Commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2024—A Chilling Reminder
The stark recall of the experience of mass torture and slaughter of a multitude of innocent citizens is a lesson of grave concern today.
Category: Grief and Loss
New Year’s—the hope, meaning, and the promise
The holidays are a time for reflection and an opportunity to rebalance self-needs, relationships, spirituality, and wisdom.
Finding the way from a midlife crisis
Navigating from a life-challenging period of depression and suicidal thoughts to purpose and vitality—strategies to help.
My father’s surprising revelations.
When I was a teenager, my father shared with me, as we were walking one day, that he was amazed at an encounter earlier that day with a friend of his who had come to him for support and guidance. The friend told him he had been having suicidal thoughts and was very upset with what he thought were significant losses and challenges in his life. I don’t know what my father told him, but his friend felt relieved and left in an improved mental state, feeling that he had been listened to, supported, and unburdened by his deepest worries and fears.
What I learned from my father’s death or should have
The hidden truth about Forgiveness
by Ron Parks, MD
It was early morning when I got a call from the chief of medicine and cardiologist at the community hospital where I was on staff. In a more worried voice, than was usual for him, he said, “Ron, could you stop by my office on your way to make rounds? It’s about your father. With everything I have tried, I can’t stabilize him. We need to make some decisions!” With that, I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. Our chief of medicine was the top cardiologist in the immediate area. When my father, during a visit to our home, had another one of his heart attacks, I had him admitted to our local hospital under the care of an experienced cardiologist.
The Challenges of mental illness caregiving
The realities of the care and responsibility when a family member is disabled with a schizophrenic illness
Parents or caregivers can find themselves in uncharted waters
Many get caught unprepared when a mental illness affects a loved one, spouse, child, or significant other. Though previously fully independent and entirely responsible, the person now disabled rapidly or slowly becomes dependent on a caregiver’s help, support, and management. The descent into illness and dysfunction caused by the mental disorder calls on the extreme resourcefulness of the one beset with an unimaginable level of additional responsibility.
Extreme Passion, the Value and Danger—Holocaust Recalled
Harnessing extremes into creativity, loving concern for others, and actions to avoid societal upheaval, hatred, and destruction.
I recount an early life story that brought me to the realities and risks of the extreme passions and ideas we can get caught up in as individuals or whole societies with positive or devastating outcomes.
My mother’s lost cousin—Iren
When I was a child in the early-to-mid 1940s, my mother took me to a local shoe repair shop on
Journal Keeping for Health and Productivity
Purpose, Types, Benefits, and Tips
Journaling is one of the most valuable and accessible self-help tools available.
In times of stress and duress, journaling can help work through some of the most difficult life challenges, such as the death of a spouse with the difficulty that follows.
An award-winning author, grief support advocate, and marketing consultant, Linda Donovan,1 shares a personal piece about the healing power of journaling in her life as an opening to our exploration of a valuable tool anybody can use. Dr. Parks then continues the narrative about the history and purpose of journaling, how his fascination with it developed, journal types, benefits, eight tips for doing journal keeping, and resources.
Spring’s Challenge in Conflictual Times
Ten Tips for Restoring Peaceful Coexistence when Discord Arises
A New Beginning and Hope
The season for a fresh start seemed upon us with its promise of renewal and healing. Out of the deep darkness, a seed, a kernel of insight, grows towards the light and life with opportunity and challenge. People were reemerging after a trying and difficult period with some hopefulness of new beginnings.
The scourges of a pandemic seemed to recede with the anticipation of a reopening of society. The regaining of prosperity and security was the hope. But then, there was the possibility of new variants and surges. There were still people that had lost their faith in science, vaccines, climate control, our government, and democracy.
Surviving Anxiety and Trauma
Unexpected Fall
Dr. Sid—endearingly just called “Sid” by his peers, colleagues, and fellow healthcare workers—made his way through the city in the early morning darkness. For fifteen years, he’d traveled this way, but the ordinarily busy city was now quiet, a sad reminder of the pandemic’s impact. He cranked the heater as a shiver crept up his spine at the thought of what lay ahead of him.
Storms and Mental Health
Mary’s Challenges
Mary1 had a history of mood swings, depression, anxiety, and PTSD from childhood sexual abuse. Her years growing up were in a chaotic and disruptive home, especially after her alcoholic father deserted her and her mother. She had experienced a hard time growing up with parental neglect, physical, and emotional abuse. Her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) returned after the hurricane with a vengeance.
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