How to Ask a Parent to Give Up Their Car Keys

How to ask a parent to give up their car keys isn’t usually top-of-mind. We tend to assume everything is fine UNTIL something happens that says it’s not. Suddenly you know that it’s time for “the talk.” My mom kept driving because my dad felt she didn’t have any problems

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When Your Abnormal Becomes Normal

You’ve probably heard the story of the cute little frog placed in a pot of nice cool water. Slowly the water heated up until the cute little frog became a cooked little frog. He never saw, or felt, it coming. That’s what happens in our families when we ignore the

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A quick Father’s Day note from Jesus

Father’s Day. Do those words put joy to your heart and a spring in your step? If not, it may be because: You didn’t have a good relationship with your dad. Your heart hurts for your kids who didn’t have healthy dad experiences. Your grandchildren are growing up without a

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How to connect with God when the brain doesn’t work

Have you ever wondered how to help those you love connect with God in mental illness situations, dementia, or Alzheimer’s? I love my brother. I worry about him. Jim is homeless and has schizophrenia. For 40 years he lived in the same little apartment and, except for occasional lapses, did

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Comfort for a grandson
Friendships

Comfort is a language of the soul

Pausing for a moment as I brushed my teeth, I heard Tom came in with Sawyer, our 4-year-old grandson. Sleeping in a tent with his cousins and Grandpa wasn’t Sawyer’s idea of a good night’s sleep at his first Camp Grandma. He’d played hard all day—swimming, games, snacks, crafts, a

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How to Avoid Burnout With Your Difficult Child

Raising kids isn’t for the faint of heart. Sometimes we’re blessed with children or grandchildren who are flawless… like never! And some come prepackaged with enough difficulties to drive us crazy. Literally. A few days ago a young mother asked me this: I have a parenting question. I feel burned

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