Tom Adams
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Recent conversations have reminded me that holidays are not times of joy for all. Despite all the songs of good cheer and joy, holidays are a mixed bag for many, and a time of deep pain for some. This post explores this continuum of holiday experiences, and invites your reflection on how you view the arriving holidays.
Chaos and uncertainty abound these days. Nature is doing its part to remind us life is messy and we aren’t in charge. I woke up last week to howling winds, temperatures too cold for my liking and some light snow. Friends in PA and MI were digging out from huge snow storms while friends in FL complained about this unusual cold and needing to turn on their heating systems.
Last week, November 26, was Bill Wilson’s birthday. He was born 129 years ago in 1895. He is the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous with Dr. Robert Smith of Akron. Like many people in recovery from addictions, I feel indebted to Bill and his wife Lois, and Dr. Bob and his wife Anne. The couples’ love for each other empowered Bill and Bob to survive a deadly addiction to alcohol. Together they created a “way out” of the despair and torture of an illness destructive to them, and their families.
Happy Thanksgiving week! I hope you are able to pause and reflect on the many ways that you are blessed. This week’s post is about why gratitude is not an annual celebration for me, rather a daily practice, and how that practice continues to grow and enrich my life.
The nomination of Matt Gaetz to be the Justice Department Secretary pushed me over the edge. I, like many, couldn’t believe it. It made crystal clear to me that the circus is indeed in town. Having studied a little Latin, I wondered if this was indeed the Circus Maximus, the greatest circus of all times.
Well, so much for being a poll denier. I made a decision to not believe the polls about the election and trust that good would triumph. While it turns out I was quite wrong, I am grateful to Big Spirit for that gift. While it didn’t protect me from worry, it did help me stay hopeful as I did what I could to support candidates I believed in.
Thanks for voting and considering my posts about different ways to make sure every possible vote for good and justice gets cast. Today’s post for Election Day 2024 explores what’s next.
Our youngest son loved to play soccer from a very early age. One year, the annual end-of-season potluck dinner featured a sports reporter from a local TV station. Besides congratulating and encouraging the kids, he left them with a message I have never forgotten. He very dramatically talked about Winston Churchill who, when the world was under attack from an evil leader with a demonic set of beliefs, repeated over and over: “Never, never, never, never, never give up.”
While early voting is well underway in some places, there is still time to make a difference in the 2024 election. Faith teaches us that Big Spirit will work all this craziness out. Action is faith’s beloved sister and seems to go with faith.
Our local community newspaper, the Greenbelt News Review, had a fictional story last week about the 2024 elections When Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils Makes Sense. The writer describes the dilemma of the person who doesn’t like either candidate. After some reflection, the person decided the best way t was to not vote at all.
Tom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.