Merry Christmas! You know, if you’d told me even five years ago that the day would come when every time I said “Merry Christmas” I’d feel like an activist, I wouldn’t have believed you. I used to mix it up, saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” without a second thought. Now, like it or not, […]

I don’t remember which year it was, but I was still a full-time-mom-at-home with eight kids at the time. That year, Christmas fell on Monday. I hurried to make sure all the shopping was done on Saturday, of course, since we don’t shop on Sundays. And then, Christmas Eve on Sunday was a gift. The […]

I’m just going to copy this from an email that made its way around to me. You may very well have seen it, too. I think it’s worth considering, or considering again. For a much longer, more detailed version of this event, check out the complete WASHINGTON POST (link) story, which includes some video footage […]

Now that Thanksgiving is past, Christmas shopping is officially underway. This is often a particularly stressful time for husbands trying to buy the right gift for wives. My advice: tell him what you want. I admit it. I like surprises. I’m also a really good guesser, which makes for a terrible combination. I remember times […]

What if the key to success is just as simple and basic as self-control and delayed gratification? Of course, that may seem simple and basic, but in a world that generally promotes the immediate gratification of every desire and impulse, those qualities are increasingly rare. Consider the following story. In the 1960s, Walter Mischel, a […]

With Thanksgiving just six days away, I’m starting to hear from some of my clients that the stresses are building. Sadly, what should be a great time of year can end up bringing a lot of misery and conflict instead of comfort and joy. This isn’t going to solve all holiday problems, but let me […]

Some of us have given up on watching or reading the daily news. But even then, it’s impossible not to hear some of the horrible stories about the violence in our society. As Robert Burns wrote: “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!” In a time wherein we know “the love of men shall […]

My very first post on this website discussed a “Key to Success in Life,” delayed or deferred gratification. One of the comments on that post asked the 64 dollar question: How do you teach your children to delay gratification? I responded that it was too involved an answer to give in comment form, but that […]

An LDS fiction author, Michele Ashman Bell, posted an interview she did with Lili about her new book, Choosing Glory. The transcipt is as follows: M.B.: What made you decide to write Choosing Glory? Lili: I wrote this book in response to multiple requests. Choosing Glory is an expansion of a life perspective that I […]

I stumbled upon an online article in “Daily Mail,” written by a UK journalist, called “Can love survive without the little white lies?” It starts with the idea that there are some things best left unsaid, like unedited opinions about a partner’s idiosyncrasies or personal characteristics. Okay, that’s fair, though I don’t think considerate restraint […]