We are on a train north to Toledo, the chosen home of the artist, El Greco. Leaving the vibrancy of southern Spain’s Andulucia, we travel toward the land of Cervantes’ famous Don Quixote, a landscape now peppered with stainless steel…
Eat, Pray, Learn
I recently went on a personal adventure to Antigua, Guatemala. It was my own miniature version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. Well, she traveled for an entire year (to Italy, India, and Bali) and I only went away for…
Are You Selfish?
Recently I was at an exercise class (yes, it is a miracle that I’ve stuck with it for 6 months now!). A woman came running in at the last minute and said, “I just had my babysitter stay later so…
Thawing the Frozen Heart
After your heart is broken, what happens? The natural reaction is to shut down, contract, and protect the remaining shards. In fact, for many people, after experiencing the searing pain of loss, their hearts begin to freeze over. Eternal winter.…
24 Shades of Red
My husband, Daniel, and I don’t often get a chance to do presentations together. However, recently we did! My friends and colleagues, Jane Warren and Bob Tomes of Vibrant Couples, invited us to participate with them and 22 other relationship…
When Cancer Calls
On Friday June 1st, my beloved husband, Daniel, was diagnosed with colon cancer. He is one of the 112,000 people annually who receive such news. The following week he, at age 46, had his first ever CAT scan, his first…
A Shortcut to Daily Intimacy with Your Beloved: Puppy Love
When you reunite after having been apart, even for a short time, greet each other with enthusiasm, as a dog might greet his beloved owner. Be playful, excited, and grateful that your beloved has reunited with you. Stop what you’re…
The Gift of Presence
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,”…