While we sit around the dinner table and I look back and forth between my moms, I remember how it was hard to understand, as a kid, that it was okay to have a different family. I used to think that something was missing, that there was something wrong because I didn’t have a father. …
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Family Matters
Take the Pledge!
Like many tough issues, dating violence isn’t something that people typically talk about. It’s just too heavy for daily conversation. Talk of dating violence among teenagers is limited to school assemblies and “Issue” YA books. It makes sense that a lot of us think that because it’s not talked about, it’s not really a common issue….
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Aretha Franklin has turned the words of Otis Redding’s Respect into a declaration of a strong and confident woman demanding her partner respect her. There is no question, that is what she insists upon to make the relationship work. Respect is the foundation of any relationship – platonic, familial, or romantic. A Woman’s Place (AWP)…
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Happy Hanukkah to All, and to All a Good Night
“You know, he was Jewish.” This was a family-famous refrain spoken by my grandmother, my Jewish grandmother, over the many years I was fortunate enough to have a grandmother in my life. Now, my Jewish grandmother, Jeanette, practiced Conservative Judaism, after having been raised in a strict Orthodox home by her immigrant parents. To give…
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Are Your Words True, Kind, Necessary?
This is the question posed by the sign in front of Doylestown United Methodist Church. It sits on busy Swamp Road (aka Route 313) so many people pass it often. Personally, I am a member there and my children are very involved in different groups, so I’ve been known to pass that sign up to…
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Scream Therapy
I love my husband. I promised him, always, that before I voiced any complaints, I would start by saying, “I love you,” slowly and meaningfully. And then (usually with a smile), “Do you think you could get the socks into the hamper instead of near it?” Or “Remember, hot water cuts grease.” And here’s one…
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The Weight and Worth of Words
My beautiful mother, known as “Kitty,” was born and raised in Philadelphia, the oldest child of six. Mother loved clothes and she dressed in the best at all times. After she wore a dress, she would press it before putting it back in the closet. Mother had a wonderful job, so she could afford a…
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Put Down Your Phone
We’ve all done it. We’re supposed to be eating lunch with a friend, supposed to be listening in class, supposed to be driving and what are we doing? We’re on our cell phones. As much as most of us would love to deny it, our cell phones have made us ruder and less aware of…
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