No one wants trauma in their lives. We don’t want a spouse to die suddenly. We don’t want cancer diagnoses. We don’t want to be the victim of an armed robbery or a serious car accident. Yet, we know that life is filled with perils, and throughout our journey some are likely to come our way, no matter our […]
Frederic Reamer
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Neighbors
Life in Rhode Island and south coast Massachusetts communities is so full of texture, replete with culture, ethnic diversity, topography, and cuisine that are so unique to the region. No place is perfect, of course, but so many of us extol the virtues of the lives we lead in this little corner of the world. Some of […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Love Saves
Emotional despair is a tough subject. No one wants it. Some don’t want to hear about it. Yet, we know that emotional distress is both common and deeply troubling – to those who suffer the moment-to-moment angst and to those who love and care about them. For many who struggle, there is no quick fix, no magical bolus. But we […]
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – Still a Purpose
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 […]
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 – Beyond Our Coast
Rhode Islanders think of themselves as residents of the Ocean State for good reason. We’re surrounded. Maybe not literally surrounded at every border, but certainly by any objective measure water pervades our rich culture. The breathtaking Narragansett Bay. The majestic Atlantic Ocean. The more intimate Block Island Sound. The storied Blackstone, Seekonk, and Woonasquatucket Rivers. But how many of us are […]