By Marlene Winell ~ A t this time of year it’s hard to avoid dealing with the differences you have with your family. If you are a “reclaimer” (reclaiming your life after being religious) who has been raised in a religious household, holiday times can be very uncomfortable when other family members are still devout. Having worked through these issues with many clients, here are a few guidelines that might be helpful.  I’ll start by suggesting you write in a journal, starting now and continuing through the holidays. This can help you sort through jumbled thoughts and emotions, stay on track with how you are trying to handle things, take care of yourself, and learn. There are exercises here to prompt your thinking. In general, if you plan to be with family at this time, it helps a great deal to approach the holidays with a high level of consciousness. In other words, don’t just blindly go home for Christmas, hoping it will be fine. What do you really expect it might be l...

By summerbreeze ~ W hat a guy ! This is what the Lord did = English: Saying grace before carving the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner in the home of Earle Landis in Neffsville, Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) ( 1 ) Went to the Bank, withdrew a boat load of money to buy food and drinks. ( 2 ) Drove round and round at several grocery stores, looking for that elusive parking spot ( next to Siberia ) ( 3 ) Stood in L.O.N.G check out lines, usually stuck between people coughing and babies throwing hissy-fits. ( 4 ) Cleaned my whole house top to bottom. ( 5 ) Wrestled with a slippery Turkey, even dropping it on the floor once, only to find out that the inside was STILL frozen and the Turkey roasting pan was too small. ...........The Saga Continues ( 6 ) "He" peeled, shucked, diced, simmered, sliced, stirred, chopped, fried, basted and roasted while balancing 8 entrees plus side dishes to all come together at the same exact time ! I learned that it wa...

By Valerie Tarico ~ A s a child I liked Thanksgiving hymns even better than Christmas carols – perhaps because I’ve always been a bit of a contrarian. My daughter, Brynn, is the same way. Case in point: She probably would have disliked the Twilight books even if her friends hadn’t crooned over them. But the abject loathing she expressed whenever they were mentioned, coupled with facial contortions and intermittent retching noises, were, by her own admission “because everybody else likes them so much.” Another case in point: The animals that elicit her protective instinct aren’t those with soft fur and big eyes but those with cold skin and big teeth. You catch the family pattern. Some things change, and some things, like a tendency to swim upstream, don't. My understanding of our Thanksgiving holiday is one of the former; my stubborn refusal to abandon my traditions despite their religious history, is one of the latter. It’s been a long time now since th...

By Carl S -- O n Thanksgiving day, 2009 my wife and I went for dinner at a couple’s place. The husband’s brother and his wife, both high I.Q.‘s (she a retired college teacher), were there from California. I had several interesting private discussions with both of them. She was apparently into some new age spirituality. As we were leaving, I remarked that, “I’m happy with myself just the way I am.” This stunned her, judging by the reaction of her wide-eyed face. Later on that evening, the thought came to me that this is a great way to be and speak out. Now, you’re thinking, “Who gives a damn if you’re happy or not with yourself?” Well, go into a church, temple, mosque, look at all the “self- help” books at your local library and bookstore, tune into Dr. Phil, pick up tracts by every religion, and you’ll find out fast. They all have one message in common: There’s something innately wrong with you that’s in need of fixing and/or, perfecting. But, you can’t sell a product to someone,...