Make of yourself a light. — said the Buddha, before he died. The picture above is a space in my yard where I go when I need to center myself. It is my sanctuary. It is where I come when I feel overwhelmed. It is where I sit when I can’t figure out what I think about, well, anything...
Summertime means very different things to parents than it does to children, doesn’t it? For the children, it just means No School. But for the parents, it means the kids are going to be home all the time. And for us, that’s especially true, because we don’t have any family nearby, so t...
I marveled at the way he accepted the diagnosis eleven Thanksgivings ago. “Leonard,” my mother said matter-of-factly, “the doctor says you have Alzheimer’s.” “Really?” “Yes, really.” “Dad, do you have any questions?” I asked. “Nope. I know you kids lo...
My twins and I love to treat Dad with this easy and delicious Hong Kong Steak recipe on Fathers Day. My mother used to make it for my father when they lived in Hong Kong, hence the name. Savory, succulent and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this dish is fit for a king and will make the special da...
In his latest book, The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It, Warren Farrell, Ph.D., educator, activist, and author of seven books on men's and women's issues, offers a comprehensive blueprint for what parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to help our m...
Friendship is a holy thing, but it is not an easy thing. Love and friendship take us out of ourselves, yes. And that is certainly a good thing. But if there is nothing in us that is ourselves alone, there is nothing in us to give away. Spiritual direction, “holy friendship,” can be found...
Even with the best of intentions, when parents become preoccupied with teaching boys lessons about being men, it can reduce their sons to projects and overlook their unique personalities for the sake of fitting them—often forcefully—into traditional boxes. Most boys learn to keep thei...
To be awake is to be alive. — Henry David Thoreau There are some days when thinking gives way to feeling. This is one of those days for me. Today, I am getting out of my head and into my heart. Why? Because my heart feels full. I feel grateful. I feel hopeful. I feel blessed. Th...
Life is a series of transitions. Like it or not, the world is constantly challenging us to face and embrace change at every turn. Leaving home, attending school, getting married, and building a family or career – these are just some of the stages of life that invite us to meet new parts of...
Within the grip of winter, it is almost impossible to imagine the spring, the gray perished landscape is shorn of color. Only bleakness meets the eye; everything seems severe and edged. Winter is the oldest season; it has some quality of the absolute. Yet beneath the surface of winter, the m...
