In today’s digital age, personal connection and relationships have arguably been sacrificed on the altar of technological efficiency. Our sensory world, and possibly even our neurological makeup, is being altered by headphone-attached iPods, cell phones, laptops and virtual offices. One in five romantic relationships now begin online and social networks like [click to continue…]
This is part 2 of The Importance of Female Friendships in the Digital Age article, in which we talked about how vital friendships are in the digital age. Healthy friendships emerge from mutual affection and form the social fabric of our lives– good friends regard each other as special and irreplaceable. But when we find ourselves lacking positive platonic relationships, how do we go about [click to continue…]
All relationships struggle. To love is to at least occasionally engage in conflict. And we all know that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Unfortunately, we often fight the most with the people we love, whether they are our friends, family, or romantic partners. Because we are most invested in them, we are heavily affected by their words and [click to continue…]
“To forgive and forget” is a prevailing idiom in our culture, but for most of us it is hard for us to truly let go and move forward in our lives. When dealing with a conflict, we need to let go of a past hurt, so that we can propel ourselves to a place of higher understanding and loving awareness. Forgiveness means giving up the anger or suffering of the past and being willing to forge ahead with far greater potential for inner freedom. As Mahatma Ghandi once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
A stunning example of how forgiveness can transform anger and hurt into healing and peace is the incredible story of DUI awareness advocates Renee Napier and Eric Smallridge. In 2002, [click to continue…]
Loving communication in Ellen’s marriage seemed a thing of the past. Now Ellen stood at the brink of divorce with her husband of eighteen years. She desperately did not want to break up their family, especially because of the implications for their three children. Ellen felt controlled by her husband, Ken, and that his needs invariably came first. He provided well for the family, but the emptiness she felt when with him had become too much to bear.
Ellen ached for someone she could talk to and be intimate with in a loving way. [click to continue…]
Photos directly above by Laura Bergstein, all rights reserved; Portrait Photography of Dr.RKG by Janet Wolbarst Photography www.janetwolbarst.com
