Notes for the Family

Hello, Families! How do we act with compassion even when we are feeling hurt, pain, anger, betrayal? First things first: if you feel like shooting the laptop, don’t. It is time for you to self-soothe. Get away, take a break. If target practice helps, then go get a case of orange soda and drink half of it because you loved it as a kid. Then explode the other half with your target practice. Do this on your own–don’t...

Hello, Fathers and Sons!   Does this sound familiar? You wake up in the morning to the shrilling of an alarm and mercilessly push yourself out of bed. You wince and suck in your breath as you hobble to the bathroom as your ankles creak and scream at you. Back is stiff, neck is stiff, your body is resisting you and all the while you are grumbling unhappy thoughts. Then you try to distract yourself from these aches by thinking...

Hello moms,   The holidays are here, but where did Thanksgiving go?  It seems like life has been in high speed since Halloween!  Working, cooking, shopping, running errands, traveling, decorating the house– don’t forget outside lights!  Attending everyone’s holiday parties, online ordering, wrapping gifts, talking to relatives–celebrations at whose house this year?  Getting flu shots, passing around the...

Welcome to Notes for the Family, a blog for moms, dads, husbands, wives, partners, friends, loners, grown-ups, and kids.  Family life can be a great source of joy, connection, spontaneity, and fun.   And, as most of us have experienced, it can also be a source of pain, anger, sadness, and disharmony.  How can we interact with compassion, even when we disagree?  How can we maintain hope during times of uncertainty or even loss?  I am...