My fourteen year old daughter has got modern multi-tasking down to a fine art. I might not have believed it possible until I saw it in action: she can watch a television program on her laptop, a music video on…
A New Relationship
Sarah sat across from me with tears streaming down her face. Her husband was killed in a car accident three years ago and now she had entered into the first romantic relationship since her husband’s death. “I don’t understand how…
Peaceful Relationships
I recently listened to a guided meditation that was not only interesting, but quite enlightening. The soft female voice asked me to “jump into my partner’s body.” I thought to myself, What? “Don’t think too hard about it, just leap,”…
Celebrating the Moment
Life is filled with lots of different kinds of moments. Some moments feel stressful and overwhelming. Some moments are heartbreakingly sad. A few moments are ‘million dollar moments’ — mountain top experiences — such as weddings, births of children, graduations,…
Ending a Chapter, Beginning a New
I watched, amused, as the young man spoke through gritted teeth, “Just take the picture!” This man-child had his arm around his mother’s shoulders while his father snapped a picture saying, “You don’t start college every day, you know. Smile.” …
Living With a Zen Master
Often when I get up in the morning, just as I begin the routine of showering, dressing, and eating, I am halted by my Zen master. He insists that I stop, and asks me to be mindfully aware of the…
Grateful Grieving
I placed a phone call to an elderly woman who was recently widowed. When the answering machine picked up, I didn’t hear the customary greeting of “We’re not home; leave a message.” Instead, I heard a voice say boldly, “Donald…
An Attitude of Gratitude
I just returned with my family from an overseas vacation. Traveling as a party of two adults, four teenagers, and one child is no easy feat, but we had a wonderful time. Adventures were a daily affair as we drove…
Living Deeply
My first born child, my oldest daughter, is graduating from high school this month. Thirty years ago, I also crossed a stage, mortarboard on my head, and reached for my high school diploma. I bear witness to the cycle of…
Grieving Deeply
When I began my training as a psychotherapist over twenty years ago, I was assigned to work with a middle-aged woman whose sister had recently been murdered. There I was, a young professional with very little life experience who had,…