Written by Stephanie Fryer

Once upon a time, an early bird and a night owl fell in love and married. The early bird loved his early morning time watching the sun arrive over the horizon and getting started with his daily task list, and the night owl enjoyed the late evenings after the sun went down, sipping her hot […]

Written by Stephanie Fryer

Sharing a meal together with your family is not only a great way to bond with the ones you love, but it is also a way to get to know them better through taking time to communicate. We have made it a priority in our family to eat all together as much as possible, and […]

Written by Stephanie Fryer

As the family goes, so goes the world around us. The world passes by way of the family. All of us had a start in some form of a family, whether it was small or large; biological or adoptive; ethnic or diverse; rich, middle income or poor. However, how we were raised played and still […]

Written by Stephanie Fryer

My father believed there was one best way to do things and he taught me what that best way was–everything from which direction and how many twists are appropriate when using a twist-tie, to the most efficient way to load the dishwasher, the appropriate way to fold shirts and underwear, and that you should sweep […]

Written by Greg Schutte

Why is it that we spend so much energy falling in love only to exert so little energy staying in love? I used to write my spouse (girlfriend at the time) love poems and write her love songs and sing them to her in a crowd of people. I would open doors for her, carry […]

Written by Kim Danon

Do you feel protected and safe? Often times this question leads us to think about our physical protection and the safety of our surroundings. What if I rephrased the question? Are your emotions protected and safe? That question may require some thought before answering or perhaps asking more questions as we consider our answer. From […]

Written by Greg Schutte

As a parent of six, soon to be seven, I’ve always believed that parents were the first teachers of their children. And while there is truth to this, it can also be said that children are the first teachers of their parents on parenting. I’ve gotten all kinds of advice from my parents and little […]

Written by Stephanie Fryer

He came into my home in the middle of the night.  He was irate, yelling as he was destroying the house looking for the alcohol that he thought I hid from him.  That night, I couldn’t save myself.   I was kicked around, beaten and then slammed up against my bedroom wall, he dangled me in […]

Written by Morgan Snyder

When someone enlists into the U.S. Army, they are assigned a battle buddy (BB). What an adorable name for such a huge, and often scary, responsibility! It reminds me of when people say “hubby” or “wifey”; it’s cute, but it doesn’t really convey everything the roll entails. A team, whether it is soldiers in battle […]

Written by Greg Schutte

I am a morning person. I make no apologies to all you night owls who have little appreciation for those of us who look forward getting up at the crack of dawn, with a smile on our face and a bounce in our step. The morning has always given me a feeling of a new […]