As many of you know, I’m currently working on the second of my trilogy of books about my beloved Charlie as a Marine in the Pacific during World War ll. This one is really hard, All. Unlike the first book, Bougainville, the horror is constant. I have to go there with him, try to accurately portray what really happened. I take courage from what he told me when he read the two screenplays, which I wrote first: “You got it. I don’t know how, but you got it.” So wish me luck that I’ll get it right with these books. I won’t settle for less! Wait until you meet Charlie, or “Bud,” as he was called then. You will love him.

Tip for today: Insecurity is a sneaky little parasite. It’ll talk to you in your own voice, take over your own thoughts and emotions, all to create a comfy environment for itself. Unfortunately, that comfy environment it thrives in is a soup of self hatred, guilt, shame and fear. So, as you do the daily exercises to get the little squatter under control, don’t beat yourself up when progress doesn’t appear overnight. It took a while to get this miserable, it’ll take a while to heal. Think of it as a broken bone. Those take time to heal. You’ll get there. I was such a wreck, that when I first began these self love exercises, it took me six months to feel even the slightest difference. But I kept at it. Persistent repetition is the key. Insecurity really hates patience and determination. So hang in there.