Learning from Ghosts

There are moments when life’s most enduring lessons come from the shadows we’d rather avoid. The echoes of the past—those we’ve loved, lost, or even feared—don’t linger to haunt us. They’re here to teach, guide, and remind us how to live fully.

In Learning From Ghosts, I reflect on the wisdom left behind by those who shaped my path. These aren’t stories of regret but of resilience. They’re about the courage to stand steady when the ground shakes, to find beauty in desolation, and to carry the torch for those who no longer can.

This isn’t just about the ghosts of my past—it’s about all of us and the lessons we carry forward. It’s a reminder that even in life’s darkest corners, there’s light waiting to be found.

I hope this piece inspires you to listen to your own ghosts, honor their lessons, and find strength in their presence.

I used to run from my ghosts, thinking they were here to haunt me. Now I know better - they're here to teach me.

Mac, you're still showing me the way twenty-one years after that last sacrifice. Your ghost doesn't whisper of guilt anymore but of duty, honor, and living well with the gift you gave.

The mountains' ghosts bring wisdom now, not just echoes of firefights and fear. They taught me how to stand unmoved when the world shakes beneath my feet, breathe when the air feels too thin, and find strength in desolate places.

That boy waving at soldiers in the combat zone - his ghost reminds me of innocence, how light can pierce the darkest moments, and how hope survives in unlikely places. He teaches me to see beauty even through war-weary eyes.

Each brother lost left something behind: lessons written in blood and memory, truth carved deeper than any scar. Their ghosts don't haunt these halls; they guard them, guide me, and show me how to live for more than myself.

I've learned to sit with these ghosts, pour them a drink, and listen to what they say. Their messages are not messages of regret or blame but hard-won wisdom passed from the dead to the living.

They teach me how to carry weight without breaking, find humor in the darkness, love more fiercely because we're mortal, and live more fully because they can't.

So here's to my ghosts, my teachers, and my brothers, who still walk beside me. Thank you for the lessons, for the wisdom that only comes from dancing with shadows and finding light in their depths.

I don't run anymore. I listen, I learn, I grow.

These ghosts aren't my burden but my honor guard, lighting the way forward with the torch of their remembered truth.