Young people searching for a romantic partner sometimes look for a mirror image of themselves. Someone who shares every taste and belief. That’s not only unrealistic but probably not the basis for a healthy relationship. Still, there is typically a certain...
Marriage — And The Facts Of Life
By the time someone reaches an age where they’re ready for a long-term romantic relationship, they’ve probably developed a basic outlook on life. They’re inclined to be either more of an optimist or more of a pessimist. Experience and natural temperament mold a...
Do’s And Don’ts To Master The Art of Conversation
Almost from the day we’re born we begin to learn how to speak. It’s an incredibly simple process and people in every culture follow the same basic pattern. As babies and then children, we listen, imitate and remarkably quickly begin to associate sounds with meaning....
It’s Not ‘What’ You Said…
Here’s a little pop quiz for you. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher? Here’s a followup question. What was it about Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones that made you like them so much? You may remember a single incident that’s happily embedded in your memory — the...
An Orchestra In Harmony With All
The times they are a-changin’… and thank goodness for that. Not too very long ago, many groups of people lived outside the mainstream of society, whether by choice or not. Today, people cheer on paralympic athletes while organizations such as the United States Blind...
Is Juggling Life’s Demands Burning You Out?
Isn’t it nice that with all the advances in technology helping us in our everyday lives, we no longer have to worry about all those things that stressed out previous generations? We no longer have to fret about pressure to perform at work. Striking the proper...
The Joy Of Sparking Conversation With A Kid
It’s one of life’s little joys to watch a young child play with a toy figure, creating a fantastical world filled with heroes and villians. While they hold their little figure on the edge of a chair, they call the action: “They’re about to get you… jump, jump into the...
The Essence And Importance Of ‘Character’
Good ol’ Aristotle is credited with saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit.” In fact, he was playing off a statement of his teacher, Plato, who said, “Character is simply habit long continued.” To truly understand the...
Modern Boundaries For Modern Times
If you are lucky enough to have had grandparents or parents who had a loving, stable long-term marriage, do you ever wish you had taken the time to have more (or any) serious conversations about their relationship? It is the rare young person — especially in the...
Sparking Meaningful Conversations With Kids
What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you when you were a kid? If you're like most people, you'd probably reflect on a loving memory of a parent, or perhaps a teacher, praising you or simply saying I love you at a particularly impactful moment. The flip side is...