Me with my grandson Russell

My name is Geri Langlois, I'm married, have a lovely wife and 4 kids, if you count my grandson (we do!) who lives with us. I have a girl's first name but I'm very much a guy. Blame my mother -- she wanted a girl, got me and never changed my name. God bless her soul.

I've been a Vista volunteer, a community organizer, environmentalist, first selectman, legislator and web applications developer.  I love to build things -- decks, cabinets, stained glass windows and lampshades, and guitars.  But my passion is not the environment or politics or woodworking or other very worthy occupations.  My passion lies in the human spirit and how overcoming life's struggles makes us stronger and challenges us to become the best that we can become.

I have no specific qualifications. I'm not a psychologist or a life coach or a millionaire.  I'm an ordinary person who has happened to do a few extraordinary things (and who has really screwed up at times). 

In this blog  I will share what worked for me and what didn't. More importantly, I recognize that many ordinary and some not so ordinary people have stories that are far more compelling than mine.  I find struggles and challenges faced by others to be incredibly instructive. These stories coupled with practical suggestions and, hopefully, useful resources are really what this blog is all about. 

The name of this blog was inspired by the public access show, Positive Faces, which airs in Northeastern Connecticut on Wednesday nights on channel 14. For three years, I co-hosted this show with Diane Potvin from the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery.  More often than not, people who have had problems with alcohol or drugs are stigmatized. This show highlights the positive contributions made by people in recovery.