Skipper was my husband’s dog before I knew him. She was one of those hunting-type dogs…the kind that can and needs to run for many miles. An odd sort of dog to choose to have in the city, but they loved her. The family still occasionally tells a Skipper story…and recently related a new one …
Anger is not the real problem
I just love it when my fellow colleagues offer their thoughts on this blog. I get to work with some of the neatest people I know who have some of the most brilliant ideas…today Maryann H. Friesen shares some of her experience and story with us. This past year I had the privilege of doing …
Embracing the Internal Discomfort
I went walking with a friend last week at the Forks. There were people skating on the ice in front of the Forks…but nobody was on the ice past the orange pylons and yellow tape. Good thing…because as cold as it was, there was open water on the river. My pal and I walked on …
Complaining
Complaining costs a soul…and being mindful of complaining can change your life. The world conspired to have me think on complaining this last week. Dahlia Kurtz suggested a week ago that we talk about “complaining” for our weekly radio chat this week. She suggested an article to springboard off: I went 21 days Without Complaining …
Forgiveness is stronger than napalm
On June 8, 1972, Kim Phuc’s life blew up…literally. Four bombs were dropped on her village and the little 9 year old girl found herself running out of the middle of a 1200 degree firestorm with burns from the napalm on much of her body. Her parents found her three days later in the local …
Domestic Violence Part 3
I blogged here and here a few weeks ago about domestic violence…looking at the roots…understanding that our culture assists in shaping men’s behaviour towards violence. Gail Shaver, the therapist that works most closely with those who engage in our Transforming Destructive into Constructive-Intimate Partner Violence program reminded me that I missed something big in the …
Domestic Violence: Looking at the Root Part 2
At the end of May, a woman posted a video of Patrick Stewart, an actor best known for his role on Star Trek, speaking at Comicpalooza. I don’t know about Comic-con or Comicpalooza or any of these sorts of conventions except what I learn on Big Bang Theory. However, almost 4 million people have watched …
Domestic Violence: Looking at the Root Part 1
(photo credit to Rene Asmussen) Our culture raises men in an environment where he dare not be seen as weak, but as “tough”. The men in this culture have been raised by men who have been boxed in by the culture–to not be seen as open and gentle. Violence is accepted as a part of …
Women burning clean anger
It breaks my heart when women are so nice that they don’t tell their partners or their friends or their kids when they are mad. It frustrates me when women: suppress what they want to have happen pretend it didn’t really hurt all that much or stop themselves from expressing a different opinion on the …
Nuts and Bolts of TDC
I sat down with Roshonna Plett the other day and asked her to talk through what it’s like to be at TDC (Transforming Destructive into Constructive) Anger Management at Bergen and Associates. Roshonna gives a few snapshots about people’s experiences at TDC and then also provides an outline of what the two evenings cover. …