The Power of Truth: How Honesty Transforms Your Life and Relationships

Mark Twain famously said, “If you always tell the truth, you never need to remember anything.”

What happens when you need and want to tell the truth about things you can’t quite remember?

This blog documents my many attempts to remember and to tell the truth. Most of my family members never reached this point. It also chronicles the numerous times I didn’t tell the truth. I was taught to lie, and it almost destroyed me. The cost was more than I ever imagined.

I hope this journey will help you find the truth in your life.

My grandest intention is that this imperfect yet sincere truth-telling will liberate you in whatever ways you need.

Some of the truths in this blog may seem like fiction to you, and some may not portray people in my life in the best light. I aim to write even the hardest and ugliest truths with compassion and respect. Many of these people are no longer alive, so I do not know how they would feel about this blog. This journey reflects my experiences as best as I can remember them.

I’ve been told I have excellent memory recall and a “steel-trap mind.” I have struggled my entire life with these truths and do not wish to cause anyone unnecessary harm or suffering. I have made my peace.

Before we begin, I need to give you a heads-up. Some of my early experiences involved heavy use of recreational drugs.

I started using drugs at age 12 as a way to escape from abuse because I didn’t care if I lived or died and because it was fun and exciting.

At times, I did too many drugs and almost overdosed once. I enjoyed acid, mushrooms, marijuana, and cocaine, and I often took a lot of pills—downers, uppers, and whatever was available.

Mushrooms made me feel spooky and weird, while acid could be both exhilarating and terrifying, making me feel like I was dying or that someone was going to kill me.

I was depressed and desperate, seeking help in all the wrong places.

My mother occasionally showed up during my early teens, shining a light on all my dark places.

For most of my life, I believed that human relationships ended when someone died or left.

However, mushrooms revealed how easy it was to converse with my deceased mother or my yet-to-be-born daughter. One of my most challenging relationships was with my dad. I carried a lot of anger and never forgave him before he died. His death was sudden and reported as an accident while he was on vacation in Idaho.