“Perfect! My spouse is to blame for my excess weight. I knew that it couldn’t be my fault. I mean the fact that I love candy, cookies, Big Macs, and (in my case) Blue Bell ice cream – well, let’s just say that I am happy to learn that none of those things are making…
Details
In part 1 of this discussion last week I talked about the difficulties we face if we allow our lives to become stuck with old wounds and offenses. We may have encountered harsh jealousy and selfish behavior from a sibling, feelings of betrayal that we felt over a cheating spouse, or the loss of a…
Details
I sat with a single mother the other day as she expressed her anger and frustration regarding her ex-husband and a looming custody fight. As she recounted various woundings, I listened with understanding and empathy. I was about to ask how many months they had been apart when she gave an indication that they had…
Details
During the last three weeks we have been looking at how technology impacts our most precious relationships. In recent years, cells phones have begun to occupy greater and greater prominence in our lives. While it certainly puts the world at our fingertips, it also has contributed to incredible strain on our most significant relationships. We…
Details
In 2016 Psychology Today called attention to the fact that smartphones fragment human consciousness. They contend that the habitual use of smartphones lowers our ability to be empathetic as well as diminishes the “quality of conversation.” This is our third in a series addressing technology and our relationships. In the first post we looked at…
Details
Chicago psychologist, Nicole Martinez reported that in a study of young married women, “70 percent reported that face-to-face conversations were stopped in their tracks by a partner’s phone use or even active texting.” These intrusions have been referred to by some as “technoference.” We began last week to take a look at some of the…
Details
“You’re with your other husband again,’ Marilyn’s only husband would say every time she turned to her cellphone while the two were driving to dinner. She thought he was just being his witty-self.” But then his words began to get to her. In the last couple of years, I have written increasingly about our preoccupation…
Details
Do you ever wonder, if you could be a fly on the wall at your office, your home, your friend’s house, or even your church – what would you hear people saying about you? Would they speak of your kindness and generosity or are they more likely to be discussing your self-centered arrogance? Do people…
Details
Oh the things that we stumble onto when we are cleaning out. A couple of weeks ago I was going through some old books when I came across a grocery store coupon that was inside one of them. All I can figure is that at some point in time, when I was reading it, I…
Details
While people’s inclinations seem to be the same from generation to generation, the nuances of the differences in issues can vary. One of those issues that has changed faster than our relational insights, has been around technology – particularly cell phones. I can assure you that 20 years ago I was not dealing with this…
Details
