I am a survivor of multiple forms of abuse. Between two sets of parents and step-parents, I was taught the wonderful lessons of physical assault, emotional punishment, and marginalization. It was a mental branding that affected my teenage and adult years. Even now, anything that personally happens equates to me not only taking it personally,…
Read MoreAll articles filed in Reflection
I wish we had songbirds
Back when I was in a relationship, I would help my girlfriend take care of the many beautiful songbirds that visited her backyard garden. I would purchase hot chili bird seed (squirrels hate it, but birds love it), and the feeder would be packed with visiting goldfinches and blue jays and cardinals and nuthatches and…
Read MoreNature at 8ยข per bottle
Yes, I go through a lot of soda bottles. Diet colas, Sugar Free Red Bulls, I’m guilty and unashamed. And like a good New Yorker, once my recycle bin is full, I bag up the empties and take them to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands. Let me explain. Originally I would take the…
Read MoreAllen’s Day 2026
Today is a sad anniversary. It’s the moment when death touched me and nobody prepared me for it. On February 20, 1970, my baby brother Allen – just three years young – was critically injured in a single-car crash in Rensselaer County. My maternal grandfather hit a tree; Allen (who was not belted in) went…
Read MoreA personal memory of the Rev. Jesse Jackson
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, an unwavering civil rights activist and two-time Presidential candidate, has been called to glory. He was 84. His commitment to equal rights and humanity was unparalleled. And even into his final days, he still spoke for justice and faith. He came into a broken world, and did his best to help…
Read MoreThe time I got caught with Krazy Glue
Valentine’s Day is on the way. And for the first time in a long time, I’m dreading the holiday. Just like I dreaded it way back in 2012. That was the first Valentine’s Day after my divorce. It was a tumultuous and painful time, a relationship that started out fantastic and ended on a sour,…
Read MoreGold and Diamonds
I’ve had emotional breakdowns in the past. And I look for ways to pull myself out of this malaise. But it’s not easy. It never is. I try to bake. I try to cook. I look up new recipes. Last week, I made Lighthouse Inn potatoes. Diced up some russets, boiled them in light cream,…
Read MoreEasy New Year’s Resolutions for 2026
Yawn. What time is it? (checks watch) Oh, come on. It’s too early. Gotta go back for another 40 winks. Nope. Let’s get moving. Blog post won’t write itself. This is Chuck-powered, not AI-powered. 2025 had its ups and downs, for sure. Near the end of the year, however, it turned into a chaotic mess.…
Read MoreRemembering the heroes and the villains of World AIDS Day
In 1988, the World Health Organization designated December 1 as World AIDS Day, a day to remember the effects of the AIDS pandemic and the toll it took on human life and perspective. On that day, we take note of the people who perished as victims of an insidious virus that destroyed our ability to…
Read MoreMicheal Ray Richardson was a good man.
“Did you hear about Sugar?” the text message read. At that moment … I knew what that message could mean. I responded back. “Please don’t tell me he died.” Even though I feared the answer. But it was true. Micheal Ray Richardson, former NBA superstar who went from legend to drug addict to recovery to…
Read More
Chuck The Writer 
You must be logged in to post a comment.