According to The Grief Recovery Handbook, grief is defined as: 1. a normal, natural reaction to any loss. 2. conflicting feelings when something familiar changes or ends. While studying this evidence-based method, proven to lessen the pain of any loss, we learn that grief is much broader than previously supposed. Even positive life changes -- […]
What does it mean to be a powerful woman? Does it mean to have good fame and fortune? Does it mean to do everything for everyone with no thought of ourselves? Does it mean to do what it takes to look good in the eyes of others? Does it mean being attached to a powerful […]
For men, shame is most often manifest by feeling ashamed to be seen as weak. What was the most shameful thing you experienced in elementary school? Chances are that it involved being beaten up or bullied on the playground. I don't know if that is cultural or in our DNA. Whatever the reason, men have […]
Rejection is probably the biggest fear mid-singles have in dating. In many cases, we may think it means something about our worth or desirability. Thus, it's easy to take rejection personally and either lash out in response or turn inward and stuff unexpressed pain. Is this perspective really factual? For one thing, what other people […]
Christmas is a time for rejoicing and reunions. But for single parents and other mid-singles, it can be an all too poignant reminder of things we have lost or that we are missing out on. In 2016, I had one of those Christmases. My older son was on a mission and my younger son had […]
Do you ever make the mistake of attributing your feelings to someone else's words or behavior? Just to be really clear, your feelings exist inside of you. They are not transferred to you by another person. I do not mean to suggest that others have no effect on us. We are naturally social creatures and […]
For more than a year, I have been trying to find the right word to describe the mental state where a person is centered, at peace, and not disrupted. I was at an event with a mental health counselor and asked him the question and he said, "the word is homeostasis." Not bad, but not […]
A wise marriage counselor once said to compare the seed of faith in Alma 32 to the seed of love. When we’ve been hurt by a past relationship, it may be difficult to try again. This illustrates how love can grow: “. . . exercise a particle of [love], yea, even if ye can no […]
When Cathy and I were writing Intentional Courtship, one of our beta readers cautioned me about how much to use the word "beautiful," because love and marriage are not only for the beautiful people. Point taken. Having said this, I think the person you marry ought to be beautiful to you. What I want for […]
