QUESTION I am a mother of three young beautiful children, soon to be four at the end of this week. As I try hard to follow the Lord’s way in raising our children, I am overcome more and more by feelings of inadequacy, guilt and worthlessness. I have found myself reflecting on my own upbringing […]
I recently got an email from a former BYU student, now doing doctoral work in engineering in the Midwest. This young man wrote: I have a co-worker with whom I have been discussing the issue of same-sex marriage and the repercussions on society. He is pro-family in a traditional sense, but is unsure on his […]
My daughter, Eden, posted this on her blog recently and I find myself going back to it, once in a while, for sheer enjoyment. It always makes me smile. More and more, society seems to regard fatherhood as optional. 41% of childbirths in the U.S. occur outside marriage. In 2 of 3 of these births, […]
When I am employed in serving others, I don not look upon myself as conferring favors, but paying debts. Benjamin Franklin My husband, Chris, went to the University of Oklahoma for his graduate degree. When we moved to Norman, Oklahoma, I was almost full term with our third baby. My doctor had suggested I […]
This post is prompted by a comment/question responding to my last post on how to choose a therapist. The very relevant question, asked by “Pops,” was: “Who should see a therapist? These days we get therapy and medication for what would have been treated some time ago with a swift kick in the pants.” ANSWER […]
I am often asked how to choose a therapist. My answer: LET THE BUYER BEWARE. Here are a few thoughts. Therapy is not cheap, so it makes sense to begin by checking with your insurance to see if there may be some coverage for mental/emotional health services. If there is coverage, there is generally a […]
This thought comes from an insight my husband, Chris, had several years ago. In the course of his scripture studies, he noticed that God does not use the word “plan” as a verb. Scripturally, the word, “plan,” is always a noun. “Plan(s)” appears in the standard works (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and […]
The Trouble with Giving Advice There are at least two potential problems with advice-giving. First, it attempts to move the person in pain prematurely forward to rational problem-solving. Most of us are aware that when in the grip of strong emotion, it’s difficult to think all that rationally, so it’s not really a good idea […]
Apologies to those who check my blog for not posting this week. My husband, Chris, is in Haiti with the Church medical team and that rather dramatically impacted my week. Chris was the pioneer of CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) in LDS Family Services. While director of the Nevada Agency, he connected with the Red […]
My new year started busy so I’ve been slower than I had hoped in posting. Here is a very brief post to get me back on track for 2010. This is a video clip of Nicole Johnson, a bestselling author, performer, and motivational speaker. Nicole has faced a number of personal challenges, including the divorce […]