In a world upended, hurting, and fearful, the pressure is mounting. As anxiety and tension escalate, we all need to become better listeners. The ability to listen to someone helps that person release the pressure that builds up inside. We can think about stress and anxiety as pressure that needs to escape. In various types of equipment, a relief valve… Read More
My daughters fill the room with laughter as one of them hangs a big rubber band from her ear. To understand why, you have to know more about their PopPop Don. One day, their PopPop told them about a time when he was Dean of Students. Don conducted a serious meeting with a student only to find out afterwards that… Read More
Yuck! When will this election be over?? Enough already! Sentiments like these are heard over and over. People are blocking others on Facebook, tweeting bombastic replies, and googling Canadian real estate sites. Like many people, I have friends and family who see the solutions to social problems differently than I do. Therefore, they sometimes support different politicians and polices compared… Read More
I read it on social media. I hear it from friends and family. People are frustrated and angry. But WHOM they are frustrated with varies. It is interesting to hear differences in opinion over who is to blame for the violence and unrest dominating the headlines. There is one thing we have in common: We are afraid. What have we… Read More
Is this you sometimes? You hold it all together until the last person is out of the house and then you break down crying. Life is too hard. You think, “How can everyone else be doing so well but I am failing? What is wrong with me?” Or you get ready for work and show up determined to have a… Read More
On an early Friday evening, my daughters and I sat on an outdoor patio at a local restaurant. I gazed at their expressive faces, delighting in their laughter and conversation. Our peace evaporated as a van pulled up in the parking lot next to us. At first the sounds from the vehicle were fine. Then their two-year old girl started… Read More
My daughter stood in the kitchen with me as I put dishes away. I turned my head and whacked it hard into the corner of an open cupboard door. My head throbbed as I cried out in pain. You know, that cry of agony right before your ability to breathe disappears momentarily. My daughter cried out, “Mommy!” After a moment,… Read More
A student from class, Mary, came into my office and sat in an orange over-stuffed chair. We talked about a paper assignment. Then, hesitantly, she asked a question that probably brought her there in the first place. She tells about her grandparents. They had been married over 50 years, and just recently her grandfather died. Her grandmother is grieving deeply. … Read More
