A Season of Grieving and Transformation
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”
--Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
The past year has been my season of grieving. Needless to say, it’s been a long, hard year, but also, in a way that seems impossible to pinpoint, a transformative year, a year of blessings.
Much of 2011 blurs in my mind. It started with my father’s recurrence of lung cancer, then his mercifully brief, anguished last few weeks. It was the first parent I lost, and one I loved intensely. The pain of watching... Read More
Not long ago, a friend of mine suggested that the greatest fear humans experience is the fear of death. I disagreed, saying that I believed their greatest fear is fear of loss. Death is something that is very abstract to most people, in my opinion, unless they have recently tended to a dying loved one or been otherwise exposed to the actual end of life. However, most people, in my experience, live in fear of loss, to a greater or lesser degree.
Loss can take many forms. It can mean loss of youth (or even middle age for those of us who are now elders). That translates into less energy, more facial... 
A death, divorce, illness, sudden unemployment, or any major loss, creates chaos in your life. This emotional fracturing, as well as the practical aftershocks of dealing with estates, lawyers, housing, finances, doctors, etc., often yields intense feelings that can be overwhelming.
When you think you simply can’t assimilate another thing, it’s crucial to just stop. Even if you have never meditated, simply sitting or lying down and paying attention to your breath will calm your nervous system and give you the literal breather you need.
Sometimes, it’s too hard to stay still, so take... 
The decision has been made. You and your spouse are divorcing. There are a multitude of decisions to be made, and it is often difficult to know where to begin. You will be making decisions regarding when the children are with you and when they are with your spouse, whether to keep the family home and, if so, who keeps it. There will also be a host of other decisions you did not realize you made automatically on a daily basis that will now become conscious decisions because living in two different homes requires more coordination. While you are addressing these decisions and working to manage your... 
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Divorce may be one of the worst moments in your life, and it will impact everything happening in yours and your children's lives. Many children will experience the pain, frustration, stress, and loss that divorce brings to their lives. While kids are very resilient, they need help adjusting to a new life when their parents are separated. There are many things that parents can do to help their children with the divorce process. Often, how parents deal during the divorce impacts how children handle their loss.
When you break the news of the divorce or separation, keep in mind how you approach... 
Technology can have a marvelous effect on sexuality in many ways. One example is the vibrator, which has helped countless women discover that we can indeed pleasure ourselves to orgasm. This in turn leads many of us to become orgasmic with a partner, so everyone’s happy.
On the other hand, extraordinary advances in technology can have a profoundly negative effect on sexual pleasure. A perfect example is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), for which Robert Edwards won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine. During IVF, one or more eggs are removed from the woman and mated with sperm in a petri dish outside... 
The arrival of the Thanksgiving and winter holiday season each year asks us to harvest our blessings: to be grateful, to celebrate, and to spend time with friends and family as we shift towards winter. It can be a time of comfort or stress, security or drama, or all of the above and more.
For people in mourning, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas may feel alienating, confusing, painful, and meaningless. What is there to be grateful for when we have experienced an irreplaceable loss? How do we gather together and celebrate when someone’s absence from the table is glaring? Why toast to... 
You're getting a divorce. In addition to the friends you brought into the relationship, you and your ex have made many friends together through your children's activities, your jobs and the places you have volunteered. You both rely on their friendships to help with childcare and have established a social circle that meets both your needs. In addition, you have been talking to these friends about the difficulties you have been having in your marriage and want to be able to keep this support system. It has been so important for you to have close friends to talk to about all the things that have... 
I am particularly reflective at this time of year, as my youngest son is turning six years old. It was just that many years ago that I experienced the joy of his birth and then the ensuing terrifying abyss with postpartum depression.
I love my little angel boy more than life itself. And I loved him with all my heart and soul when I lost the serotonin in my brain. Two weeks after my sweet 10 pound son was born, the sleep deprivation caught up with me. My baby was hungry, and I was not producing enough breast-milk for my little cherub…I quickly realized I wasn’t getting enough sleep, my hormones... 
There are many ways in which one parent can influence how their children perceive their other parent. Often this is a positive experience for the children as they learn to appreciate both of their parents for what they each provide individually as a parent. Other times, this is a negative experience, especially during a divorce, making it very difficult for children to manage their feelings of loyalty and have loving relationships with both parents. It is sometimes the case where one parent is truly a danger to their children and should not have access to the children as determined by a court of... 
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Research has previously linked personality traits to psychological issues in teens, specifically depression and 
