You Oughta Be Ashamed of Yourself!
Walking in shame, I don’t find my way to light, hope, peace or accomplishment. Rather, I find my way to downtrodden darkness, more mistakes, fai…
Category: EMOTIONS – challenging feelings
It Might Have Been Otherwise
A poem by Jane Kenyon reminds us to feel grateful for small pleasures, even when life overwhelms us.
My Knock-down Fights with My Mom
Vitriol can be described as a solution-less rant of hate-filled criticism. A brand of sulfuric acid was named Vitriol, reason being that the acid was …
Arguing with an Addicted Loved One Can Be Like Reasoning with a Hurricane
It’s no secret that addiction has ripped its way through my home and family. At least not since my book “Unhooked, a Mother’s Story …
Fast Forward to February: On Getting Through the Holiday Season with an Absent Child
Guest author Annie Highwater writes, "Through the worst of holiday seasons, I have found myself literally forcing a smile as people joyfully wish me s…
The RAIN of Self-Compassion
Are you feeling burned out, unworthy, anxious, or insecure? In this post, writer Tara Brach shows us how the RAIN of Self-Compassion can tranform doub…
The Favorite Dress
What is the emotional equivalent of your favorite outfit? When your Loved One's actions trigger hard emotions, do you resort to the sam…
We Can Only Mend Our Own Lives
It is easy to lose ourselves when we are continually focused on a Loved One with an addiction problem. But to step away and find time to understand ou…
Now They’re Stealing and Disappearing…
It is completely distressing when the progression of drug and alcohol use advances and terrible new behaviors emerge. Your Loved One stooped to …
Live Like the Moon: Why Gentle Influence Works
The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, …