Blog
Love: What it is, what it isn’t, what it could be
Valentine’s Day is coming. The stores are festooned in red hearts. Every possible retail commodity, from jewelry to automobile tires, has been formatted as a romantic gift guaranteed to please that someone special. I’ve been interested in love for a long time. I've...
How to Turn a Missed Holiday into a Special Event: Tips from and for First Responder Families
My husband and I were on our way to celebrate Thanksgiving at my cousin's house. Something we've done for decades.There was a light rain, first of the season and the roads were slick. A highway patrol car sped by, lights flashing. We were on our way to a festive...
He said, she said, now it’s my turn to speak. A personal story of sexual assault, fragmented memory and what to do about it
"I should have written to Dr. Ford to show my support, but now it’s over. I imagine she’d understand. She knows better than most how long it takes to get up the courage to air these violations in public, especially when you can't remember all the details.Thirty plus...
Cop Who Kill–Themselves
How does a person who was once hardy enough to pass a demanding application process, a rigorous psychological screening, and an arduous training program become so overwhelmed that suicide is the only way out? There are probably as many reasons and combinations of...
What Do Cops Believe?
Law enforcement officers (LEOs), have to believe in themselves to do their jobs; jobs that are often dangerous, dirty, disturbing, and under-appreciated. Cops believe themselves to be problem solvers—action-oriented in the service of responding to emergencies; able to...
Betrayal: The hidden driver of PTSD
June 27th is National PTSD Awareness Day. Last year at this time I posted a blog giving a general overview of PTSD. (The preferable term is post-traumatic stress injury or PTSI. People recover from injuries, whereas a disorder sounds like a life sentence). This...