Joel Schumacher

Recent Articles

• Autopilot

  January 6, 2009 in Honesty

  Maybe the whole holiday ordeal was harder on me than I thought.  It looks like I’ve been on autopilot for awhile and it has kind of kicked my ass.  Now I’m doing the whole Oprah “I’m mad at myself” Winfrey thing, and while I’m writing this partially as a form of quick confession, I’m also [...] Read more »

• Almost Forgotten

  January 2, 2009 in Gratitude, Service

  I started writing to save my life.  Even today, but most especially in the earliest days of my recovery the act of writing helped me maintain perspective and focus.  I wrote in a medium that was publicly accessible because I was so profoundly alone. The feedback I got really encouraged me and helped motivate me.
  All [...] Read more »

• For unto you is born this day in the City of Iowa (City)

  December 29, 2008 in Ephemera

  The much hoped for daughter/neice/granddaughter who was due on Christmas Eve has arrived fashionably late.  And we couldn’t be happier. My sister has 2 boys already so I think she was ready for the girl our late grandmother had predicted. Read more »

• Conversion - Honesty, Open-Mindedness, Willingness, and the Nativity

  December 28, 2008 in Honesty, Spirituality, Willingness

  I am a product of Western Civilization.  I occasionally joke that I am in recovery from Western Civilization.  I am still occasionally sarcastic.  But I am a product of my dominant culture and as much as I pretend to resist it that means that I am the product of a Judeo-Christian tradition.
  I am also a [...] Read more »

• The 2nd Christmas

  December 23, 2008 in Gratitude, Hope, Perseverance

  Finally.  The days are getting longer. I start getting sad in September when the color of the light changes.  More than any other month, bad things have happened to me in December.  Apprehension and all the demands for merriness combine to make me feel guilty, as well as sad.  If there ever was a time [...] Read more »