I am featuring a 5-minute YouTube video with Tara Branch, the well-known therapist and Buddhist practitioner. In this particular video, Tara speaks about how to be present for our loved-ones dying.
How to Talk with Children about Death
NPR: The Dog Isn’t Sleeping: How to Talk with Children about Death
Cory Turner starts her recent article about talking to a child about death by taking us back to 1983 and her 7th birthday, when she learned that her dog, Mingo, would not be coming home; and on the very same day and for the same reason, finding out Mister Hooper would not be coming back to Sesame Street.
They had both died.
Using the loss of a pet as a springboard, Cory collaborates with Rosemarie Truglio, a developmental psychologist at Sesame Workshop, to offer a good primer for adults to use when talking to children about death.
You might want to bookmark this post for the time when you need to talk to your child or grandchild about how to explain: “no… never.”
Come Hell or High Water, I Am Not Changing My Mind!
Happy Sunday, Readers! I hope you have had a decent week.
Today I am featuring the recent Daily Stoic column on Winston Churchill’s so often quoted admonition: “Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty.” I am sure you have heard it before. It is even on greetings cards.
The Daily Stoic reminds us that those few words are part of a longer Churchill statement.
When you read what Churchill said, think about the times your ego caused you to declare, “Come hell or high water, I am not changing my mind!”
I find it so much easier to only accept data that confirms my position (in mental model language: confirmation bias). Don’t you?
But I am also aware that it is wise to stay open. I know that the ability to change my mind is an art that will serve me well.
I recognize that. I try to remember it. But it’s hard, isn’t it?
No one would ever call Winston Churchill a quitter. His whole reputation is built on his instinct to fight. He was the lone objector when appeasement toward Hitler reigned as policy in the 1930’s. He was the one strong enough to inspire the British people to hold out against the Nazi bombardment and a potential invasion until America entered the war. His personal motto was KBO…Keep Buggering On.
TWO GOOD WOMEN
What follows is Christina Torres’s article on teaching middle school in Hawaii and a response from my friend, Maritza Gerbrandy-Dahl. Like Torres, Maritza teaches middle school. And like Torres, Maritza often doesn’t know if she can continue another year.
You will laugh, sigh and bleed a little as you read Gerbandy-Dahl’s response.
Every Once in a While We Need to Lighten Up!
Photo: Emery Way
Eileen Fisher held a women’s conference in NYC recently called “Women Together: Freedom Is an Inside Job,” and I attended online. Tara Branch was one of two keynote speakers.
Tara often uses humor to help us understand that we all are struggling in some way, and her conference talk was no exception.
Why Wait for Someone to Ask You to Be Their Valentine?
This year make yourself a priority and be your own Valentine. It won’t mean you can’t be another’s as well.
Trust me on this. Self-love is prerequisite to being able to give and receive love without strings.
Not easy? Maybe not. But don’t wait. Just do it. OK?
Give yourself the orchid, the box of chocolates, the bottle of wine you thought had to come from someone else to be a true Valentine gift.
And then…