The loss of a loved one is one of the most challenging experiences that a person can have. Grief can be devastating, but it is also a fact of life. There is simply no way to avoid it. So, if grief cannot be avoided, what can we do? We can develop tools to help us […]
Read MoreBeing sick is undoubtedly a life stressor, but it is also stressful to suddenly find yourself in the caregiver role. Much of this stress is further compounded if the caregiver is older and navigating their own changing health conditions. A wide variety of research has been done on the issue of caregiver stress, and it […]
Read MoreRecently, I arranged a funeral for the husband of a woman named Arlene. The couple did not have cemetery property. Nor had they discussed where they wanted to be buried. They were, in other words, like too many others who haven’t…
Read MoreDo you crave chocolate, pizza, chips or ice-cream? If you answered yes, then you are not alone. In fact, these are the top 95% of most craved foods. One of the reasons for these cravings may be that, as children, these foods were often…
Read MoreSocially distancing for physical health can have the opposite effect on our mental health. We are social beings, created to connect meaningfully with other human beings. When we lose that, we lose part of ourselves…
Read MoreI’ve had a blind faith in The Man Upstairs for a long time. I grew up small-town Catholic but knew little about the Bible. Catholics have Catechism, not Bible study. We did not have nuns. We were lucky to share a priest with a triangle…
Read MoreYou’ve steered into retirement lane, in which you’re either approaching the finish line or you’ve already crossed it. The comments from everyone sound all too familiar – “How lucky of you to be done working”, “Oh the vacations you must be planning to take outside the country”, or “I’m so envious of all that free […]
Read MoreFor some of us who are now “grown children”, communicating with our parents may have been a life-long struggle since childhood. But even if it wasn’t, under the best of circumstances (for most everyone) imparting information about anything relating to helping our older parents in late-life can be quite a complicated endeavor. When it comes […]
Read MoreWe all love to receive and give gifts during the holiday season. Gift exchanges are very common between people who work together or between family members and friends. There are gift exchanges where you pick a name…
Read MoreHow do we know when it’s the right time to give something up? We’ve all seen examples of this before. Your favorite athlete continued to compete well past their prime and ends with an all time low performance. Your favorite band continued to make albums that should have been given up years ago. Your old […]
Read More