I’m not sure how to begin this missive. I have no anecdotal approach to start this conversation. I only have this cold and painful truth. Last week, I learned that someone I was once very close to took her own…
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How you do anything...
It's a cold, raw day in one of the most bizarre winters we’ve seen in a long time — temperature swings of 70 degrees, snow, ice, rain, and everything in between — and I’m tossing the logs Dennis has recently…
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How about a game of catch?
Connection: “a source of supply for goods, materials, etc., that is scarce, difficult, or illegal to obtain.” And, of course, (slang): “a person who sells drugs directly to addicts.”
Of the many definitions offered by dictionary.com, those were the two…
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There is no such thing as dung lemonade
The last time I showed up on the blog was in December, 2017. Over a year ago. The title of that blog post was “What a Year It’s Been” and boy, we had no idea what we were in for…
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Chop Wood, Carry Water
At this very moment, I reside on the edge of anxiety and acceptance, a familiar crossroad of a recognizable and well-worn route and the proverbial path less chosen. While there are challenges to be faced in any career, the peculiarities…
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What a year it's been...
The year is winding down and while our calendar appears to be rather calm, things are anything but that here at Society of Broken Souls headquarters. That saying about no rest for the weary or the wicked? Feels pretty appropriate…
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Princesses Need Not Apply
Shit is breaking down — in our 22 year old RV, in my ability to deal with the challenges of traveling in a 22 year old RV, in Dennis’s patience with his wife’s inability to deal with the challenges of…
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Counting on the Kindness of Strangers
We are parked at soggy, muddy campground just outside of Eureka Springs, our first day off in what feels like many, many moons. It’s spring in the Ozarks — which apparently means cool temperatures and a good healthy mountain wind…
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Finding Gratitude in a January Rain
It’s 11:03 pm on Monday, January 16th. Martin Luther King Day. I type these thoughts of gratitude, counting my blessings, amazed at my good fortune — all the while with a bruised and battered rib cage, a brutally stiff back…
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Prairie Skies, Wildflowers, and Farm Dogs
The past few months have been a bit of a whirlwind for us, juggling all the different and always spinning plates of our lives, with nary a day off. But this past weekend we decided to take a little mini…
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Things Still Left Unsaid
"My heart feels full and life seems well lived because of listening to your music."
It is hard to express how grateful we were to read these words, which recently graced our email inbox, from a new member of…
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Our Beautiful Scars
When they ask us to play, lord, we take what we can get.
Those words come from a song I wrote back in 2006, and, honestly, it still rings true 10 years later. So when I was asked to play…
One Day Left
As I sit at my desk to type this, I see clearly that our story, the story of Lauryn and me, began long before we ever met. There’s a picture in front of me of Lauryn as a child, sitting…
Read moreIt's All in the Details
I’ve been seeing a lot of dead mice lately. There was the tiny grey one, its fur like the softest cashmere, lying on the sidewalk by our house, and then there was the little, shiny-black one, glistening in the sun…
Read moreBreak Our Hearts Open
A few months ago, after a Sunday afternoon at the dog park, I loaded up a dirty, happy dog into the back of the van, got in, and turned the ignition key. The radio came on and within seconds I…
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