Patty DeMarco made me cry. He called me names and wouldn’t stop as I tried to walk away, with him following me on the North Philadelphia street we lived. On and on he went, badmouthing me, until he saw my brother, who helped me into his little red wagon, and pulled it home, me sobbing all the while behind. I was four years old.
Category Archives: PTSD
Joy Found in Everyday ‘Common’ Ground
Part III in totem series (Hawk, tiger & sparrow)
There’s nothing quite as common as a cracker, one of those Saltines, that is . . .
Stop the presses, stop depression, stop!
Stop! Don’t tell me anymore. Don’t want to hear it.
Keep the news to yourself. It hurts me, it’s always bad.
Meditation time is right in this moment
Driving while stuck in a traffic jam ordinarily would not be the best place to practice mindfulness meditation. I found out today while rushing to a doctor’s appointment, it was the “only” way to travel.
Blog Post Mistakenly Published Twice in a Row!
Meditation time is right in this moment
Driving while stuck in a traffic jam ordinarily would not be the best place to practice mindfulness meditation. I found out today while rushing to a doctor’s appointment, it was the “only” way to travel.
Yucky moment leads to ease of suffering
Ever have one of those “yucky” moments? Like, when you put your hand in a box, feeling around for some specific item only to come upon something gooey, wet and, of course “yucky.”
Crazy to think suffering could ever help
Why is it that when someone tells you about recalling a “past life” it’s always one of glamour where you had lots of power to change things in the world?
‘Letting go’ provides a better ‘vision’ in life
Psychedelic green bursts of light pulse across my eye. It’s like a strobe light flashing over and over, as I “see” a colorful cascade of a lime green pigment appear before me as if it’s penetrating the eyeball itself.
My ‘Right Speech’ May Have Wronged You
You Did it Again, Michael J.
Veterans’ PTSD Helped at Omega Lands
Pictures, statues and other works of art often capture the beauty of the soul as people seek peace and love through different spiritual paths.
Women Know the Help Boys Need in War
1917 – “Through a Glass Darkly” Continue reading
Gratitude Given Freely Can Grow on You
Want to feel good? Pick out five things each day to show your gratitude. Write ’em down. But, don’t try to fake it. You really gotta look for some thing in your life, some person, some reason that, deep down inside, you can say “makes me grateful.”
Saigon Lady Serves up Smile & Forgiveness
You never know when Fate will offer a blessing in disguise.
Saw an Asian woman handling the checkout at a nearby Target store and joked with her about a gift I was getting for my son’s birthday three months from today. It was a holiday box with no writing on it, nothing to suggest it was from Xmas.
A Mouse Senses Freedom Thru Meditation
I watch the mouse scamper across the dining room rug as I take my eyes off the computer screen in the living room. Here, life is calling out to me in the quiet of my house. A living critter has the guts to come out in broad daylight, look me dead in the eye, and feel no fear from me, a being so much larger and possibly more ferocious than himself.
Meditation lets my energy flow from within
Part II, Continued from On road to Peace, I found some “Bhuddies”
How Do I Meditate? Continue reading
On road to Peace, I found some “Bhuddies”
For the first time in my life, I attended a Buddhist gathering knowing that I wanted to learn more about meditation and the teachings about compassion and loving kindness.
Why We Want No More War Anniversaries
War is good for no one.
No one is good for war.
Continue reading
PTSD Anquish Served up at Bread Store
Unappreciated . . . Unwanted . . . Unloved . . .
Terrorists force VA to strip vet of dignity
The Terrorists Won.
They pushed my face into the dirt. Made me low crawl through those metal detectors. Violated me like no prison incarceration could ever have make me feel.
Continue reading
Finally, Light Shines on My Mutiny Quash
I lied to my platoon to prevent a Mutiny from bursting to a head some 40 years ago.
Finally, Light Shines on My Mutiny Quash
I lied to my platoon to prevent a mutiny from bursting to a head some 40 years ago.
Healing Technique Sparks Family Fall Out
“Unclean spirits!” The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Across my face.
PTSD Raises a Monster Head from a Toilet
Put a straitjacket on me.
PTSD therapy often comes from survivors
War Zone Fears Not Easily Discussed by Veterans
“Opening up” to a stranger is, at best, difficult to do. Confiding your “war zone” fears with a non-veteran can be worse, unless PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) serves as a bond between a brother and a sister.
Will Vietnam PTSD Trap ever set me Free?
What do anger, dreams, PTSD, and “Letting Go“ of one’s past have to do with each other? They’re all part of a discussion on vetting our emotions through dreams to deal with our conscious selves. Join me and another Michael J in our recent comments to his post: Practicing for the Bardo by Urbansannyasin
Continue readingDresden calls Kurt Vonnegut Jr. to Blog
Margo lived through the bombing of Dresden, Germany more than 60 years ago.
Continue readingDespite Road Rage, Light Shines on PTSD
Unable to curb my road rage today, I finally grasped a thread of my PTSD and traced it back to its source.
Continue reading‘One Step Back’ Leads To “Two Forward”
Advising Another Can be a Learning for You
Ever learn about yourself while giving heartfelt advice to someone else?
Three Positives Trump Anger Every Time
Anger — 2 Comments by Kaeis
(The following is my comment to a post simply titled, “Anger.”)
Trying to Make Amends for Vietnam War
How do you say you’re sorry to a people whose country you bombed in the name of peace and democracy?
What words can you use after saying that you are personally sorry for the Vietnam War and the mistakes our government made some 40 years ago?
Continue readingSafe Place Still No Guard Against PTSD
My Correspondence with a Woman with PTSD
When Is Using God’s Name Blasphemy?
God damn it. I forgot the lead I wanted to write here.
Continue readingRelease Me; I Swear I’ll Never Sin Again
Hey. Please get me out of here.
Identity Loss Leads to New Outlook on Life
I lost my wallet.
Continue reading— Who’s to Blame For War After War? —
I Blame God for War.
— Some Wounds May Never Ever Heal —
The Vietnam War Changed Joe.
It stripped him of all interest in leading people in any official capacity.
— Why Must This Path Purt So Much? —
Pain: What Good Is It?
“Thank you” for letting me serve, somehow
- Ever get more out of doing something nice for someone than that person ever expected you could possibly get?
“Don’t like this love…(crap)” she told me!
“I don’t like this love shit,” a woman I was about to meditate with whispered to me while in the circle of our six-person meditation “community.”
Veterans find joy in their own backyards
You can’t know how much pleasure there is in feeding a squirrel until you open yourself to the wonders of nature . . . and of course . . . feed a squirrel . . . daily.
Dream reveals a Key to Unlocking Paradise
I dreamed I wore a dress to a training class for new lawyers learning to defend criminal defendants.
Serving others helps to serve you as well
The purpose of Life is to Know, Love, and Serve the Creator.
What’s Love Got To Do with My PTSD?
Love can Help You Deal with PTSD
Angels Appear as Earthly Messengers
It’s just like heaven . . . Being here with you . . . You’re like an Angel . . Too good to be true. When You are near me. My heart skips a beat. I can hardly stand on. My own two feet. Because I Love You; I Love You, I Do. ‘Angel Baby’. My ‘Angel Baby’. Oh, Ooh, I Love You, Oh, Ooh, I Do . . . No One Could Love You . . . Like I Do! — Rosie & the Originals
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