Holidays
21Jun 2010
This past Father’s Day was the first, as far as I can remember, since my oldest children (twins) were born 27 years ago that I was away from all of my children. I am on a business trip that carried over the weekend, so I am away from my family. On one hand, it was weird and lonely. On the
17Dec 2009
A “new tradition” is sort of an oxymoron. By definition, (“a long-established, inherited way of thinking or acting”), a tradition is some action that you have been doing for a while. But I believe it is both possible and helpful to intentionally create new traditions for your family. We need to recognize that families go through a variety of life
04Dec 2009
OK, first things first. I am a busy person. Currently, too busy. (I am writing this as I sit on a plane flying to Chicago for a business meeting.) So this is one of those entries where I call on the “psychologist’s privilege” of being able to expound on principles that I do not have implemented in my life yet.
21Nov 2009
We usually think of opposites in terms of a simple, “either-or” relationship — such as light and darkness, large and small, heavy and light. And these opposites exist on a single continuum, with the opposing characteristics being on the ends of the spectrum. But there are some relationships which are more complex, where there is more than one characteristic that
15Nov 2009
I started reading a good book this week — A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring by John Wooden and Don Yaeger. It was recommended to me by a good friend, and I always try to pass on worthwhile reading to others. The first part of the book covers the seven mentors that influenced Coach Wooden (for those
29May 2009
This past week we had the privilege of attending a family union with my wife’s family in Chicago. There were almost 40 of us, ranging in age from 3 to 74, including my wife’s parents, six of the seven adult siblings (and spouses), and 23 of the 25 grandchildren (and two spouses). Although it was a cool and sometimes rainy
17Dec 2008
This is the time of year when families gather together – college students are on break, young adults return home to visit, and the extended family celebrates Christmas and New Year’s together.* So it is also the time when parents who have been successful in business turn their focus to their family. This is both a good thing and it
23Nov 2008
Thanksgiving is upon us this week. And for most Americans, that means some sort of “get together” with family or friends. Some of us dread the time, while others anxiously look forward to it. Regardless of your past experiences, your plans for this year and accompanying mindset, I thought I would propose some proactive steps each of us can take
13Oct 2008
Most “gifts” in our culture are tangible presents — either something we buy, or sometimes make, for another. So when we think of Christmas gifts, or presents for other events like birthdays and anniversaries, we think of “things”. However, given that most people are hard to buy presents for because they “already have everything”, truly meaningful gifts are often taking
06Jul 2008
I love the 4th of July holiday – largely because we have wonderful family “get togethers” that are a lot of fun (and we have done so for several years, which evoke a large number of fond memories for me.) And our family celebrations involve several traditions that I enjoy – being outside playing games (this year I was introduced