Last week, my husband and I slipped away for some time together to celebrate our anniversary. Several times, I observed a family in the hotel restaurant. It didn’t take long to hear the dad “riding” the two children with loud reprimands about the amount of food on their plates, their slowness in eating, spillage, and […]
5 Keys to Juggling Multiple Stressors
At times, we are faced with handling multiple stressors. Rarely do we get to do one hard thing at a time. Perhaps your children are facing challenges while you are dealing with health issues, or you are providing care for a family member while working an intense job. These scenarios, and others unique to you, […]
Gaining Perspective on the New Year
With the dawn of a new year, many expected immediate improvement. But as we flipped the calendar to 2021 many things remain unchanged. The weariness of the old year clings to us. A year-long pandemic still rages. Overwhelming grief is an unwanted companion to many. Uncertainty is still present. So how do we gain perspective […]
Gaining Wisdom and Understanding
When I was a child, we attended all the high school football games, at home and away. My father played football when he was in high school, continued to support the program, and enjoyed the games. However, football held no interest for me. I usually took a book and read, although shutting out the noise […]
Mining Memories for Positives
At times, processing items from my childhood home has been like falling into a time machine and stepping out decades ago. Finding tiny plastic dishes and pots spun me back to a time when I was a preschooler and Daddy would come home for lunch and visit me in the playhouse he built for me. […]
5 Life Lessons Learned from My Father
Each year, when the third week in June rolls around, I can’t help but think of my Daddy. Even though he died almost 30 years ago, I still miss him. I miss his strong hugs with a jiggly squeeze at the end. I miss his gentle voice, his humor, and his wisdom. My father was […]
Guarding Against Deception
When I was a young child, during a season of heavy rain, the large creek behind our house, overflowed its banks. I remember my father placing a stake in the backyard to mark the edge of the water. Then, several times a day, he marked the water level on the stake. Eventually, the water level […]
Overcoming Negative Cheerleaders
When I was a child, we attended the high school football games where my father was once a football star. Not only did we have season tickets for the home games, we traveled to all the away games as well. I didn’t really understand the game so my attention was often drawn to the cheerleaders. […]
5 Benefits of Seniority
As I left the gym Saturday, the teen sitting behind the reception desk stifled a yawn while wishing me a good day. “Sorry for yawning,” she said. “I graduated last night and didn’t get much sleep.” After getting in the car, I thought about what it means to be a senior and how seniority has […]
Cultivating Wisdom
When you hear the word “wisdom,” who or what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of ivy-covered halls of higher learning or the sage advice of an elder. By definition, wisdom means insight, good sense, common sense, levelheadedness, an accumulation of knowledge, the ability to discern. For some, gaining knowledge is the only component of […]