Good Clean Reads

I have learned how to care for myself. Yesterday was a painful experience of witnessing and releasing some of the hardest aspects of my childhood. I am grateful to know I am not being held by the story anymore and what a fortunate circumstance to have a chance to enjoy the gifts of being American that I have only enjoyed once before. Our nation’s capital is awash in cultural richness. Within...

I came to celebrate my mother’s 75^thBirthday. I was committed to not making it worse. I was just aiming for 5% better. The thing about letting go of the past is that you have to be willing to experience the emotions to release them. Anything else is a lie, a cover-up, a turning away. I came to let go of the past and be with my mother as she is. I wanted also to apologize for the disrespect and...

Dealing with challenging family issues is one of the greatest stresses that life throws our way and whether the issues are about the stressful dynamics between partners or the mismatch of temperaments between parents and kids, the estrangement and painful consequences of broken relationships can last a lifetime. Renowned psychologist and author Dr Josh Coleman speaks compassionately and...

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”  -Victor Hugo

A new friend reminded me today that the patience and tenderness that I seek for my estranged family is in reality a search for love in myself. Most of us have been confused by the idea that forgiveness is primarily an action we offer for others. This is the juncture where we lose our intention to love, because we believe that by...

“Pleasure is the object, duty and the goal of all rational creatures.”  -Voltaire

The new year is a good time to re-orient our experience of pleasure. It is easy to confuse the continuous onslaught of instant gratification that our culture gorges on with the deep healing experience of pleasure. Here are a couple of guideposts to help distinguish and navigate oneself towards the healing...

Dr. Joshua Coleman, Co-Chair of the Council on Contemporary Families and a renowned psychologist, talks about the reality of staying for the kids. Visit us at TheOpeningDoor.org to listen to the full interview.

I am traveling on the East Coast, which is where I was born.  In the past, my visits have left me bewildered, lost in old stories and lost to the self I was trying to grow into.  Each time I visit now I feel acutely aware that this might be my last try at making peace and accepting the past for what it is.  So here I am again with a singular focus of being the person I aspire to be.

It is strange...

“The living moment is everything.”  ~D.H. Lawrence

One of the most powerful ways that my positivity quest has evolved lately, is in my aspiration and dedication to befriend the present moment. Today I had plenty of opportunities to practice as I raced between multiple connections across the country. So as I processed the real possibility of missing the next connection or realized that I had lost...

Today I begin my third edition of my positivity quest blog with a renewed commitment to daily writing as a vehicle for my awakening. This is the third new year that I have begun the year by committing my life to positivity. Having lost touch with the daily practice of writing as I learn in this last year has made me long to find my writing voice again in a way that will guide me to putting the...