Murraytalk

I follow quite a few groups and blogs regarding addiction - yesterday as I listened to Rockers in Recovery live on facebook, it just reconfirmed to me how drug addiction is a growing problem that too many children and adults are losing their life to. It's not just a select few that many would like to think - it's people in our family, friends, and co-workers. I read on ASAM that drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the US, and of the 21.5 million Americans, 12 and older had a substance abuse disorder in 2014, 1.9 million involved prescription pain killers, and 586,000 involved heroin. Do you see the problem?  I have addiction in my family and it is not just the problem of the addict, it becomes a family problem, and a society problem. It damages families, relationships, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces to name a few. We all need to become better educated on addiction and do what we can to fix this growing epidemic. I know many of you don'...

Each morning when I wake I am always thankful to be blessed with another day. This morning when I woke I was reminded that 14 years ago I was at a stage 4 with cancer. December 2013 marks 14 years of me being cancer free. I was at my best I thought 14 years ago. I had always been a clean eater, and at that time in my life I was spending 2-3 hours in the gym along with hiking regularly. I looked great but wasn't feeling great. I started having weird cravings for ice chips and carrots, and I was feeling tired and weak most days. But I continued life as I knew it. After months of ignoring how I was feeling I finally decided to search for a doctor. I grew up with home remedies and very little doctor visits - I am not one to have a family doctor. I decided to take the advice of a magazine that had a list of the top ten doctors in Phoenix, and was fortunate enough to get in. I struggled with the how's and the why me at the beginning. I shouldn't be sick with the healthy life...

Yesterday I was talking to one of my sisters from Tucson and she was telling me that she's planning a trip to New Mexico to visit the home that she lived in as a young child because she feels that she needs some closure. I think if that's what she feels she needs to do, go for it! But for some reason I woke up thinking I want to go too. I was a baby and out of the house when three of my siblings died in a fire there. But she and my other sister were in the house, so it's a nightmare for her.                                                                                               I would like to see the house where they lived and walk through it with her. She also wants to visit the grave site which I did in my 20's, but I'm willing to go again to...

I woke up way too early this morning.  Yesterday Makenna was playing with Tom's phone so we woke up to an alarm that sounded like the phone ringing at 4am. I will be ready for bed by 7 tonight. I read a few devotionals before I ventured out of bed to make my way to the coffee. After pouring a huge cup I joined the dogs in the backyard. We sat watching a quick shower of rain and enjoyed the morning view - at least I did, the dogs decided to ditch me to run in the grass. As I sit staring at the sky and the palm trees I can't help but think that I need to do this more often. I never take time to enjoy the view. My morning usually begins with me running around the house with a cup of coffee in my hand which usually ends up cold before I have time to finish it. I'm actually enjoying listening to the birds chirp, but I have to admit that I'm really tempted to grab the broom and start sweeping the patio - I have relaxing issues, but I'm forcing myself to st...