Doing Life Together

With the Jerry Sandusky case in the news, I heard a well-known radio commentator ask, “If these accusations are true, how could his wife not know what he was doing?” It’ a good question that people may wonder. If someone is guilty of doing the things Jerry Sandusky is accused of doing (there is no…

It’s the beginning of summer, the last one until that teen heads for college in the fall. How can you use this time to prepare your son or daughter for what is coming? Begin now to talk about anticipated changes. Don’t wait until the week before they leave home. Here are 8 suggestions: 1) Talk…

I’m often asked to give a few tips on how to make your relationship better. Here are five quick tips: 1) Turn off media and engage with your partner. Looking at the person instead of a screen sends a message–you are important, important enough for me to get off these screens and focus on you.…

I’ve been through years of relationship training. During those years, some ideas seem like good ones, others not so much. At a recent seminar I attended, I liked this idea and thought I would pass it on. The leader of the seminar, Dr. Gary Brainerd, suggested this simple strategy. Take four minutes, four times a…

With a growing desire to say, Yes to the dress, Karla often dreams of her wedding day. In her head, it is all planned out–her colors, the music, location, the rings, the cake and how the ceremony will be conducted. But Karla, like so many young couples, is cohabitating with her boyfriend who seems to…

I recently attended an all day seminar on couples counseling. We began the seminar filling out a form about our parents. There were two sections–positive and negative traits of  your mother and father (or major caretaker growing up). Then we were to circle the top traits and see if they were similar to the person…

What if you went to your doctor’s appointment for your regular diabetes check up and did more than have your labs taken? Instead… A counselor talked to you about your support system at home and asked about other aspects of your life that impact your stress levels. A nurse health educator asked about how you…

As we approach Father’s Day this weekend, I am aware that not everyone looks forward to this day with anticipation. Sons and daughters who have been abused, neglected, abandoned and hurt by dad can have a tough time on this day. Just trying to find a card to express some positive thought can be a…

Many baby boomers are counting on their parents to leave them an inheritance to pay off the mortgage, college bills or other finances. But with parents living longer, health care costs escalating and the market doing poorly, will the money be there? The Wall Street Journal had some great tips this week when it comes…

I recently spent six days along the coast of San Diego, California hiking state parks, dining at cafes and shopping at boutiques and malls. What I noticed was that I didn’t have to move through a haze of cigarette smoke to get places. During my trip, the only time I saw anyone smoking was outside…

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