relationships

Healing Relationships When You’d Rather Not
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Healing Relationships When You’d Rather Not

In the 5 Tasks of the Living to Prepare for a Peaceful Dying (from Facing Death and Finding Hope by Christine Longacker) we are charged with Step 2: Healing Relationships. But don’t worry; I’m not going to force you to confront every person you ever had beef with. This step isn’t about forgiving the unforgivable…

How ‘Young Love’ Becomes a Trap
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How ‘Young Love’ Becomes a Trap

Picture it: Small Town, U.S.A., 1994. R&B songs about the kind of deep heartbreak that 11-year-old me couldn’t possibly understand play on repeat on the Walkman. A redheaded, freckle-faced girl with too much hairspray in her bangs stares out a rain-streaked window. I’m torturing myself over a boy who’s rejected me. This would happen over…

The Year Before Your “Bad” Relationship
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The Year Before Your “Bad” Relationship

Think for a moment of a “bad” romantic relationship you were in. We spin over not only why, but how it could have happened. Behaviors, choices, betrayals, and abuses could all be to blame why it went south, but how often do we consider what was taking place in our lives just before we met…

When Unconditional Love Requires Conditions
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When Unconditional Love Requires Conditions

Let’s talk about the toxic relationships in our lives. We’ve all got them, but “toxic” is subjective and varies from one relationship to the next. It can be someone who literally puts lives at risk, or it can be your passive aggressive coworker. I’ve watched three generations of my family cycle through the effects of…