"The best way out is always through." - Robert Frost As a therapist, I see these as words to live by. Certain things in our emotional lives we can let roll off pretty readily, "like water off a duck's back." "Suck it up and drive on," as the Army teaches. Other things, we will be upset about for a time and then come to see differently after awhile, such that they don't bother us as much. Very … [Read more...]
My Papa and Danielle Bregoli
April 5, 2017 by
My family just buried the most amazing man I have ever known: my Papa. My grandfather was 91 years old and led a life of impact. Among many other things, he fought for his country in World War II, he was active in the local church, he was the mayor of our Texas farm town, he was a hardworking small business owner and he never met a stranger. I know he had his faults, but I'm pretty sure he was … [Read more...]
Female Empowerment: A Letter to My Daughter
March 22, 2017 by
Recent events and a friend’s very powerful post have me thinking a lot about empowering our girls to become women. We can protest, we can share feministic ideals, we can proudly declare our femininity, but what are we really doing on the ground level to teach our girls how to become strong, independent women who are respected, valued and taken seriously? Here are just a few of the things I hope … [Read more...]
Got Sleep?
March 20, 2017 by
According to the National Institutes of Health, 60 million Americans experience sleep problems, ranging from occasional to chronic. That’s roughly 20% of people in the United States alone. Needless to say, I treat a lot of insomniacs in my daily work. The causes of sleep problems are many and can be biological or psychological. Either way, sleep hygiene may be able to help. Sleep hygiene is a … [Read more...]
Stop Living in Fear
March 13, 2017 by
Fear comes from the Enemy, and it plagues all of us to varying degrees. There are at least as many things to be afraid of as there are people to be afraid. Here, I’m not talking about being afraid of snakes, elevators, spiders, bridges and so on. I’m talking about fear that keeps you from moving forward in your life. When we are blocked from doing something, however big or small, it’s fear that’s … [Read more...]
The Orlando Shooting: A Common Enemy
March 12, 2017 by
I started doing research for this post at midnight, after lying in bed thinking about it for over an hour after my husband and I had a lengthy discussion about recent goings on. Needless to say, I've thought about this a lot before writing it. Only God knows why I am up at this hour writing it, but I felt compelled to write about my thoughts. Am I doing it out of passion? Out of hatred? Who knows? … [Read more...]
Live in It or Learn from It: Overcoming Parental Abuse and Neglect
March 8, 2017 by
As you might imagine, I talk with people on the regular who were abused, neglected, abandoned and/or betrayed by their parents. Whether we like to admit it or not, our upbringing has a significant impact on our present-day living. This can be good or bad or some combination thereof. It may not be something we are consciously aware of, but trust me when I tell you that it's there. I've also seen … [Read more...]
Be Vulnerable with Your Kids
March 8, 2017 by
Let them see your human side. Be real. We want our kids to look up to us and think that we are spectacular, but they have to know that we are not perfect and that we can be vulnerable. Here are some ideas about how to accomplish this. Read to the end to see why it's important. *Talk to your kids about mistakes you make. Share the lessons you've learned. Kids often have to make their … [Read more...]
Life is Like a Rubik’s Cube
March 3, 2017 by
Last year, Santa brought our son a Rubik’s Cube. I forgot how much I love that thing! The minute I started manipulating it, I was transported to my dad’s recliner in my childhood home, the place where I spent many hours playing with that cube. I immediately got sucked back in to trying to solve it. So, I persuaded our son to let me play with the cube on a recent flight to Texas. As I struggled … [Read more...]
How can grandparents be so much better than they were as parents?
March 3, 2017 by
Tonight’s ATAQ: “How is it that a set of parents who did such a poor job, were neglectful, were abusive, etc. can be such a great set of grandparents?” Well, you could always ask them in a tactful way. If you don't want to do that or they don't have an answer for you, here are a few possibilities: They learned a few things from raising their own kids. They've mellowed out over the … [Read more...]
