January, 2011 - Thrive in Life


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My Big Brother
By Derek Thompson

It is still hard to take in that my brother, David, has died. Not just in the hospital again, or having switched the phone off for two days because he doesn’t feel like talking, but irrevocably gone. I am the last of the line and all the family memories come crashing to a halt with me.

Sibling rivalry seems such a gentle term for the battles we fought and re-fought in an effort to establish separate identities. Read more

COMMENTS (6) | family, relationships, siblings

The Compassion Of Animals
By A Better Life Dog Rescue

Lucky:

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing. Read more

COMMENT (0) | animal companion, animal wisdom, thriving

The Invisible Student
By Casey Lee

Don’t reveal anything about your personal life.

Lock anything that matters to you in the trunk of your car, and make sure that no one knows which vehicle belongs to you.

Don’t worry about their personal lives; if something seems sketchy, refer it to the guidance department and forget it ever happened.

And most importantly, whatever you do, don’t even think about cracking a smile before Christmas.

No, these are not instructions for one’s first week on the job at a maximum-security prison facility. These are supposedly helpful tidbits of advice that I received from seasoned teachers before diving headfirst into one of the most chaotic and stressful experiences one could possibly embark upon: my first year as a high school English teacher. Read more

COMMENTS (2) | abuse, children, enlightenment, teaching

Thriving With OCD
By Paige Lougheed - 16 Years Old

I truly believe that I need to get the message of hope out to everyone else stuggling with OCD. I know that if I had read an article like this before I was diagnosed, or even after, there is not a doubt in my mind that it would have helped me understand myself in ways unimaginable. I hope that this article can also reach out to others who know someone who might potentially have OCD, and assist them in seeking treatment.

I’m a 15 year old straight-A student. I am also currently in grade eight piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music. At school, I’m involved in cross country as well as track and field. I live, and continue to live, in constant fear. From the monkey bars to the high school hallways, I have suffered from anxiety for as long as I can remember. Although I have made amazing progress in recent years, I have lived with OCD my entire life. Read more

COMMENTS (6) | children, mental illness, OCD

The Day My Dad Died — Part Two
By Diane Schachter

October 11^th – a Friday, one of those perfect fall days. The air is crisp and the trees are bright as they glisten in the sun. Children are playing on the street. How can all of this be happening while my dad lies in a hospital bed in our dining room, taking what will soon be his final breaths? Read more

COMMENTS (2) | health, loss, relationships

The Redemptive Paw — Part One
By Melissa Roberts

Felix, my beloved cat, chose me when I was in college, over ten years ago. I came home for Christmas break my senior year, and there she was.

Back then, Felix had no name. A street kitty, cat of her wits, she was a stray, and an unwanted stray at that. She chased away the family’s other cats from the bowl of food Mum put out daily. She resisted extensive coaxing, and her green eyes could stare right through you with a disconcerting “I see you.” I’d never lost a staring contest to a cat before Felix. Now that my family had found homes for the gray and white kittens she’d deposited under our porch the previous summer, they wanted her gone. Read more

COMMENT (1) | animal companion, animal wisdom

Saving My Marriage
By M. LaVora Perry

What happens when you’re already in deep with a partner—way past the “getting to know you” phase—but lately you feel certain that you blew it by hooking up with this person, and now you’re stuck with him or her.

We all know about some of the most radical options, especially the big “D” or the big “B” (divorce or breakup). There’s also the big “I”—infidelity. Other options are marriage counseling, or individual counseling if your partner isn’t game. And perhaps the least appealing choice of all is to simply continue suffering.

However, there’s another option: decide way down deep inside yourself that you’re going to turn your situation into a mind-blowing victory. Read more

COMMENTS (11) | empowerment, marriage, relationships, self improvement, spiritual

Life Is a Continuous Adventure for This 75 Year Old Texan
By Greg Melikov

Larry P. Johnson is proof that disabilities can be conquered. He lives life fearlessly and with zest because to him it’s all an adventure.

The transplanted Chicagoan has been a radio disc jockey, TV newscaster and telephone company human resources director. The San Antonio resident of more than three decades is a family man, author and motivational speaker.

Larry is an amazing individual despite being blind for 74 ½ years of his life. Read more

COMMENT (0) | blind, empowerment, thriving

Hundred Pounds Of Love Healed Our Family
By Denise Morini

It seems to me that there are two kinds of people in this world, dog lovers and cat lovers. A dog lover, I was not. On my son Joey’s sixth birthday, my husbands’ parents presented Joey with a puppy, without my knowledge and permission. A Jack Russell Terrier, just what my husband had requested. My husband wanted a small dog that would not shed. No one bothered to look up the highly energetic disposition of Jack Russells or that some of them are not recommended for small children. We named him Jack (very original, I know); he sure was a cute fellow though.

Fast forward to a few months down the road: Jack was still not house trained. Everything was chewed up, including woodwork and the wall to wall carpeting. One night he peed on me as I slept. The worst, though, was when he constantly nipped at my son. I could not leave the room for fear of him injuring my child. It was during this time that my mother, Joey’s beloved grandmother, was diagnosed with 2-60 days to live. I decided that I could not live like this any longer. Read more

COMMENTS (8) | animal companion, animal wisdom, parenting, self improvement, spiritual

Coming To Terms With The Ghosts Of Christmas Past
By Carol Ayer

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la…” The all-too-familiar Christmas carol resounded throughout the drugstore. I warily eyed the plastic reindeer and Santa Clauses filling every crevice of the building; the ornaments, the toys, and the candy stacked high on the shelves. I had to force myself to concentrate on finding what I’d come for–tissues, paper towels, and other provisions of everyday life.

But I soon became distracted by another carol. It was no use trying to ignore it. I had to accept the facts. Christmas was back, and I would have to cope. Read more

COMMENT (1) | enlightenment, loss, parent divorce, relationships

Pebbles
By Carmen Varner

Ever since I was a little girl, I adored animals. I was always rather upset that I never had any pets as a child. My father had loads of animals when he was growing up, but that factor never translated to his daughter. Raised with no pets, I yearned for one in my later years.

I eventually moved out of my parents’ house and went to college. After a couple of years in school, my roommate’s family decided to get her a puppy for the holidays. While I was excited at the prospect of a little critter running around, reality sunk in.

Nagging questions raced through my mind. We live in a tiny apartment; how can a dog be happy here? Where will he or she go potty? How much time will this take up? I had so many questions and concerns, because an animal is a huge responsibility, even if the puppy isn’t mine. Read more

COMMENTS (2) | animal companion, relationships

Expert Series: 7 StepsTo Create Your Best Year
By Alissa Finerman

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it.

Michelangelo

You’re inspired, motivated, and ready to make a change in your life. You even have some New Year’s resolutions to prove it. Then the dust settles and you realize the term commitment involves the word commit. This requires that you take action. For many of us, there seems to be a disconnect between saying we are going to do something and actually doing it. Well this year it’s going to be different because you have an action plan. Read more

COMMENT (0) | empowerment, learning, self improvement

Out Of The Rat Race And Into Bamboo
By Greg Pfeffer

I’m not sure which benchmark in corporate America can be credited as the straw that broke the camel’s back; the final event that caused me to “go bamboo.” The chorus of seemingly uniform co-workers wishing me things like “Happy Friday” and “Somebody could use another cup of coffee!” The almost perverted detail I took in studying the walls of my cubical, attempting to conjure up ideas of how any postcard or picture could ever camouflage the walls of the plastic box I worked in.

Most likely, however, it was the unenthusiastic chatter of my fellow 20-somethings every morning on the R5. IPod in ears, the front page of The Metro shielding their face from the morning glances of their fellow commuters; they are ushered from the suburbs like unwilling passengers on the river Styx. As the doors on the regional rail opened it was as if the hand of Charon himself ushered them off at 30^th and Market East, putting on the last leg of their daily journey towards an office, a firm, a corporation somewhere in Center City. I wanted out of this Hades, so I broke free.

COMMENT (0) | empowerment, thriving, work


	Mike My wife is an alcoholic she drinks liquor from the time she gets up until the the liquor store closes.im at the crossroa... April I have been married to my alcoholic husband for 11 years but we have been together for the last 19 years. We met at a ve... Tina I have been married for 22 years. Both my husband and I were casual drinkers. As the years went by we began drinking m... Amy Weisenburger What a beautiful message!! My fur-babies, soulmates gave my life tremendous purpose and meaning. Their paw print... Frank Sterle Jr. Whenever I observe stress in the facial expression of my mother, a typical senior, I also observe how that stress drains... Kim This was an excellent blog. I have been with my alcoholic husband for 15 years. I felt like I was losing my mind with th... Alice Helping someone with this issue is hard. And even more if you love him. I know that very well. We struggled with it for ... Union Alarm The best way is to leave such a person as it is not worth making your life miserable with such a person. I know this as ... Nancy Flora I think what you mean is a non-drinking member of an alcoholic family. Alcoholism is a family disease. Just as your husb... Amanda The family is waking up Sunday AM and my alcoholic husband again makes another nasty comment to me. The things he has sa... Angel I learned how to detach from my drunk husband! Than my mother passed away. All gloves were off after that. My son gradua... Lorraine Married thirty seven and a half years to an alcoholic. But he is a good person. And he does good deeds for everyone neig... jw I have been with my husband twenty one years. We have three children together, ages 5,7, and 9. He is a functioning alco... Richard Berman A emotional story well written with bright eye ups and sad eye downs. A story I could relate to. My grandparents would... Gina Love this. Just what I needed to read. Thank you for your courage to share this.... Tired I am struggling with detaching, but still trying. I have been with my other half off and on for 5 years. The offs were... Debra Grossman Thank you for sharing this beautiful story. It nourishes my soul to learn of such special friendships. We humans must ... Jack russell Really enjoyed reading the website. I have also have a website about this great dog.... Thank God for your blog. After 37 years of being married to an alcoholic,I've finally reached my breaking point. Emotion... Thanx 4 da truth... Sandra I am from USA, i am 36 years old, i want to gladly give My testimony of how a spell caster dr.mac@yahoo. com brought bac... g Thank you for your words. As I navigate through marriage with children (11, 5, 3) and I am a stay at home mom, the idea ... Catherine Ellen Pettway My husband and I married in 1988. He occasionally drank beer but not everyday. He came from a long history of alcoholics... Nic Thank you Mike for your honesty and vulnerability. It helps to feel a connection with someone who understands the enduri... Robert Goldsmith Thank you for sharing that very intimate experience and your story. I'm married to an alcoholic and am having severe pro... MANDI Is this group still going? I love my husband and I knew what I was getting into when I married him. I knew he like to dr... Kelly Dear Keith, I hope you are at peace now. You are missed by many.... Delilah Campos Dear LaVora, Thank you so much for sharing this intimate experience. I am deeply touched and encouraged by your experie... Mary Ellen Bennett Thank you so much. I am married to an alcoholic and I have watched him go through rehabilitation and relapse many times.... Tracy Thank you for sharing your story with me Ivor. I'm so glad you had a loving supportive Aunt to guide you out from beneat... Daniel Fontana I know those kids,especially Snezana.Please send me their contact information.... Neyhaaa I can't thank you enough for sharing this. Yet, thank you.... Amy My daughter is five and her dad is an alcoholic. I know we need to leave. We both own our house and I can't afford a law... CPC I think this is among the such a lot important info for me. And i'm happy studying your article. However want to statem... online festival Every year, people in India find different ways to celebrate the same festival, and perhaps this adds new dimension to... Karol Listening to all the mother's on here is overwhelming for me. I think about what all of you are going through and I can ... Vicki Osheka This is my second marriage and I came from a non drinking family. Didn't realize what I was getting into when I married... Elle Wel written article. My husband is walking around totally beligerant. Where he ends up making messes, he has snowballed ... Maren Thank you for this! 3rd day on Cipralex and a glimmer of hope.... I 'gave in' recently. I am more hopeful than ever that things will improve for me after reading this article. It is insp... LindaJane Riley I apologize to everyone who has commented. I didn't know this story was still active. I would like to invite all of ... Rahulbh28 Dear Members, Please help me. . . I'm sharing my painful moments which my brother and my family members are undergoing ... rene Yes i too lived the nightmare for 45 yrs..when in my marriage the last. 10 yrs my alcoholic lived in the same house and ... Grace I typed in Google search, overcoming childhood loneliness because I am paying attention to some habits that I have been ... Casadina I am so thankful that I found this website. I am like others on here and my alcoholic is passed out snoring again. This ... Grateful I cannot express how much I appreciate your story. I have been with my alcoholic for 11 years and I do not even know my... Vic I stumbled upon this beautifully written article because I just "gave in" today. I just picked up my perscription of cir... Carol I have recently begun to admit that my husband is an alcoholic. My heart is broken... I am pissed... I have so many emot... TJ Thank you for this article. You are the first person who seems to understand why I am still married to an alcoholic. I... sariah I wept as I read your story. I am currently learning to detach as well after 20 years of marriage to an alcoholic. Leavi... LaVora Good luck, N. My experience may not be yours. However, I deeply believe that happiness is our birthright. You deserve th... nk Lavora, I am exactly here in my marriage - trying to turn it around. Rgds, N... Suzanne Hi Martin and Cathy. Watched your documentary. You are a wonderful family. Everyone has their struggles, no one is exemp... admin Thank you for letting us know. The link is now set to the their new WEB page. We have our dog from them.... Linda Jane Riley About a year ago I was forced to take a step back from all things related to alcoholism. My husband, Riley, was not drin... SHerry Your link to the rescue adoption site is for sale with no other info on the dogs.... Karen Rago I think that Jesse is the most adorable jack Russell terrier dog I love watching his videos to... Marleen Thank you for sharing your story! That's real inspirating!... Julie Its 4:50am here. I can hear him snoring in the nursery. I brought the baby to bed with me.. He only snores when he drink... ld I thought I was suffering alone. The advice and comments make me feel better and gives me the strength to go on. Keep th... Sam Hi Mike, Very poignant, "There are no grown-ups. We are all children in adult garments" is right on the mark. Sufferi... TJ Thank You!!! Like "judy" commented above my mind was racing and I felt out of control... My life seemed to be falling a... Karunakaran It's very nice.... judy Thanks for ur writings... it really help my mind to calm down.... where can i go to talk with alot of nonalcoholics??? N... Tanya Sousa We certainly do have to change the way we respond, don't we Paul? I'm encouraged though. I do see it happening -- althou... Paul Trainer Thank you, Tanya, this is all so true. As someone who adores starlings too, I know that it is only when you take the tim... Cathy In reading I see how difficult it is to be married to an alcoholic husband for 30 years and have now discovered that if ... carrir You took the words right out of my mouth. Xoxo... ceri What an amazing story of love between step son and step father... Caney Texas Hello! I've been reading your site for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out fr... julie what a wonderful article, she described me to a tee , it was nice to put words to the feelings , I am new to cipralex bu... michele I am hurting so badly right now, it is taking all the strength and coping ability I have just to get through the day! O... denise morini PLEASE understand that I do not feel redeemed......still...........getting Lexi DID NOT make up for what I did to Jack, ... Carleen Quesenberry Denise- It is perplexing that you would write a "feel good" story after you abandoned a dog due to your failure to trai... Jon While I love the article, I caution those reading the post by "finally AM, me." I was in a relationship for 12 years to... Wendy Noer I felt like I was there, good story Melodee, keep writing. Let me know when you finish another one.... thank you... Sandi This is great, Mel! Congratulations! I hope to see more of your writings - especially the novel you're working on...... Katie My name is Katie. I'm 40. I have only visited your website, haven't purchased your book yet. I've been diagnosed bi-... Kaylee Your story helped convince me to start retaking my cipralex! Thank you!... gautam khanal Love actually does not have any boundary of Cast,Religion,Profile,Species,Class etc........ Nayanna Chakrbarty Dear Kalpana, Thank you for your kind wishes. I do agree with you, when you think you are all alone that's when He ma... Kalpana Dear Nayanna, It' such a pleasure reading your experiences with Ganapthi (as I call him). He is so close to my heart ... Haley Made my day we have no reason to complain bout anything... Melissa Sorry typo , thank you again ...... Melissa Thank you , LindaJane; I will consider joining. Thank you against for your response .. Be well Melissa... Linda J Riley UPDATE -- Since I wrote this story, I have created several support groups: Two on Facebook and one on an independent sit... Melissa For 20 years that had been my life! This last time was so bad , he attacked me then choked his 19 year old twin daughter... Steve Sumii Joe, What a beautiful story. I visualized the whole story. The ending where you walk with your dad was especially moving... JW The story now the subject of a documentary aired on Knowledge Network. Video can be seen online at: http://knowled... http://tinyurl.com/kovalane39421 I really would like to book mark this blog, “Turning Trash Into Beauty – Kat Nicotera’s Unique Art Therapy \| Thri... joybells wow. i am going through the same journey! thanks for helping me & assisting me with that journey!... Noelle Sterne Fangfang-- You have been blessed with a husband and parents who understand that nothing is wasted. And you have learn... Fangfang Wow ... what a strong and passionate article!! Really?? Nothing is wasted?? I am feeling like I have wasted my life for... Pushpa Rawat sooo lovely and feel of very true friendship forever... Tanya Sousa Hi Diane! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I was so blessed to have her in my life AND to have the parents I had. Also, gr... Joyce Billie, I found your story very interesting and well-written. Some people would have been judgemental about the conditio... Diane Shiri, your article is very interesting and brought tears to my eyes. I have been a dog parent/companion to many wonder... Diane Schachter Tanya, I so enjoyed reading the story of your dog sister. I love how you describe your adventures and relationship with... Acamea Thank you James. :-)...