Tributes to Nelson Mandela fill the news. People around the world celebrate his accomplishments and grieve his death. Some said, “The whole world loves Mandela.” You may not agree with Mandela, much less love him. While he was instrumental in bringing needed changes, I don’t agree with him either on many issues. However, He demonstrated…

This year Thanksgiving started early for our family. Children and grandchildren descended a week before Thanksgiving. More family arrived on Monday and sixteen of us continued the celebration until Wednesday, when (almost) everybody joined the rest of the Camenisch clan for the annual four-day reunion. There were a few inconveniences while we were together. Our…

It’s Thanksgiving. Our house is full of family—13 extras—from out of town and my heart is overflowing with gratefulness. We are blessed and have much to be thankful for. In the midst of the confusion of children underfoot and preparing food for the larger crowd, Robert has gotten a very bad cold and his 92-year-old…

Tired of anger? Want to get rid of it? Now is a good time to practice one strategy to help you not get angry at people you love. Maybe your husband doesn’t put his dirty clothes in the hamper—even though you’ve asked him to a gazillion times. Or your wife has a terrible habit of…

In central Kentucky we had a perfect summer this year. The farmers had bumper crops and the grass didn’t turn brown in August and September from lack of rain. Consequently, as fall approached, most people expected a perfect fall, with brilliant foliage. After all, the trees received plenty of rain through the summer, and were…

Last Saturday, our church hosted a Fall Ladies Luncheon, with guests from all over the community attending. The decorations were lovely. Fall colors abounded in quilts, candles, gourds, flowers, and leaves. The food was delicious and plentiful, and everybody seemed to enjoy fellowship around the tables. We closed our time together with some worship and…

Are you too busy to enjoy life? Running in too many directions? Does it seem impossible to complete all that is asked of you? Stressful living is bad for your health is a set-up for tension and anger to build and for relationships to be damaged. If this is you, stop and evaluate your activities.…

Reader’s Digest had an article in September about a trait that strong families share. In “The Stories That Bind Us,” Bruce Feiler, said “Strong families know—and teach the next generation—their histories.” Marshall Duke, a psychologist at Emory University did a study in which he asked children to answer 20 questions about the histories of their…

Negative attitudes are easy to pick up and are free for the taking, but Robert and I decided they are a luxury we can’t afford. I’m talking about the slump you get in when you messed up a job, said the wrong thing, or didn’t think you performed as well as you could—or should. Maybe…