A Foreign Pilgrimage

You are on a pilgrimage, whether you know it or not. My wife and I watched a documentary on religious artifacts a few nights ago. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the concept of a pilgrimage. In the show, they talked about an artifact in France and the visitors who pour in from across the […]

Riverbank

Imagine that you’re sitting on the bank of a river, observing the water rushing by. Maybe the water is clear and beautiful. Perhaps there is occasional trash or mud. Nevertheless, you remain aware that the river’s inherent beauty is unchanged. The river is forever, having been there since well before you were born, and will […]

The Gloam

John Steinbeck referred to twilight as “the gloam.” Word nerd that I am, I read it and tucked it away for future use. As it turns out, he didn’t make up that word; he simply used it effectively. I believe it was in the book Cannery Row, a favorite of mine. I once read somewhere that […]

Personal Narrative

A personal narrative is our way of making sense of the world. And if it’s inaccurate, it can prove difficult to see past. It can also wreak havoc on those around you. Right after I finished grad school, a supervisor from a local drug and alcohol rehab agency recruited me for contract work. I was […]

An Excerpt from the “On Point” Interview

[Host, DEBORAH] BECKER: “… What do you make of how we look at toxicity for someone to decide that they are going to cut off ties with their family? BRISCOE: Oh, it is a sensitive point in the PLACE community because many of our estranged parents have heard, “I’m leaving because you’re toxic.” BECKER: Let’s […]

A Community

In a couple of our meetings, we’ve had discussions about possibly calling ourselves a community instead of a group, and I’m considering it seriously. The word “group” perhaps fails to capture what our meetings and support really amount to. A community shares characteristics and experiences, and maybe that’s why we gather with open hearts and minds to […]

A Note About PLACE

You know, I think of us as being in an emotional jail sometimes. Forgive the dramatic metaphor, but it works in a number of ways. Child estrangement feels like a punishment, and we remain confined with no known release date. What we fail to realize is that the door is open. If your emotions are […]