As I cleared out the dead leaves and debris from my flowerbeds and gardens in preparation for planting some pansies, I got to thinking about our emotional junk. We all have emotional junk—stuff we need to clear out so that we can grow. But some of us have many old hurts (stuff) that we have not…
John became very defensive when his wife, Mary, asked him why he didn’t help her around the house more often. Do I constantly ask you to get a job to help out with our finances?” he raged. Stung by his criticism, she struck back, “Are you saying that taking care of the kids is not…
I stepped back from the mirror to appraise my completed look, my eyes intent on finding and destroying any flaws. Unfortunately, the flaws were numerous and the solutions were few. Rebekah, what are you doing?” I asked myself. I wasn’t like this. Not usually. But somehow it happened that, whenever it came to facing this particular…
Dad, aren’t we going to have a family wrap up tonight?” Feeling a twinge of shame for forgetting, I responded to my oldest, “Oh yeah, thanks for remembering buddy. Tell the other kids to go get in my bed, and I’ll be right there.” It was a surprising moment for me. My oldest son wanting…
She should just know what I like without having to ask…” “I shouldn’t have to tell her what hurts, that’s not what guys do….” “I’ve already told him a thousand times. I’m not telling him again.” These are statements that I hear from men and women that describe their frustration with being in an…
