Originally published in Third Degree of Freedom.
Two women from the Philippines are helping me with a home project. They’re smart, they work hard, and they’re compassionate. Traits I obviously admire. And even though they’ve both been handed their share of tragedy, they still agree, “Life is good.”
One is a single mother of six who just [...]
Genuinely enjoying one another’s company. A family outing to Grayton Beach, with Lorna, Aislinn, Shannon, and Brian. All photos copyrighted.
In every dysfunctional family, there’s at least one do-goodin’ peacemaker who is either a blood relative, an in-law, or a “concerned family friend.” Ironically, it’s usually not so much about making peace among hostile relatives [...]
Continue reading about Making Peace in Dysfunctional Families: How to Fix It and Whether You Should
Brace yourself. This is going to be controversial. It may make you cry, or it may make you angry, or–if you don’t believe in anything you can’t see–you may roll your eyes. In fact, if you’re not an open-minded person, just go ahead and click away from here now because there’s nothing in what I [...]
The dreaded 3 of Swords Tarot card, usually signifying grief, betrayal, loss, and/or sorrow. Photo credit by Raelene G; attribution license
I sat in the conference room and sobbed hard enough that my shoulders shook. Of the 75 people in the room with me, most of them backed away, not knowing what to make of my [...]
Photo credit by publicinsomniac; creative commons license
Healing old wounds of childhood trauma and self-esteem doesn’t come easily, but when it does come, it’s unexpected.
Thinking back on my childhood, I might just as easily have been a child suicide. I remember thinking about it when I was nine years old, right after being humiliated in front [...]
Book cover for Working through Grief: Tips for Coping with the Pain of Loss
Traumatic experiences, grief, and loss can take a heavy toll. Death, dying, divorce, sexual abuse, and suicide aren’t things you just “get over.” You have to heal them from the inside out.
Forget everything you’ve heard about “getting over it” and coming [...]
Continue reading about Grief and Loss Must Be Worked Through, Not Ignored
