Every summer my brothers, cousins and I would go and stay at my grandparent’s house. These were, without doubt, the best three weeks of the year. My grandfather, a rugged outdoorsman-type, loved taking us out to play. Playing Game Gear and watching TV all day was not an option. He was a giant tree of a man, palms rough from a lifetime of work. What was left of his hair was a…
There always seems to be this burning desire to see the family that you wish you had. We use rose-colored glasses and excuse behavior that we would never tolerate from others. And all too often, we find ways to blame ourselves for the mean or hurtful actions of our family members. We tell ourselves that we deserve to be treated poorly or that we somehow failed to be the loving sibling or child that we…
It could happen to you in just one second All of your dreams can come true Things can be cruel and leave you all unwound but then one day, all of those fears you were feeling can come to an abrupt end And then when it does, just remember to thank God for what He has sent. See The Good would like to thank Amy for her guest post. Amy is a Florida resident…
I would like to take just a few minutes to relate how I learned that love is what really makes a family or makes a person part of a family. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have an amazing big brother. He brought me surprise gifts for no reason other than to see me smile, he was always willing to play catch or a video game, or anything else that I asked him…
There is a certain magic to be discovered during a walk on the beach. Somehow all of your troubles and all that is weighing on your mind and your heart is left behind. Bit by bit your troubles are wiped away by the sand with each step you take. Suddenly you feel calm and relaxed as you turn to make your return trip down the beach. Only this time you are mentally at peace. The…
Humans were never meant to be solitary creatures. But progress and innovation have made that fact easy to forget. Now a trip to the store produces food and clothing, shelter is bought not built, as is our means of getting from point a to point b. We no longer need the help of others to meet these needs. It would appear that by earning money, one can live completely independently from others. But the…
We have all experienced difficult times when we thought that things just couldn’t get any worse. And usually, that is very far from the truth. But because we tend to think only about our own little slice of the world, we believe it. But later, often times much later, we learn that what we thought was our deepest darkest fear, could really have been far worse. At that point, it becomes clear that…
If you think parenting is a struggle, and mostly an uphill one, you are correct. However, you may need an attitude adjustment. There’s a reason that Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking sold five million copies. He was onto something so basic that all of us can identify with it: attitude not only matters; it’s the building block for the experiences that follow. Without it, parents have no starting point for their…
65 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING AMAZING Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad My parent’s relationship had its ups and downs just as any marriage does. And the fact that they had children living at home for 32 of their first 33 years of marriage makes it even more remarkable. But somehow they found a way to make it work even in the most difficult of times. For many years work, raising children…
No person is perfect. As much as each of us would like to believe that we are, we are not. And making peace with this fact of life is the first step to making progress in reaching your goals in life. Granted some of us might have greater challenges which have left not just small chips or nicks on our hearts instead, there are gaping holes. But all of these flaws serve two purposes.…