Do You Know What Test You Are Taking in This Lifetime?

taking a test

Last night I watched a documentary called Praying with Lior, about a child with Downs Syndrome who loves to pray. There were many interesting concepts discussed  in this film, such as why a child with Downs Syndrome would be so attracted to prayer. However, it’s easy enough to conclude that for some reason his “condition” [...]

A Visual Image of Me (and You)

Pinterest

What does it mean to have a visual image of you? I’m not talking about a photo now. I’m talking about the hottest new social network around: Pinterest. I fought this one tooth and nail. No way. No how. Not another social network. No time. No energy. Not me. Then someone told me that as [...]

What if You Aren’t in Love on Valentine’s Day?

For many people, Valentine’s Day represents a lonely 24 hour period. Or it can be a sad day filled with grief over lost love . So what do you do if you aren’t in love on Valentine’s Day or if you don’t have anyone to spend it with? Or how do you make the holiday [...]

Turning Anger into Forgiveness

Did you know that anger just covers your hurt? That’s right. So, when you feel angry, you really feel hurt, which means you usually need to forgive someone for something. Once you forgive, your anger will dissipate…and you’ll change–not only from feeling angry to feeling more peaceful but into someone a bit different. Your heart [...]

How Honest are You with Yourself?

We all do a lot of complaining about what we don’t have, don’t like, haven’t achieved,wish were different, and believe someone or something has done to us. How often do you really get honest with yourselves and admit your part in actually creating these situations? How often do you take responsibility for your actions or [...]

How to Feel Thankful for Difficult Family

I’m heading home for Thanksgiving…to my mother’s home. We have a family reunion each year during this holiday. It’s not always the most joyous time nor is it always a time when I feel tremendously thankful for my family. I have a family that can be difficult to get along with–and that’s putting it mildly. [...]

Letting a Child Leave the Nest

iStock_apron

I didn’t mind when my children went off to school. I was happy for the free time, time for myself to do the things I wanted to do. I missed my children when they went off to camp, even shed a brief tear, but always felt happy for them and for myself. They would have [...]

The Sorrow of Ending and Excitement of Beginning

As my daughter prepares to leave for college, she wavers between excitement about the new life she is starting and the old one she is ending—in particular the romantic relationship coming to a close. Smart enough to know better than to pursue a four month-old relationship bi-coastally as they both enter their freshman years in [...]

People Change, Marriages Change

I’ve spoken with several people recently—friends in their 50s—who have been married for 18-20 years. They all have had issues in their marriage in the last few years. It seems to me a normal process for people to change over that amount of time and for that fact to make it difficult for marriages to [...]

Have You Given or Received a Hug Today?

Today I received an email from a friend, who is dealing with his mother’s declining health. He told me that a few weeks ago he was in a local food co-op and the gravity and fullness of his mother’s situation caught up with him. As he quietly sobbed at the soup counter, a young woman who [...]