” O’Reilly said, “about 73 percent of all black babies are born out of wedlock. That drives poverty. And the lack of involved fathers leads to young boys growing up … [Read more...]
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