The definition of integrity covers two parts that sometimes seem to be talking about two different things. Integrity is "1) the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness, and 2) the state of being whole, undivided." While many use the second definition to talk ...read more
Resolve to Prioritize Your Partner in Your New Year’s Resolution
It's days from the New Year and resolutions are on the horizon. Typical resolution choices involve exercise, diet and overall physical health. Don't get me wrong, these are great things to do. How about making a relationship resolution and actually KEEPING it this year? Often, our primary ...read more
Rituals for Connection: Make Your Family Time Purposeful
Thanksgiving is over and the holiday season is upon us. Connecting through rituals is common during the holiday season, but what about on a daily basis? Rituals or routines not only have a protective factor for kids but they also provide us an important sense of connection. Think about the ...read more
Friendship: Essential to a Well Lived Life
Did you know that Aristotle is considered the father of friendship? He believed that true friendship was essential to a well lived life. Friendship really IS important for all of us, having important ties to our social support, our physical health and our emotional well being. Research on ...read more
Exercising Empathy: Understanding Each Other
Most people know that exercising is important for overall health, even if they don't like it. Did you know that exercising empathy is equally important in relationships for understanding each other? First it may be important to really know what empathy IS. The most basic definition is the ability ...read more
New Years Resolutions for Your Relationship
Happy New Year! It's the time when people make resolutions for ways they are going to improve themselves or their lives for the new year. Now, I'm not knocking the decision to get in shape but wouldn't it make a whole lot of sense to prioritize a New Years Resolution for your relationship first? ...read more
“Home” for the Holidays!
Here it is, the thick of the holiday season. Between the just past Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and New Years we have so many opportunities to gather in groups and families to celebrate things. Funny how the very celebrations we look forward to all year also bring so much stress and ...read more
Before You Say “I Do”: Pre-Marital Counseling
Pre-marital counseling is often recommended or required for many weddings that will occur within a religious institution. On one level, many couples want the opportunity to deal with some issues that could become a future problem for their marriage. Unfortunately, however, not all pre-marital ...read more
Parenting From Inside Out
By now, if you are a parent of small children, you have likely either seen or heard of the Pixar movie "Inside Out". This delightful movie gives children, and parents, a wonderful way to talk more about feelings and to understand how they all have a role to play. Each of the portrayed emotions ...read more
Grace Under Pressure
Grace: disposition to, or an act or instance of, kindness, courtesy, or clemency; mercy, pardon; a special favor; the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful. (Merriam-Webster.com)We talk about God's grace, a dancer's grace and being in someone's good graces but we rarely use grace ...read more