Tag: lessons

Love is a daily decision. That’s one of the key things I learned after talking to couples who improved their marriage through adversity. Each day we have choices to make about how we spend our time, what kind of effort we put in the marriage, and whether we offer a kind word or a complaint.

In my research, I wanted to talk to couples who didn’t just get through everyday life making good choices, but had unique challenges or tests. What is different about the couples who become stronger when faced with adversity compared with the couples that falter? How can some marriages survive repeated crises, while others that seem fortunate don’t stand the test of time? That’s what I set out to learn and share in my book, First Kiss to Lasting Bliss: Hope & Inspiration for Your Marriage.

I never liked cancer. I like it even less now.

In my work as a hospice chaplain and grief counselor, I interact with cancer in some way almost every day. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded. All my cases are terminal. Sooner or later, cancer is a killer.

Do you leave work and go directly to your child’s soccer field?  Do you grab dinner on the run most nights, in between gymnastics practice, dance lessons and football games?

Why do so many parents in the United States make kids' sports their second shift?

The joys and triumphs of sports are obvious. Winning and medals aside, however, involvement in sports has real benefits for kids’ physical, social, and even moral development. What follows are 10 of the best reasons that so many families make sports a priority:

See Jimmy pitch the ball. See Dick hit the ball. See Dick run to first base. See Dick get called out. See Dick’s parents yell at the umpire. See other parents join in. See Dick walk back to the bench and hide his head in his hands. See Dick’s dad yell to Dick telling him to "Be a man, and suck it up."

For those of you involved in youth sports, you may know that these occurrences are not uncommon. According to a survey of parents, 84 percent of them have seen violence in sports, and 45 percent of kids report that they have experienced comments and abuse of some sort.