Tom Adams
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I’ve reached an age where friends die regularly. Last week, a seminary classmate from New Jersey died. We spent four years of college together at a Baltimore seminary during the turbulent sixties. He was a larger-than-life guy whose wit was deserving of a late-night comedy show.
Donald Trump’s second term is about “moving fast and breaking things,” apparently modeled after the old Mark Zuckerberg motto and tribute to arrogance. Under its aegis, Tech Bros were encouraged to disparage all that preceded them, denigrating whatever created the “things” they were hell-bent on discarding. No wonder Trump chose Elon Musk, his bosom buddy/sworn enemy, to disrupt and dismantle federal services.
Editor’s Note: Summer is traditionally a time for vacation, fun and rest. I’m going to honor that tradition by posting for Critical Conversations every other week in July and taking August off. My July posts will be Tuesday July 15 and 29.
This week’s post celebrates the birth of freedom in the United States by offering possible actions to preserve freedom and justice for all. My June 10th post focused on the many injustices that will occur if the “One Big Beautiful” budget bill (2025 budget bill) is passed by Congress. I also wrote about the possible expansion of the conflict in Iran and the Middle East. This week’s post offers readers some practical simple actions to take. During your quiet time or mediation, you can ask: What’s mine to do to preserve freedom and advance equity and justice for all?
Most weeks I try to focus my post on one idea. Readers tell me that is more interesting and easier to digest. This week I am going to diverge from that path and comment on the ups and downs of my life recently. I suspect even those who enjoy chaos and are advocates of chaos theory have had enough? I sure have.
Last Tuesday, June 10th, was the 90th anniversary of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous and the topic of my post. My co-author Joy Jones, and I had the privilege of attending the Founders Day weekend in Akron last weekend. This week’s post offers all readers – in recovery or not – a taste of the amazing energy and magic we experienced.
Today is the 90th anniversary of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, marked by the day Dr. Bob Smith had his last drink and began sobriety. Bill Wilson introduced him to what became the Steps and principles of A.A. at a historic Mother’s Day meeting a few weeks earlier in Akron, Ohio. Alcoholic drinking for decades led Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith to despair; it was a physical, economic, and spiritual bottom that was destroying them and their families. From this meeting, Alcoholics Anonymous was born. Today’s post celebrates this miracle and all its good that has changed the world over the past 90 years.
Last week I began to think about writing a post about the pain the Appropriation bill passed by the U. S. House of Representatives on May 22, 2025 will cause, if it becomes law. I experienced an attack of deep sadness; I lost all energy to do anything for a day. This post is about the challenge of learning about and feeling the pain in the world. How do we hold on to faith, believing that all will be well?
Geraldine and I spent three days in Cedarburg, WI last week. It is an amazing historic town founded in 1885. Its early days were as a mill town along Cedar Creek. It maintains the character of a small mill town and is full of life, arts, music, and fun. Geraldine’s brother and wife settled there over thirty years ago and raised two outdoor loving and artistic daughters.
Editor’s Note: Writing A Marriage that Changed the World with Joy Jones has brought me many gifts and graces. Among them is Joy introducing me to her friend Debbie Jackson’s partner, Bill Lammers. Bill has been involved with addiction recovery for decades and shares two deep insights I found helpful and important: addiction and recovery are about relationships and community and there are many pathways to recovery. There is broad application to Bill’s message. Enjoy!
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.