The V-Word

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” -Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

I grew up in a family that defined dysfunctional before anyone ever used the word. Unresolved pain in my parents’ lives served as the foundation of their relationship and my childhood was steeped in unspoken terrifying rage or screaming fits that filled every space. I became an early talker, as...

“Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone – but not the complete structure. It is much too pliable, too yielding.”  -Bette Davis

My son and his girlfriend ended their relationship today. It was not for lack of love, but rather life circumstances that brought it to this end. My son, now a college freshman, and his girlfriend, still in the midst of high school, are traveling in...

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

Leaving the BlogWorld conference in Las Vegas and reflecting on what I learned, or maybe better put, what I continue to learn about life could be summed up in the feeling of gratitude. I didn’t walk away with any big aha moments from attending, but I did come to appreciate again, and in a new...

All I want is to stand in a field

and to smell green,

to taste air,

to feel the earth want me,

Without all this concrete

hating me.

~Phillip Pulfrey

Probably one of the very best parts of my day is how close I live to nature. At home, nestled into an old growth forest, I experience silence regularly. I can hear birds conversing, I can hear the sound of wind through trees. I often forget how far...

“This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.”  -Bertrand Russell

My son fell from a roof last week and just like that all of life was different. This is often how life catches us off guard; with accidents, health emergencies or just bad weather consequences. Suddenly all that we take for granted, that we hold as the fabric of...

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” -George Bernard Shaw

I feel like I am surfacing out of the deep haze that has been totally focused on the healing of my son, who came a bit too close to the edge of life and death. He has emerged miraculously unscathed, hopefully more cautious and awake, but incredibly himself. During these moments, my life is an anchor for him...

Discover how The Scent of Desire with author Dr. Rachel Herz, a leading world expert on the psychology of olfaction. The connections between our sense of smell, our sexuality, emotions and memory is deep and primal. Listen to one of the world’s foremost authorities explain the in-depth connections that have hardwired our species and our relationships. This is a conversation that will make you...

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” -Dalai Lama

It isn’t only in the midst of family emergencies that the kindness of others makes such a big difference in life. This is often the time we think of going out of our way for someone else, where we offer, “Anything I can...