Perhaps it sounds trite to say that health crises produce much-needed wake-up calls for those of us who need to make significant lifestyle adjustments. But for many, this is a truism. I suppose there’s nothing like awakening in an intensive care unit – surrounded by loved ones and scurrying professionals – to send that compelling and poignant […]
This I Believe
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Homelessness
All of us have seen the signs of homelessness throughout our local communities, both literally and figuratively. We’ve encountered people standing in the rain and snow at the end of highway exit ramps. We’ve walked past people crouched in doorways as we head to the theater or a restaurant. We’ve listened to the plaintive sounds of a worn […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Domestic Violence
Think about the word family. It seems so simple. All of us come from one, at least at the very start of our journey on this planet. Some of us sustain those ties in deeply satisfying ways that last for many decades: rich emotional connection, nurture and succor, support in times of crisis, joy and celebration along the […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Foster Care
In his song Anthem, the late songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen sings “Ring the bells that still can ring; Forget your perfect offering; There is a crack, a crack in everything; That’s how the light gets in.” Every life has its cracks—some small, some medium, some large. Our challenge is coping with those cracks when they […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Helping Families
Here’s the news that no parent wants to hear: Your child has been diagnosed with a very serious, possibly life-threatening, illness. Those are the parenting moments when time seems to freeze in what feels like an alternate reality. Those are the moments when parents think, “Is this really happening? To me? To us? To my child? How, in heaven’s name, is this […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Refugee Resettlement
It’s no secret that all of us have been exposed to a steady diet of bold, sometimes shrill and strident, news headlines – whether in print, on the air, or online – about refugee and immigration policy in the United States and abroad. Debate and rhetoric in so many quarters seem to have reached a boiling […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Addiction Recovery
It’s no secret that our community, our region, indeed our nation, are in the midst of a daunting opioid crisis. It seems that not a day goes by without disturbing headlines about the latest overdose tragedy. The statistics are sobering, even overwhelming. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that every day more than 130 people in […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Democracy
A relatively recent and compelling study sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Georgetown University’s Baker Center for Leadership & Governance found that only 40 percent of Americans are satisfied with our nation’s democracy. In another major study, Scottish political scientist Christopher Claassen found that support for democracy has declined in […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Paper and Pen
When’s the last time you took an actual pen to actual paper for a time-consuming writing task, as opposed to tapping your fingers rhythmically on your computer’s keyboard? For so many of us, writing our lofty prose or mundane work tasks in longhand, whether with an inexpensive ballpoint pen, a mechanical pencil, or a luxury fountain […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – The Ring
All of us have talismen, those special objects that serve as an emotional ballast in our lives. Maybe it’s that special necklace that grandma bequeathed, the one-of-a-kind painting that used to hang in your parents’ bedroom and is now in yours, or perhaps that priceless photo of your precious children when they were toddlers. For so many […]
