Wisdom of the Wounded

By Roger Price Have you ever attempted to help someone who is hurting, and they said or did something that was hurtful to you? It’s happened to me and my immediate reaction has been to write that person off and leave them to their own problems. This started to change when I heard two expressions […]

The discovery that someone you love and trust has sexually abused your child is extremely stressful and can bring up intense feelings of shock, denial, disbelief, anger, confusion, guilt and helplessness. The following story from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s pamphlet on intrafamilial sexual abuse reveals some of these common thoughts and feelings that […]

One challenge your family will face when your child has been abused will be what to say to others.  It is helpful to remember that most people have very little knowledge about the dynamics of child sexual abuse, so their questions may be naïve, ignorant and sometimes hurtful. Prepare yourself for people to possibly say […]

How can you be a friend to a friend who is going through a divorce? Wendy Paris is a journalist who runs the website Splitopia, which explores how to navigate a divorce. In her book of the same name, she writes, “If you are a confidante of a friend in the midst of a divorce, […]

Editor’s Note: The following blog post is written by Randy Simpson, an inmate at a correctional facility. One of the ways you can care well is to write to someone who is incarcerated, to show them that someone cares. Randy’s address is listed below if you are so inclined. Perhaps you have spent some time […]

It can be difficult to care for someone when we are at odds with their point of view. But I encourage you: remember your common ground. Remember the ties that bind you together. Remember your history with this person. Sometimes we allow one aspect of who a person is to color our opinion of the […]

Spring is, among other things, a metaphor for renewal, and renewal often involves taking risks. On our blueberry farm, when the buds swell early on our blueberry bushes, they are a pleasant sign of tasty things to come. But . . . if the budding occurs too early in the year because of a mild […]

by Reverend Beverly Zell It’s hard for me to talk about Easter without speaking of Lent. Growing up it was strictly a Catholic practice and since we were radically protestant we skipped all the darkness of Lent in the rush to Easter. My first encounter with Lent occurred in my early 30s while attending a […]

As caregivers, we want to “fix” the hurting person. We feel that if we can rush in with the right “golden nugget” of wisdom to hand to the hurting person, all will be resolved. Then we can make a quick exit and get on with our own life. The truth is, seldom can we fix […]

If you are going through a difficult time, please do not be afraid to tell others what you need or want. People will respond with amazing generosity. Friends and family often want to help, but don’t know how. If you let them know specific ways they can help, you will be doing them, as well […]