by skimhenson | Oct 29, 2013 | acceptance
Contentment has seldom been part of my life’s equations, especially when the car goes into the shop for new brake pads and comes out squealing, or when a relationship unexpectedly ruffles, or when our son hikes 60 plus miles with only his backpack and his dog, like...
by skimhenson | Aug 26, 2013 | awareness and action
When I taught kindergarten, a fellow teacher assured me I was lucky. She said it again and again at the beginning of each school year. She told me how lucky I was to always be assigned a well-behaved class, while paying little attention to the hours my students walked...
by skimhenson | Jul 22, 2013 | depression, listening and talking, relationships, parent and child
Until I recently posted about it on my blog, I’ve been ashamed to admit estrangement from my mom. I blamed myself for the lack of relationship and struggled with thoughts that no one would like me since it seemed I wasn’t liked by Mom. I’ve been unable to...
by skimhenson | Jun 17, 2013 | emotions, guilt, relationships
My lifelong habit of keeping company with at least one unlikable person is dying a slow death. I mentioned it as one of my monstrous habits in the last blog post, Where the Wild Things Are. Even though remnants of the behavior still remain, I’ve taken steps to change...
by skimhenson | Jun 3, 2013 | emotions
Claudia Black, a leading author and theorist regarding adult children of alcoholics, has identified three dysfunctional rules of an alcoholic family. 1. Don’t talk. 2. Don’t feel. 3. Don’t trust. I’m pretty sure these rules don’t only apply to people dealing...