July 12, 2019
One of the most insidious characteristics of addiction is that it hijacks your brain. My daughter, LaLa (Lauren) once made a statement in a Facebook post that said “I chose to do drugs, but I did not choose to be Read more…
July 5, 2019
Two years ago tomorrow, at about 6AM, I stepped out of my garage door to be welcomed by an absolutely beautiful day. I had no idea that in less 12 hours my entire world would be turned upside down. It Read more…
May 24, 2019
I can remember lots of conversations I had with Lauren during her life. All of them are special now, even the hard ones. No one enjoys those when they need to take place, but we know they matter. One in Read more…
May 10, 2019
This week my wife Nereida is sharing thoughts on our story from the very different and unique perspective of a mom. I have been trying to figure out what to write about for this week’s We Chose Love Blog. Should Read more…
May 3, 2019
One of the worst days we experienced while trying to help Lauren as she struggled with mental health issues and eventually addiction was the day we learned that LaLa was addicted to heroin. That day started like any other Sunday Read more…
April 26, 2019
There is no other picture of Lauren and I that invokes more memories and emotion for me than the one at the right. It was taken in the nursery of our church on a Sunday night. I love it because Read more…
April 5, 2019
One of the most important elements in recovery is a surprise to most people. In his book “Chasing the Scream” Johann Hari makes this powerful statement “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It’s connection.” Wow, that is profound but Read more…
March 29, 2019
This past week my wife and I did one of the hardest things we have ever done. We began the process of dismantling our daughters’ room. Surprisingly, the biggest and most difficult piece to take down, both physically and emotionally, Read more…
March 22, 2019
Lauren had a favorite nickname, “LaLa”. It is the name she preferred that people call her by, her closest friends always did. I most always referred to Lauren by her given name. In my mind I was worried that her Read more…
March 8, 2019
Hi Dad! That’s the way my daughter always greeted me, and she would say it with a certain, sweet cadence in her voice, it always made me smile. More and more when I look at images of Lauren I am Read more…
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