A candle-lit dinner is arranged at the dimly lit restaurant, you have the ring in your pocket, and now . . . . you pop the question. It all went perfectly and now you can get married. Wait just a minute though. It is not quite that simple. Getting an affirmative answer to your well-worded…
DetailsOver the years I have heard many descriptions of empathy and distinctions between empathy and sympathy. I recently came across a quote that I really like. “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” Now as you ponder that you will probably realize that it is a mixed bag. If the echoes I…
DetailsHave you ever noticed that you have great insight and advice for your family members, but they often respond to your sage wisdom with a “Yea, sure Dad – whatever you say?” Don’t your spouse and kids know what an insightful perspective you have? If only they would heed your brilliance, their lives would function…
Details
At first glance you may think, “Well, this doesn’t apply to me because my child has stayed away from alcohol and drugs. So I don’t have to worry about them having an addiction.” However, I am not talking today about substance abuse but about a very real addiction to electronic games. As one parent expressed…
DetailsDo you want to improve your memory? I see this question posed more and more today through unsolicited mail, newspaper ads, and television commercials (at least that is what I recall). As we find ourselves living longer, this becomes an issue of ever increasing concern. So how do I improve my memory? And as you…
DetailsBret was working out in the garage when Susan came out to discuss a sticky situation with him regarding one of the children. She knew that they had different perspectives on the situation and would probably disagree on how best to handle this. As they talked (actually – argued), Bret could feel his blood pressure…
DetailsIt was supposed to only be a two hour flight from Oahu to the Big Island of Hawaii for two young pilots in their mid-twenties. Dave McMahon and Sydnie Uemoto had never met but were paired to fly this twin engine plane with no passengers. Unexpectedly, they suddenly lost power in both engines, went through…
DetailsHave you ever been told that the problem with your communication is not what you say but how you say it? Most of us have heard that at one time or another. Because we may not choose the best phrase or words, what we say is misunderstood and our best intentions go by the wayside. …
Details
Now if your first thought is, “What date night?” then this might be a timely post. Depending on your season of life, date nights can look very differently. If you are young with no children or are empty nesters, you may find date nights fairly easy to put together. But if you are like so…
DetailsNow I can imagine this morning that you are wondering what in the world thermostats have to do with your marriage or relationship. You may be thinking that perhaps I am going to talk about the temperature gauge of your relationships or something like that. But actually, it is going to be different than you…
Details