A Letter to Parents of Young Ones
Dear Moms and Dads of Young Ones, Someday your children are going to grow up and become your best friends. Your family is going to bring you more and more joy with each passing decade. I don’t know how I didn’t know this but I didn't. I...
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My Map to Christmas Peace
Christmas is going to be different this year. In my last post I mentioned that we've been going to my in-law's house in the country for 30 years. It's in the small town where my husband and I grew up. I adore my in-laws and feel blessed that we have had the privilege...
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These are the Days…Emily Freeman’s Writing Hack
I just got home from seeing clients. The house is clean and quiet. Our next set of Airbnb guests are set to arrive any minute. Instead of settling down with a book, I hopped onto my Facebook writer's group (Hopewriters) and saw Emily Freeman's video in which she...
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Your Inner Happy
I've always used Instagram for my own pleasure. If you look, you'll see I have lots of posts with food, drink, and the people I love. However, I realized I was missing a huge opportunity to share my counseling, writing, and speaking material over there. ...
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My Ten Most Popular Blog Posts
Just for fun I checked out my google analytics to see what my most popular blog posts were. Here they are in order of popularity: 1. Life Code by Dr. Phil - a book review 2. Ten Things I Learned in My 40s That I Wish I Knew in My 20s and 30s 3. Momastery...
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How To Behave In Your Child’s Custody Battle
As a counselor, always in training, I listen to a lot of experts. Whether it's attending seminars, listening to podcasts of New Life , or watching Dr. Phil (or any number of other experts). Sometimes people laugh when I mention Dr. Phil. Yes, television...
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The Difference Between Empathy And Sympathy
As a counselor and psychology professor, I do understand there is a drastic difference between empathy and sympathy. However, in a recent talk that researcher and author Brene Brown did in London, I gleaned a few new thoughts about the differences. Brown...
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Romantic Getaway Self Care Weekend
It's hard to get away. It takes money, energy, organization, and desire. Even though rest and romance are desireable, it's like pushing a boulder uphill to make it happen. John and I didn't think we had time to use the Bed and Breakfast gift certificate his mom got us...
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Becoming Your Spouse’s Better Half – a book review
Rick Johnson is a bestselling author of many books. He’s the founder of Better Dads and is a speaker at many large parenting and marriage conferences. I just finished reading Becoming Your Spouse’s Better Half: Why Differences Make a Marriage Great. Rick spends...
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How To Take Charge Of A So-So Marriage
We've all heard the stats on divorce. Rates are sky high. The marriage breakup rate in America for first marriage is 41% to 50%; the rate after second marriage is from 60% to 67% and the rate in America for 3rd marriage are from 73% to 74%. But the picture may still...
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