This is a re-post that was originally posted in January 2017.? Enjoy! Once upon a time I was given the gift of seeing?a real-life support system in action.? I was invited, as one of a few non-Old Order Mennonite women, to attend a quilting bee. The room was very quiet as 16 women sat around … Continue reading Do You Have a Support System?
Covid-19 has brought us all many curve balls in the past 14 months. We have collectively had to adapt, pivot, react, adjust and so much more. I thought this post from the archives spoke to our collective need to be able to cope and that we don’t always cope as well as we might. I … Continue reading From the Archives: When Life Throws You a Curve Ball
We are now almost four months into living with various stages of COVID-19 restrictions. It’s been hard, and we’re doing it. Sometimes with grace, and sometimes it’s not pretty. I can confess to a few episodes of “I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!” along with some stamping of feet. One of the ways that … Continue reading Words of Wisdom
You don’t have to do it all. Sometimes life throws us a curve ball. Maybe we have been diagnosed with a serious illness. Our partner has ended the relationship or died. Something else happens, and we suddenly find ourselves living alone and struggling to cope. It is at the curve ball points in life that … Continue reading When Life Throws You a Curve Ball.
In 1978, M. Scott Peck (American psychiatrist) published his best-selling book The Road Less Traveled in which the first sentence reads: “Life is difficult.” Dr. Peck wasn’t kidding! On a daily basis, we deal with problems large and small–ranging from not being able to find our car keys to dealing with a difficult co-worker. Usually, … Continue reading Resilience–A Gift From Hard Times
I recently attended a one-day conference (organized by Hospice Waterloo Region) for caregivers and professionals who support them.? ?As I sat with the other participants and heard the stories of people who are actively being a ‘care partner’ for a loved one(s), I was struck by the love and dedication that helped them to make … Continue reading The Caregiver’s Journey–Part 1
When my children was between the ages of 4 to 7, dinosaurs were of huge interest.? They were fascinated by all things prehistoric.? Not only could they identify many of these creatures (T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus…), they could tell you all about them.? Who knew there were so many types of dinosaurs? We can think of … Continue reading Depression Comes in Many Types… Meet Dysthymia
Are you rooted? ?If you are a gardener, your first thought may be about plants; but I’m talking about being connected to a place. When our?children were preschoolers, my husband and I seriously considered moving ?from our home?to a bigger city in order to be closer to family members. ?We had arrived in?our city due … Continue reading Are you Rooted?
Another common question I hear from clients during therapy is “Is this normal?”. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there are many definitions depending on the area of ‘normal’ you are looking at. Since we’re not talking about the areas of science or math, I’m using the definition of “conforming to a type, standard, or regular … Continue reading Is This Normal?
As humans, we are fragile.? Physically, we break bones and sprain joints. We experience muscle pain and headaches. More seriously, we get sick, sometimes so ill that we look death in the eye. Our fragility also extends to our emotions. Just as our bodies can be hurt, so can our feelings. When we misunderstand another’s … Continue reading It’s All About Relationships