It was around 1993 when I established a writer’s group I called Wordweavers. I found out a year or so ago that the name has since been copyrighted by someone else, so sadly I can only refer to my own “Wordweavers” outside of that official name. My mission was to provide a group where writers […]

Question: I’ve spent much of my life in various forms of counseling or therapy. My parents split up when I was a mere six months old, then my grandfather died and my grandmother took me to a foreign country, leaving me there to live with an aunt and uncle I’d never even met. This was […]

We’re excited to launch our new column, Ask the Counselor, this week. We recognize that there are those days we may need a little more help than those around us are equipped to provide. And while this column isn’t intended to replace any needed professional counseling, we wanted to give you the chance to submit […]

Daddy sang sad songs to me in the car. I was four and then five, and I begged him to sing them one after another as I cried in the seat beside him. There was no safety belt save for his arm that shot lightning-fast across my mid-section if he sensed danger. In spite of […]

I spend my days pushing Hope. With friends who have lost jobs, who battle eating disorders, who are in rotten relationships, I listen hard and nod understandingly—I know the pain a little too well. As we sit square in life’s messiness, I’m generous with my Hope as I gently nudge them to be brave in the […]

I hear it often, the “Why, God?” that echoes down hallways and into the nothing where it seems no one hears. I feel it in my own body, the ache that won’t be soothed because the hurt is just too deep. Their pain resonates with me, because I have been there, too. I think of […]

by Rita Schulte Lance Armstrong has come clean. In a two-part interview with Oprah Winfrey, he shared candidly about his fall from grace and how he wants to rebuild his reputation for the sake of his kids. The interview stirs controversy. Many see him as a narcissist, and totally disingenuous. Many question his sincerity, wonder […]

Dear God, I’m trying hard not to be ungrateful. You bless me so much, you have given so much for me, you are always there for me. I don’t mean to complain, but it’s lonely out here on the porch. It isn’t like I’m angry that there’s a party going on inside. I’m glad for […]

by Rita Schulte Bella. That’s what my husband calls her; a middle name that portrays her beauty. She runs and jumps into my arms—such joy, such excitement. A delight to my soul, such is the blessing of grandbabies. As we play, I watch her. Life is simple.  She mothers her dollies and her baby sister. […]