Tag Archives: support

Tips For Gathering And Supporting Family

The month of December includes several holidays, including Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Solstice. Many people enjoy gathering together to celebrate with members of their families during these holiday celebrations. For best results, follow these tips for gathering and supporting family members. Plan Gatherings Around The Most Vulnerable Family Members CNBC News reported advice from Dr. Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her number one piece of advice is to plan gatherings around the most vulnerable family members. Vulnerable communities include people who are immunocompromised, children, and elderly people. Dr. Wallace listed the following examples of how … Continue reading →

Thanks To A Friend

There are some benefits that joining Face Book that you may not think about. When you think of Face Book you think about people reconnecting with old loves and old friends but you don’t think about getting incredible support in your journey through cancer. I have found that cancer has touched a great deal of lives in my old hometown of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. There are many of my former classmates that have battled cancer. It was surprising to me to see all the people that have either battled cancer themselves or a loved one of theirs did. It was … Continue reading →

The Greatest Influence

What or who would you describe as being the greatest influence on your life? That was a question asked recently of Brett Kirk and the footballer, a legend here in Australia and especially in Sydney, said his wife Hayley was the greatest influence on his life. What a lovely comment that is. It made me wonder how many of us would like to be described that way by our spouse or how many of us can describe our spouse that way. I know Mick is a great influence on my life. He is always there to cheer on and encourage … Continue reading →

Playing the Supporting Role

Recently a young woman I know did several things that impressed me in her marriage, so I thought I’d share them with you. Just because someone hasn’t been married very long, doesn’t say all of us can’t pick up tips from the way their marriage works. The first thing was she supports her husband in the work he is doing. He had to give an important talk to a large number of people. Even though she had a heap of things needing to be done over the next few days, she decided this was more important as it was happening … Continue reading →

Emotional Support Can Improve Odds for Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is one of the leading types of cancer in the United States. If you or someone you know has battled with breast cancer, you understand the need for support and encouragement. Recently the “Cancer Support Community’s Research and Training Institute” unveiled a new registry for breast cancer survivors. These remarkable survivors will have the opportunity to share their experience and impact others who are going through the same thing. It is believed that emotional support can improve the survival odds for breast cancer patients. The Breast Cancer M.A.P. (Mind Affects the Physical) Project is recruiting survivors of breast … Continue reading →

Choosing a Labor Support Person

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No one should ever have to give birth alone. Whether it is a husband, a mother, a sister, a doula or a friend present – the importance of a personal labor support person is paramount. Labor is scary at times and the pain can make it difficult to speak or think clearly. The new mother needs someone to voice her concerns when she cannot and comfort her when she is feeling distressed, tired or scared. When you are choosing someone to go into the delivery process with you, think about the way you think they’ll respond under pressure. Will they … Continue reading →

Love Well

Marriage isn’t a one off choice and that’s it, marriage is about choosing every day. Choosing to put someone else’s needs about your own. It’s choosing to be committed and stay committed and not keep looking around and wonder what if. . It’s choosing to look forward to each day with the one you’re with, rather than look back at the past and wonder what might have been. Marriage is offering support and encouragement to your spouse in the things they do. The other day advance copies of my two news children’s books for young readers arrived on our doorstep. … Continue reading →

He Stepped Up When It Mattered Most, Part 2

In Part 1, I started explaining how Wayne stepped up as my mom neared the end. This is the conclusion of that tale. Saturday, June 14 We’d just gotten set up with hospice the day before, June 13, when the very next morning my mom suffered a series of mini-strokes. As I was on the phone with the hospice describing her symptoms, she started throwing up all over herself. Wayne was the one to clean her up. Then while we waited for an ambulance to come transport her to an in-patient hospice facility, I went to take a shower because … Continue reading →

Supporting Others who are Going Through a Divorce

Divorce is one of those experiences that no one can fully understand until they have been through it. No matter how many movies and televisions shows one watches, getting through a divorce is more intense and consuming than anything one might imagine. Whether you are the one who instigates the divorce or not, or whether or not you know that it is the right thing to do—if there are children involved and it requires a reorganization of your family, no one understands like someone who has been there, done that. I think this is one of the reasons that those … Continue reading →

Building Your Own Community

When I wrote earlier today about how our friends and support systems can change and evolve as we move through the challenges and journey of parenting, it inspired me to think about the process of building an evolving support system for our families. Most of us have heard how important it is to have a support system and to have a good, supportive community around our families, but many of us have no idea how to go about creating that. We might think that we should be able to walk out the door, find a “community” and settle in for … Continue reading →