The Person Sitting Right Next to You

Mother Theresa of Calcutta once said: “People feel that they need to go across the ocean to a 3rd world country in order to care for the impoverished. The poor in Calcutta have very little, but they at least share what little they have. They are poor in things but rich in love.” She stated […]

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Early Bird Marries Night Owl (A Love Story Gone “Afowl”

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 […]

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Whine and Dine

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 […]

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The Inside Out

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 […]

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If You Want Something Done Right

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 […]

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How to Make Friends Hate You – An Anniversary Tale

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 […]

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Emotional Protection and Trust

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 […]

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Things We Learned From Our Children Raising Us

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 […]

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Into the Darkness

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 […]

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