The Interpreted Rock

By Stephen C. Schultz The air was thin and cool. Stars speckled the sky as the faint, flashing strobe of a commercial airline silently glided across the cosmos. The leaves rustled in a slight breeze that carried the unmistakable hum of crickets through the canyon. I turned and noticed the feather of a bird of prey dangling from the limb of a pine. There was a nervous energy that seemed out of place in such calm surroundings. This was the beginning of an early morning Phase Review for three students enrolled at Oxbow Academy. They stood at the trailhead, a little disheveled and groggy. The boys circled up and had a brief conversation with the therapists about situations in their lives where they had made decisions that betrayed the trust of their parents and other loved ones. In fact, some of their behaviors had been downright painful for others to endure. The conversation then shifted to the various struggles of life. The therapists pointed out that the trail they would hike repr...

By Stephen C. Schultz The smell of roasted turkey filled the room with just a hint of sage. Sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie lined the counter. I was sitting on the couch having a conversation with my brother Dr. Jared Schultz . He and his family were visiting for our annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner. My brother is a professor and assistant dean at a local university. His specialty is in rehabilitation counseling.  My career has consisted of close to 30 years working in the field of addiction counseling and mental health services. My other brother Scott Schultz is an estate planning attorney in Eugene, Oregon. He has spent years advising and counseling with families on the best ways to facilitate caring for dependents and family members who struggle with failure to launch , substance abuse and other physical disabilities. As parents begin to move through retirement, this process of planning is crucial for managing family financial resources and protecting the family...