There are two truths that I have long struggled to square at this time of year. One is the child-like anticipation and joy that wells up in me during the holidays. The other is the devastation I feel about the kind of family in which I was raised. For many years, I approached the holidays [...]
I’ve given more thought to the reconciliation of my stepmother. I think there is more to the story then I originally thought. I think I may have laid the groundwork that made the moment possible — without realizing it. Background: I wrote this post about my stepmother’s reconciliation with me. That one stemmed from an [...]
Something important happened last week. I didn’t expect, after all this time, for my stepmother and I to reconcile. I didn’t expect it because it seems that if we were going to reconcile, it would’ve happened about a decade ago—at the time she divorced my father (after a 20-year marriage). The divorce, although I was [...]
As promised – a photo of THE COUCH. Soft as a rose petal. Last Sunday I joined Susan of Empowering Solutions again to talk about problems and solutions for children of trauma, and told the story of purchasing my couch. Somehow, in all the apartments and towns in which I’ve lived, this is the first [...]
Tool #2 – Don’t Believe What You Think This is part two on Self-Esteem and my post from last week, inspired by an important book ($12) – Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem The first tool from the book that I shared in last week’s Part 1 [...]
