How can Antonio Basco carry on? He just lost his wife, Margie Reckard, of 22 years in the El Paso Walmart shooting. They lived a plain life and had no children together. Antonio had no other family of his own. He considered his wife “his saint.” He envisioned that he would be saying good bye to his life partner on his…
SSRIs are no substitute for SSNRs
Let us state our premise upfront—safe, stable nurturing relationships (SSNRs) are crucial to early childhood development and later adult health. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), commonly prescribed anti-depressant medications, can be very important for children and adults—but they will never be a substitute for the SSNRs that are necessary for adequate, and hopefully far exceeding adequate,…
Lessons from DEAR EVAN HANSEN
I continually go through life trying to learn from the events of everyday, whether that is a sporting event, TV show, movie or Broadway musical. I must admit that Broadway musicals particularly “speak” to me and force my introspection. In my book MY CHILDREN’S CHILDREN: RAISING YOUNG CITIZENS IN THE AGE OF COLUMBINE, I devoted a chapter…
Stacey Abram’s words of wisdom – LEAD FROM THE OUTSIDE
My thanks to Stacey Abrams and her sage advice in her new book – LEAD FROM THE OUTSIDE. Great advice for any citizen or leader. Leadership requires the ability to engage and create empathy for communities. Parental Trinity for Success -go to church, go to school, and take care of one another (faith, education and…
Charitable giving is green, not red or blue
In response to an op-ed article in my local newspaper, I wrote the following: A recent op-ed article essentially stated that conservatives are good people (Christian, humanitarian, philanthropists, better blood donors) and liberals are bad people (socialists, stealing money, don’t care about their fellow citizens). The writer goes on to elucidate his interpretation that philanthropy…
Lessons from Moon Visitors
“We don’t go to heaven when we die, we go to heaven when we’re born.” This intriguing statement from James Lovell, an Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut, captures his sentiment about the uniqueness of life endowed by our heavenly creator. This statement and similar observations are chronicled in Basil Hero’s book, The Mission of a…