Few of us have been unscathed by alcohol, and I am no exception. A close Cherokee relative, big-hearted and kind when sober, was a mean drunk who finally ended his life in a drunken header off a bridge. When my son was 7, I had to tell him a drunken driver had killed his best soccer buddy....

I haven't written anything in a long time. This time of year is always hard on our family. I want to take some time to remember my son, Sky Light. September 8 was six years since the Creator decided it was his time to go....