Relationships

re·la·tion·ship

/rəˈlāSH(ə)nˌSHip/

The unique ability of women to create deep, personal bonds that enrich lives. With strength and grace, investing in others while maintaining boundaries in order to build healthy connections, and work to repair those that are not

When Someone You Love is Depressed

When Someone You Love is Depressed

It was a forced friendship from the beginning. Boldly, she announced that every single Wednesday she would be coming to my house. I could see her resolve. I was scared, and I started to squirm. Every Wednesday? Generally, I leave this thing kind of open-ended, “penciled in,” if you will. I rarely do firm “commitments;” after all, what if I decide to change my mind? Somehow, she must have known that. This unyielding pit-bull type proceeded to clamp down on me even harder stating the only way I could cancel is if I had a doctor’s appointment (even then I believe she would have required a written doctor’s excuse)… “Okay, are you my principal now?” Starting to hyperventilate. Next, if I were […]

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I Know My Man But Do I Understand Him

I Know My Man, But Do I Understand Him?

I saw this YouTube video the other day about an engineer who works with a bunch of prank-playing welders. They created a “backward bicycle” with a front tire that turns the opposite direction of the handlebars and challenged him to ride it across their workshop. The engineer, like most of us who learned to pedal at age 5 or 6, figured he could instantly master the bike. Instead, it took him eight months of daily practice before he could stay on the bike for more than a few seconds. He was a young guy and a public speaker to boot, so of course the video was super cool and fun to watch. But it was a few little words in the middle

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How to Have Friends and Kids

How to Have Friends and Kids

It can be really hard for moms of small children to not feel isolated. The difficulties of getting out the door with babies and toddlers in tow often makes moms just hunker down inside. Even there, finding time for phone conversations can be daunting. Here are a few tips of how to build friendships in this season of life: • Learn the art of short phone conversations. Plan them for times when you know you’ll actually have 10 or 15 minutes to yourself. • Invite other women into your home without expectations. That means you don’t expect yourself to be the perfect hostess! Other moms won’t be bothered by toys on the floor or a breast pump on the coffee table. Keep

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Make it a Great Day

Make It a Great Day!

Today’s visit to the bank should have followed the same basic routine it always has; a few transactions in a few minutes. But what I thought would be a simple exchange of polite greetings with a bank representative transformed into a beautiful connection with “Nick” (on his name tag). It was an encounter that has influenced my thinking and taught me a valuable lesson about how precious each second of every minute, hour and day are to those of us still drawing breath on this earth. As I exited the bank, Nick called my name. As I turned around, he pointed in my direction and said, “Phyllis, remember to ‘Make it a Great Day.’” I smiled and said, “I will!” After learning

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Apology to Moms Everywhere

Apology to Moms Everywhere

Dear Moms, Let me take a minute to officially apologize for the times I have judged you or your children. I will readily admit I have not always been the most compassionate toward those with screaming children in a complete meltdown at a restaurant or a store. I’m sure I’m not alone. There are plenty of us who have thought, “I would never let my kids do that” or “when I have kids they will be well behaved”. I still have my moments, but this was before I had nieces in the toddler stages. Before I worked with teenage girls who many times seem (emotionally) around age 5. I’m still not a parent, but I feel like now I understand a little

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What-I-Learned-About-Love-From-Death

What I Learned About Love From Death

You never know who will teach you about sacrificial love. I learned about it most when I lost the love of my life. I got a call that my husband was dead around 1 p.m. on a Saturday. By 1:30, my house had started filling with friends. It stayed that way for hours. Close friends, friends from church, pastors, neighbors – they showed up to hold me as I tried, sobbing and bewildered, to navigate those first few horrible hours. The couple who were our best friends drove me 3 ½ hours that night to pick up my daughter, who was camping with friends. We got home at 3 a.m. That’s genuine love. Friends were at my kitchen table when I crawled

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Keeping a Marriage Strong When Hardship Strikes

Keeping a Marriage Strong When Hardship Strikes

Our daughter’s birth was a joyous occasion as she was ushered into this world without any complications. As far as we knew, we had a healthy second baby with a bright future ahead. Yet, at four months, she wasn’t meeting the milestones she should have been and doctors began to show growing concern. After recommended testing, we were told crushing news. Our daughter showed signs of mysterious brain damage that must have happened while in the womb. There was immediate medical concern for her life as doctors were in the dark as to any specific cause. The best they could offer was a prognosis that she would likely never walk or talk and we would have to continue living with the uncertainty

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Marriage Is Hard

Marriage Is Hard

What if everything we read on Facebook were true? I recall a post in my newsfeed that said something to the effect of, “if it’s over for ‘Bennifer’ (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner), then there’s no hope for any of us.” Oh, really? Marriage is hard work. That’s true. And some marriages just don’t survive. But to exploit this attitude of defeat based on one Hollywood couple is quite bizarre. I mean, they aren’t exactly the first famous couple to get divorced… But, perhaps that’s part of the problem. We look at these glamorous lives and really believe that these people have it all together. They have money, fame, and people at their beck and call. Wouldn’t that make any marriage easier?

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