Good Clean Reads

“Once again, we see why human beings do not thrive as the “existential cowboys” that so much modern thought celebrates. While it may be literally true that “we are born alone” and that “we die alone,” connection not only helps us to make us who we are in evolutionary terms, it helps determine who we become as individuals. In both cases, human connections, mental health, psychological health, and...

“The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds – they mature slowly.” ~Peter De Vries

Today I found an old photo of my husband and I when I was just 20-years-old. I was younger than our first child is now. I barely remember what or how I thought at that time and I am not sure that I remember how it was for us to be together accurately. I do remember how much I wanted to be with my husband and...

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

-Anonymous

There are brief moments lately when I start to feel like I am returning to a normal routine after my son’s near miss with tragedy. He has also returned to his normal routines and is seemingly stronger than before. His recent fall feels more like a dream now and I am noticing how easy it is...

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” -Buddha

The four attributes that pave the road for a qualitatively positive life are motivation, effort, authenticity and an inquiring mind. Cultivating these skills and making them intuitive and natural responses to life will create a reliable and worthy life...

“We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.” -Kahlil Gibran

The days have been glorious, full of light and color bursting from the trees. Early autumn: lingering sunny afternoons with a sweet crisp smell in the air has always been one of my favorite times of year. For many years, I would spend hours collecting leaves of all shapes and sizes with my kids. We would bring home...

“Sexuality is the best and most interesting way for me to understand the world and the people around me…” is the response that Cory Silverberg gives for his tremendous work in the field of sexual education. As the About.com:sexuality guide, Cory provides some of the most compassionate, articulate and accurate information available on the web for all things sexual. In our conversation, he explains...

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. ” ~Thomas Paine

On the days when I am feeling low, one of my daughters will come in and start reading entries from one of my favorite social media sites, GivesMeHope.com. Three young optimists created this alternate view of life on earth in response to the growing popularity of the negativity-inspired FML.com. With more than 1 million...

“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...