I’ve never been a woman who just couldn’t live without having kids. In fact, when Bob approached me after two years of married life and said he wanted kids, I told him I wasn’t sure I was ready. I said first he would have to save for a trust fund for all the therapy our …
“It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.” ― Aristotle Peace. Holidays are supposed to be the season of peace—a time when we gather in gratitude with friends and family; when we celebrate love, goodness, abundance; when we make memories to savor for the inevitable dark times ahead. …
Recently I found myself returning to a book I had read many years ago – The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber and Allen Publishing, San Rafael, CA, 1997). As I reflected on his thoughts about these “Four Agreements,” I began to see connections with our efforts to …
Most of us pick fights with others to cover up the wars we have with ourselves.—Anonymous Our country and the world really are in trouble. These days there are almost daily shootings in the news. School board meetings, public health discussions and state budget debates, and inexplicable road rage incidents occur daily and can be …
Nothing tugs at the heartstrings of parents more than knowing that our children are suffering from ways we’ve harmed them. Such awareness may feel unbearable for any of us to endure. Most of us would rather deny the full extent of how we’ve affected our children if we want to live with any sense of …
The Holiday season is traditionally a season of giving. But what greater gift than giving could there be but for-giving? One of the definitions of the word forgive in Webster’s New World College Dictionary is “To give up resentment against or the desire to punish; stop being angry with; pardon.” Yet, if someone has “wronged” …
“If I had to live my life again, I’d make all the same mistakes—only sooner.” — Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968) One of the most hidden and powerful aspects of human identity is how many of us have shame and harsh judgments towards ourselves. Some of us are barely aware of our self-contempt; others are drowning in …
Anger acts as thief. It steals away serenity, ability to focus, and the ability for self-awareness. After 9/11 Fred Maples, like most of us, felt angry about what happened. But then he did something that may perplex (or perhaps anger) many seeking a just revenge on these terrorists who caused such suffering: he began to …
David Richo, in his book, The Five Things We Cannot Change, claims that we must accept certain realities. Among these are: All things change and end. Things do not always go according to plan. People are not loving and loyal all the time. Pain and suffering are a part of life. Life is not fair. …
