Creates big problems down the line. — Grooming seems to be a pretty accusatory term. When it was used in my “Healthy Boundaries” training for my degree, it was focused on sexual predators. But in this instance, I’m talking about something quite different. This is about teaching children what healthy emotional boundaries should look like and how…

It’s nice to meet you. I’m a mom and nature lover, but more than that, I love the nature inside myself and how that has fed all of the other parts of me. My favorite places at home are in the barn, in the gardens, and under the silver maples…

Nature is the only place this works — I put on my backpack, filled with a blanket and my coffee substitute (I know, I know, for shame). No church for me this morning. The trail was what I needed. It was a perfectly gorgeous morning. …

Or, did they? — For some time, as my divorce extended for years, I had a difficult time with one “fact” of my married life. If everyone was so relieved that I filed papers and was finally getting rid of my mooching ex, why didn’t they say anything all of those years — those…

Sadly, I think so — Growing up Mormon in the ‘80s and sending six brothers and one sister off to perform their 2-year service and proselytizing missions for the church, I saw one particular trait return with them: a profound sense of awe and contentment. They had just spent two years serving in poverty-stricken areas…

There’s no harder drug than becoming a mom. — You have no idea what will happen when you hold a baby for the first time. But, something in you says that you need this. This is what true happiness looks like. Yes! Gosh, maybe your marriage will improve if he becomes a dad. I mean, it might be good…

The Second Year — Just 19 days ago, the lease was signed for another year for the rental of my home. For weeks before, I’d find myself in tears, wondering how I would do it again. Asking myself, “Is there another way to survive out here that I am missing?” …

Is this supposed to feel normal? — The past three years have been rough for the small town in the Midwest where I live. There have been four men, all of them like brothers to me or dear friends, who have either lost their jobs, spent extensive time in the courts or landed their sorry asses in…

Those who don’t want to waste time raising other people. — After a short conversation with Klara Jane Holloway, this topic would not leave my mind. There is something to be said for the kind of partnership that will grow with you, be a place of encouragement and love, and fill your desire for companionship, passion, and support. …