Resources

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Our Personal Style of Living As I talk to many different women, I notice that different women have different styles of living. These styles define us both during the working/parenting years and after we have retired and…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT An almost universal concern for the women that come to see me is the challenge involved in relating across generational boundaries within the family.  These challenges include relating to young children, adult children, grandchildren, older or elderly…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT What is a family? This may sound like a ridiculous question to most people. After all, families are families. The term is self-explanatory . . . or is it? A family is a group of people related…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT We think a great deal about our relationships. We consider and analyze our relationships with family, friends, coworkers, even our casual acquaintances, but we seem to overlook our most important relationship—our relationship with ourselves. We are constantly…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Many people create New Year’s resolutions, and these can pertain to many different life areas.  Most common are resolutions having to do with fitness, losing weight, completing unfinished projects, or just being a better human being.  We…

Food for Thought Trust is a powerful word and a powerful concept. It underlies every facet of our lives from how we feel about the world to how we feel about our relationships, and ourselves. What does it mean to…

Food for Thought Home is a word rich with depth, meaning, and nuance. At its most basic level, we tend to think of “home” as the house in which we grew up, usually having the connotation of permanence or longevity.…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Life is not simple but it need not be as complicated as we usually make it.  Often, life is simultaneously both simple and complex. For example, the needs of the newborn infant are simple—to be held, loved,…

Food for Thought Most women view purpose as synonymous with giving, taking care of others, teaching, or mentoring.  If, as women, we are not giving to others, we have no sense of purpose.  This reflects a very narrow definition of…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT One of the most common topics that arise in our group discussions and in my one-on-one counseling with older women is the question of life purpose. Some women have experienced a life-long struggle to define their sense…

Food for Thought Clothes. As women, most of us learn in our early teen years that what we choose to wear is a form of communication, though this learning is often unconscious. For some, the message we get as girls…

Food for Thought Wisdom comes in multiple forms and can be hard to recognize, even when it is knocking at our door or has already become a guest in our home. With every year that passes, we gain wisdom. We…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Fall is an amazing, strikingly colorful time of year.  It is one of the most spectacular and obvious examples of nature’s dramatic propensity to change.  We move from the greens, tans, and deep blue skies of summer…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Courageous Acts What is courage?  There are many ways to define courage. Some definitions I have come across include “strength in the face of pain or grief” and “the ability to do something that you know is…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT One of the most common topics that arise in our group discussions and in my one-on-one counseling with older women is the question of life purpose. Some women have experienced a life-long struggle to define their sense…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT The idea of the bucket list was popularized in the 2007 film of the same name.  The “bucket list” refers to things we want to do before we “kick the bucket”–positive, life-enhancing things. The film features Morgan…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT The quality of our lives is shaped by many forces. Some of these experiences were harsh, painful, or traumatic, but others have been inspiring, uplifting, and joyful. We tend to reflect upon the tragedies and disappointments and…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT One of the most frequent topics that come up for my clients is the issue of caregiving. This is a role that may fall to any member of the family but usually seems to fall into our…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Health challenges are an ongoing part of the experience of getting older for the majority of women and men.  A few people with happy genetic legacies and the good fortune not to have been in any bad…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Pride and humility are two of the strongest and most misunderstood feelings and attitudes we experience in the course of our human existence.  Pride is usually discussed in one of two completely opposite contexts.  On the positive…