Tom Adams
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You may not know who Lois Wilson is but you should. She lived 97 years. Fifty-three of those years she was the wife of Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. She lived 17 years after Bill died. March 4 is Lois' birthday – she would be 129. Who is she?...
As February ends, I find myself reflecting back on its designation as Black History Month and the many opportunities it provides us each year, across a wide variety of media, to dive into that history.
A friend and former colleague of mine accepted the position of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Director Officer at a large national accounting and consulting firm a little over a year ago. In my quest to assess progress on racial justice work and what others are learning that advances racial equity and justice, I checked in with her.
Two lessons from Northern Ireland have caught my attention as I have reflected on our progress in advancing racial justice. Specifically, I have been thinking about how these lessons might apply to our own national conundrum.
As I paused and reflected yesterday on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy, it was hard to avoid wanting a clear report card on the progress made on his mission. As I pondered the question, “How are we doing in becoming a more equal and just nation?”, my first thoughts were all negative.
A sermon I heard Sunday got me thinking about a 12-Step friend, Ralph, who would say to me frequently: “Tom, give up, give in, just give.” Ralph was quite a bit older than me, and I dismissed this saying the same way I did when he told me, “Everything is just the way it is supposed to be.” I concluded his was a point of view that came with age and declining aspirations. Yet, I am growing into an understanding of this idea, but more from a sense of acceptance than the loss of capacity to imagine.
The end of year for many of us is a time to complete our annual charitable giving. While the IRS incentives have changed, the community needs certainly haven’t.
Albert Einstein showed up in my life recently. Surprisingly, his message was not about quantum physics or relativity. Instead, he appeared to remind me and others about the power of love and justice. Such a fitting reminder for all of us at this time of the year!
As the Thanksgiving festivities wind down, I find myself increasingly disturbed by the seeming reversal in attitudes and actions relative to racial justice and equity in the United States. Just a year ago, over half of American voters wanted a return to healing our race wounds and learning to live and love one another.
As I reflected on our new topic – the connection between faith and loving others and working for social justice – I realized my thoughts on this topic mirror what my niece Meredith Heneghan posted here about faith more generally: “To have faith is to have faith, and that’s really it.”
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.