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9Aug, 2018
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When Tragedy Strikes and the Healing Begins

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As I was doing my Amazon.com search for new books and music, I came across a CD entitled “Beauty Will Rise” by Steven Curtis Chapman.  The songs on the CD talk about Chapman’s journey after his adopted daughter’s accidental death.  He shares his struggles, his anguish, his doubts, his faith and his hope.   Maybe some of us (like myself) seemed removed from tragedies like an accidental death of a child, suicide, murder, natural disasters (e.g., the New Orleans hurricane, the Joplin tornado which claimed many lives), or the 9/11 […]
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9Aug, 2018
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Considering The Stages of Change

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Considering the Stages of Change   Changing for the better is sometimes difficult, but it can lead to a sense of self-assurance in a healthy way.  Maybe you are considering a lifestyle change for your health.  Perhaps you are thinking about increasing your commitment to exercise, eat well and give up harmful habits.  Maybe you want to improve your communication habits with loved ones or become more organized.  Whatever your goal is that will make your life better, you are realizing it is important to you to make a commitment […]
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3Aug, 2018
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Making A Change

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Making A Change  You might think that change is hard.  A Greek philosopher proposed that change is inevitable when he said, “Nothing is permanent except change.”  In coaching and counseling, people come in for help to make changes.  They often explain it as a response to something that has changed outside of them.  Usually, the change is unwelcome and the feelings they associate with the changes are upsetting in some way.   What changes are you experiencing?  Are you taking on new responsibilities in the workplace or at home?  Have you […]
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29Jul, 2018
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Integrity

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I’m sure you are all aware of politicians, Hollywood personalities, sports superstars (or superduds), company executives who make news headlines, because they did something that we might consider immoral, unethical, or dishonest.  We get caught up in their stories, maybe even find them humorous or intoxicating. Unfortunately, we find these same stories happening in our own backyards involving people we know.   Some of the immoral, unethical, dishonest behavior we observe include *greed in pursuit of wealth, status, power for one’s self *taking advantage of someone for one’s personal gain *accepting […]
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27Jul, 2018
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Relationships, Winston Churchill and John Gottman

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My husband and I recently took a day trip to Fulton, Mo to see The National Churchill Museum at Westminster College. It was a hot day, so being in an air-conditioned museum seemed like a good idea. Actually it was too cold inside, but we spent three hours learning about this extraordinary man.  Although Sir Winston Churchill was a prolific writer, I wasn’t thinking about him as having anything to say about couple relationships, as I was reading about his accomplishments and reviewing the famous Iron Curtain Speech that he […]
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23Jul, 2018
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Celebrate Parents’ Day

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Parents’ Day Consider the effect parents have in the life of children.  The commitment and nurturing support of parents has a profound impact on the development of children.  Celebrating Parents’ Day on the fourth Sunday of July is an opportunity for families to talk about the positive experiences they have with parents and parenting.  Families may include many relationships including biological, foster and step families.  Parents’ Day can also recognize other significant people who take part in the raising of children in some families.  According to the National Parents’ Day […]
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21Jul, 2018
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Marital Communication – Part 4

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Love Language 2 – Quality Time The second love language Chapman describes in his book, “The Five Love Languages”  is quality time.  This means time spent focusing on your spouse, giving him or her your undivided attention, and doing meaningful things together.  Quality time spent with your spouse means building positive and beautiful memories together.   Quality time means finding out what activities he or she likes to do and doing those things together.  As Chapman states, it’s not so much what you do, rather it’s time together to show […]
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18Jul, 2018
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Adding 1 degree to your relationshp

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So, I am reading a book called 212 Degrees, written by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson, given to me, to my surprise, by Tom Hill (author of Chicken Soup of the Entreprenauer’s Soul and Living at the Summit, A Life Plan) at the Cottleville Chamber of Commerce luncheon during his inspirational talk, Tuesday, July 16. 212 Degrees is a short book about raising the temperature of water one degree. That one degree, the book explains, is the difference between something hot and something that can power a locomotive, steam. Interesting […]
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7Jul, 2018
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Routines can be as Easy as 1-2-3

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Routines can be as Easy as 1-2-3   Every family I meet lately is concerned about stress.  Parents are weary and overwhelmed and children are tense, easily frustrated and confused.  Even in couples counseling when children are not involved, partners complain of too much to do, not enough time and feeling discouraged.   In my last post, I encouraged families to look at summer as a great time for creating some new routines.  This is especially helpful when someone in the family experiences problems with attention.  In this post I […]
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