In the classic children’s story Anne of Green Gables, the heroine poetically claims that “tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it.”  It is a lovely idea but what happens when you know that today’s mistakes are going to still be waiting for you in the morning? Each day does offer a clean start, but our problems don’t disappear like...

I used to work with a very wise woman named June. June had seen a lot of life and I loved listening to her stories.  One thing that stuck with me the most had to do with change.  She said quite simply “Don’t try to change other people.  The only person I can change is me.” She was talking about how tempting it can be to try an alter...

From a distance, “disabled” always seemed like an innocuous word.  It was simply an adjective that described a set of physical circumstances.  It’s a word I’ve often used, never aware of its power.  But when a friend used that word to describe someone that I love I had a startling realization.  Up close, “disabled” sounds an awful...

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words . . . can wound forever. Pictures of me as a little kid are really cute –– curly blond hair, a quick smile and eyes always looking for the next adventure. I had the confidence that comes from knowing you are truly loved. If we painted pictures at school, I painted three. I had a storybook childhood...

Summer is here and the living is easy. Even if you don't get nine weeks of vacation anymore, the sun still feels pretty good. Leave the stresses of bathing suit shopping behind and take some time to pamper yourself. Try a few of these easy summer treats and remember how much fun summer can be. Go play outside. There are so many things to do...

In the case of both AIDS and other STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), I have heard the comment that "he's not the sort of guy" or that he is "real straight laced and clean cut" and thus could never be carrying an STD. Some people feel that you can tell if a person is infected by looking at them. This is not the case. Many of common STDs have...

By now we are probably all familiar with the risk factors for breast cancer. Heredity. Age. Previous history of cancer. While those at high risk will want to talk to their doctors about prevention options, all of us need to realize that these are risk factors, not causes. You can get breast cancer before 30, you can be the first woman in your family...