September 2009 Entries
Having worked in a drug and alcohol treatment facility, I’ve seen first-hand the devastation that occurs in the life of the drug user (as well as alcohol) and to the lives of the husbands/ wives and families as well. The repercussions are far-reaching. Finances are ruined, trust betrayed, and safety sabotaged. Let me remind you of the few things you can do to cope with this silent killer. Armed with accurate information, you can make good choices for yourself and your family.
Having just spent several days in Tennessee, we watched broadcasts of cities being flooded with unseasonal rains. Many panicked as their homes were besieged with water. I felt immediate empathy, having been a victim of flooding myself. This literal flooding reminded me of another kind of flooding that takes place —emotional flooding. When our brains are overwhelmed with too many emotions, in a short period of time, they are unable to process information accurately, leading to something I call wi
We were huddled together outside an adorable bungalow in a quaint neighborhood in Seattle. Invited to participate in several “walk-throughs,” there was an air of excitement about which home my son, Tyson and daughter-in-law Jordana, would choose to make an offer on. Their first home out of med school, with crackerjack houses costing more than many earn in a decade, this was a BIG decision. Excitement comingling with anxiety created a bit of tension.
Change demands a lot from us. It requires breaking out of established patterns that inevitably lead to marriage crises. It requires letting go of old ways of seeing things and abandoning failed methods of dealing with problems. We must be willing to face the truth about our problems. Shortcuts and quick fixes don’t work. Real change involves real commitment, effort and engagement.
Doing what we wish we wouldn’t do has been our problem since the beginning of time. We are creatures of bad habits. We mimic the bad behavior we learned from our parents, our siblings, other children on the playground, and from society in general. Still, we are called to rise above these troubling habits. How can this be done?