The elements of the good life, of God’s life coming through us, are the fruits of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23), and also such attitudes as courage, wisdom, hope, forgiveness, healthiness, and surely a sense of humor.  Focus on these and they will grow, as will […]

At seventy-five, I am less and less interested in the exterior of people’s lives – what their bodies, clothes, houses, vacations, or social media images look like.  I pay more attention now to how their eyes twinkle, how their voice dances, how their laugh breaks out across a room, whether both children and adults enjoy […]

Do you have a true friend?  What is a true friend to you, anyway?  To me, a true friend is someone you can count on—to be there for you, to help you out of trouble, to believe in you, to keep your secrets, to have your back, to tell you the truth, to love your […]

  NATURAL QUIET AND SIMPLICITY INSPIRE ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT August 2022 At midlife, I had been building and launching both my family and my career for over 20 years.  I was stressed out from trying to make ends meet.  My business supported employees and counselors, but during its last years, I reached a point where I […]

PSYCHOLOGY 101: MAKING SENSE OF MOTIVATION   Ever wonder why two brothers or sisters turn out to be so different from each other? What drives some people to love so strong, or work or play so hard? What makes your personality the way it is? The view of human nature you will find below does […]

THE BEST USES OF EMOTIONS AND BELIEFS A client recently taught me a helpful little verse: Feel your feelings,      and talk them out. Believe your beliefs,      and act them out. I can think of three ways we often violate this helpful little guideline. We neglect it altogether. When we mess up a situation, […]

  IS YOUR FAITH HEALTHY?   What is healthy faith, anyway, and who am I to judge it? As a psychologist, I can tell when people’s religious beliefs and lifestyles are enabling them to enjoy life, be enjoyable to others, and leave the world a better place each day. No matter what a person’s religious […]

Can People Recover from Trauma and Abuse?              It is with both pride and embarrassment that America has become known as a victims’ society.  We can be proud that we prosecute perpetrators of rape, domestic violence, and child abuse at least as severely as most developed nations.  But we should […]

A TOOL KIT FOR SOLVING LIFE’S PROBLEMS   The Chinese written language is marvelously colorful.  Their words are illustrated by little sketches or diagrams.  The Chinese character for danger is a sketch of a scary scene, and their word for opportunity is naturally a more hopeful drawing.  When these two characters are put on top […]

GROWING YOUNGER ON THE INSIDE WHILE YOUR BODY IS AGING ON THE OUTSIDE At seventy-two, I am less and less interested in the exterior of people’s lives – what their bodies, clothes, houses, vacations, or social media images look like.  I pay more attention now to how their eyes twinkle, how their voice dances, how […]