“Inside every person is a universe, and we’ll never know what it feels like to be another person,” author Elizabeth Strout told Time magazine in its May 15, 2017 issue. And, then, Strout concluded, “Which is horrifying.” Horrifying? That’s a strong word. I try to understand what another person is feeling. I think I can [...]
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Her daughter’s secrets
by resolutewoman on May 20, 2017 in families, secrets
Marilyn, a character in the book Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, had left her daughter, who was only 11 months old, playing on a quilt in the living room and gone into the kitchen to get a cup of tea. Marilyn was startled to find Lydia, who had taken her first steps, [...]
Free from family?
by resolutewoman on May 18, 2017 in change, families
Her brother Nath was ready to leave his family and go away to college—“to start over as a new person with a new life.” It’s “just a problem of geography,” he thought, “with the confidence of someone who had never yet tried to free himself of family.” Most of us, like Nath, a character in [...]
A vast web of misunderstanding
by resolutewoman on April 8, 2017 in book, families
I just went to a cousin’s birthday party in Colorado City, Texas. Although I see most of my cousins on my father’s side of the family at least once a year, I haven’t seen many of the cousins on my mother’s side of the family in years. I was reminded of a line from Anna [...]
What’s your story?
by resolutewoman on March 25, 2017 in book, families, friends
Everyone has a story—or two or three, and most of us tell the stories that define our lives over and over, explained author George Saunders at an Art & Letters Live presentation in Dallas on March 8, 2017. I’ve been thinking about my stories. What are the stories about my life that I tell over [...]
Chaos and love
by resolutewoman on November 29, 2016 in families, holidays, love
“Our family—the perfect blend of chaos and love.” After Thanksgiving, our house seemed too quiet when Mary Elizabeth left for Denton and Jay left for Tulsa. Yes, our family has plenty of love and sometimes an ample amount of chaos, too. Sometimes I am not sure if ours is the perfect blend! I found the [...]
When to be kind
by resolutewoman on October 6, 2016 in families, friends, love
“Be kind whenever possible,” says the Dalai Lama. “It is always possible.” When I was in Washington state recently, I discovered wise words in a number of places—a large independent bookstore, a small antique shop and even in the airport. I found this quote at Village Books in Bellingham. –Joy
My family is growing
by resolutewoman on September 22, 2016 in families, friends
While I was visiting our friends Mark and Eva in Bellingham, Washington, I thought about this fact: Sometimes friends seem like family. And, how wonderful that is! My family expands when I move a friend from the very-good-friend category to the almost-like-family category. –Joy
The meaning of life
by resolutewoman on September 10, 2016 in families, friends, goals, love
“Love is our true destiny,” said Thomas Merton, the Catholic writer and mystic. “We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone. We find it with another.”
A familiar room
by resolutewoman on August 11, 2016 in book, families, marriage
Kirsten and Dieter are “dearest friends,” but they have differences of opinion. They have had the same argument for years until it became “something like a familiar room where they met,” writes Emily St. John Mandel in her book Station Eleven. My husband and I have some of those familiar rooms. Next time we disagree [...]
What’s this site about?
We wrote our book and we’re writing our blog because we were frustrated. We were frustrated with experts who try to tell people how to lose weight, raise their children and improve their marriages—and be a success—in 10 easy steps. In three weeks. In one book.
Our self-help book and blog are for grownups—for women who know that there are no easy answers to life’s complex problems—that finding solutions requires some self-knowledge and self-searching and hard work.
We want to help women discover their own answers and live with them as their guide. We want to help you and other women Help Yourself!
We write about making changes and also about many other issues important to women, including families, friends, work and food.
