The summer of 1977 we headed to Denver to visit friends and get out of the Phoenix heat. Uncle Tim, his wife, Jim’s dad and I along with Jim (then nine) traveled well together. During such trips Tim and Jimmy rarely stopped talking. If one wasn’t telling a story, the other one was making one…read on >

When Jimmy was ten we visited with family in Lake Tahoe. He and Uncle Chet (twenty-five) took off as the rest of us walked around the casino. They were to meet us shortly in the ice cream parlor. Gone a long time, we were eating our treats when Jimmy came running up great excitement in…read on >

At eleven Jim was a really good ice hockey player. His team won a place in the finals for the annual regional tournament. As usual, I manned the scoreboard and had a clear view of the action. The team was excited and nervous. Jim, on the other hand, seemed really calm and amazingly focused. He…read on >

Jim and his best buddies, Sean and Greg somehow discovered this radio show while in the fifth grade. I would hear them singing and laughing but never paid much attention until I tuned into the lyrics of one particular song: Dead Puppies. These were typical boys – they loved to jump bikes over anything, play…read on >

Recently I was asked to submit a story for a friend’s book that has since been published. Here is one of many you can read in Sheryl Letzgus McGinnis latest book Addiction Collateral Damage: The Other Victims of Addictions. When my son, Jim, was six he decided to run away from home. He calmly announced…read on >