There is nothing like a game of Wii to reveal that the best of families quickly goes from looking like the old Leave It To Beaver to The Munsters shows. In the family room, we discover that we are all dysfunctional. We can be overly competitive, afraid of conflict, have control issues, etc.   And “It’s…

If anything the last year has shown us is that nothing is certain.  The only certain thing is that… there is nothing certain. Few things can be counted on concretely.  Few things live up to their claims.  Remember that scene from A CHRISTMAS STORY where Ralphy gets the secret decoder ring.  He had heard all…

Fearful Generosity Do you remember cooties?   Both the toy and the imaginary disease girls or boys had in school.   No one wants “cooties.”   We are scared of them.  We are fearful of the unknown and unseen.  Many of us have been pushed into “cootie” giving, or Fearful Giving. In 2000, my wife and I were…

Ever feel like Christmas has become too commercialized?  It’s more about getting than giving? This is the second Christmas since Beth’s grandmother passed away.  She was a woman of few words.  She served others to show her love. She grew up in Kentucky but loved her farm in Michigan. One day, a few months before…

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More from Beliefnet and our partners