Category: Family

How to Be Present with Children

With all the pressures of our daily lives it can be difficult to be present with those we love.  Our ‘To-Do’ list can be a mile long, thus keeping our minds in the future rather than the here-and-now.  This may not seem to be an issue while we’re conducting our daily activities, but when our … Continue reading “How to Be Present with Children”

How Do You Define Family?

Defining family can be a tough thing as the word “family” alone is a powerful word that conjures up multiple different meanings and emotions. How does one put into words all that define how they feel when it comes to what family is?   Oftentimes people will say a family includes a mother, father, and … Continue reading “How Do You Define Family?”

Discipline – Why and How

Why… The reason we discipline our children is not so we can have a sense of control over another person, but rather to: Guide Train Protect I view children as little aliens to this world and the adults in their lives are here to help them learn the ways of humans. They will not know … Continue reading “Discipline – Why and How”

A Simple Statement

It was Christmas morning and my daughter, Anna Beth, handed me a small jewelry box wrapped in holiday paper. Immediately I knew it would be a charm for my bracelet. When I opened the present, it took a moment to register what the charm represented. Then, I realized it looked like a postcard and the … Continue reading “A Simple Statement”

Thanksgiving

“Why did I agree to this? What was I thinking? I’ve never cooked a meal this big in my life! Now, my family is counting on ME to make our Thanksgiving meal. “ These were the thoughts running through my mind as I sat at my kitchen table searching recipes and creating a game plan … Continue reading “Thanksgiving”

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Cancer has touched just about every life, and breast cancer, in particular, touched mine. It took my mother. My mom was an incredibly strong woman. She endured much and worked hard her entire life and there is much about her I admire. She had a strong work ethic. She … Continue reading “Breast Cancer Awareness”

Standing on the Sidelines

  My husband and I just returned from a visit with our son, who lives in Dallas. On one leg of our journey, we took an Uber car to the airport where our driver shared that he had just recently returned to school to earn a degree in psychology.  He stated that his intent was … Continue reading “Standing on the Sidelines”

Understanding Your Role

Often during the counseling process it becomes helpful to take a look at your family of origin—the family you grew up in. In some ways this makes a lot of sense. C.S. Lewis uses a math analogy to illustrate how if somehow things don’t seem to be adding up while working through a problem, the … Continue reading “Understanding Your Role”

A Tribute to Our Troops

I woke up this morning with a smile! After sleeping in, exercising, cleaning the house and planning a date with my wonderful husband, David, I began to really count my blessings. I logged onto Facebook and read tributes and prayers for those who have served in the military and those who are currently serving. Our … Continue reading “A Tribute to Our Troops”

Christmas

As I write this I am looking out of my hotel window at the Puget Sound. Seattle isn’t exactly a destination city for Christmas but it is for Renee and me this year. Our son, Chris, and his wife Ali live here with their two daughters, Zoë and Charlotte. We’ve just spent two exhilarating and … Continue reading “Christmas”