Charlene BrinerThoughts on love and loss, holiday editionHolidays are complicated when you live with ambiguous loss. In my case, it can be hard to get in the holiday spirit when my son is back in…Nov 26, 2018Nov 26, 2018
Charlene BrinerDetours, Dead Ends & Roads Re-traveledThere’s no straight road to redemption. There’s only a twisty, bumpy, sometimes unpredictable road with long boring stretches, random dead…Jun 4, 20181Jun 4, 20181
Charlene BrinerOnce more again, with feelingNot a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me about my son Nick. When last I posted an update to the continuing saga of my son’s struggles…Sep 3, 20171Sep 3, 20171
Charlene BrinerBack on the Roller CoasterThree weeks ago, on the day after Mother’s Day, I got a call telling me my son Nick had been picked up by the authorities in a small town a…Jun 9, 20171Jun 9, 20171
Charlene BrinerWhat I Know“It’s always our choice what attitudinal ground to stand on: the emotional quicksand of negative thinking, or the airstrip of spiritual…May 4, 20171May 4, 20171
Charlene BrinerIf I Never See My Son AgainI’m not typically someone who finds the silver lining right away. Mostly, when I’m deep in the morass and the muck, I sweat and struggle…Apr 13, 20172Apr 13, 20172
Charlene BrinerLiving in the In-BetweenWhen I became a mother more than two decades ago, I never thought I would have to deal with the prospect of having a fugitive for a son.Feb 21, 20171Feb 21, 20171
Charlene BrinerWe Always Knew This Wouldn’t Be EasyRe-entering society after prison is, even in the best of circumstances, an uphill climb, a grueling test of human perseverance. Every day…Feb 6, 20173Feb 6, 20173
Charlene BrinerHolidays 4.0Nothing illustrates the highs and lows of my motherhood journey than the three-month stretch between late October and mid-January. Since…Dec 22, 2016Dec 22, 2016
Charlene BrinerWe’re In This Together, On Our OwnMothering adult sons has not led me down a straight path. Instead, the road is circular and winding, full of competing, contrary, sometimes…Oct 28, 2016Oct 28, 2016