“What matters to parents and to children is not what happened to them or between them but whether what happened was addressed, processed, and resolved,” says David Richo in his book The Five Things We Cannot Change.

These days, as we all process the financial stresses that bubble up around us, I try to carry this quote through my day like a mantra.

When I first signed up for Facebook, I was skeptical—so much so that I actually signed up and then took a six month hiatus before finally finding a rhythm and set of rules for myself that felt comfortable for me engaging in Facebook on a regular basis.

Ironically, most of the uneasiness that others have shared with me around Facebook hasn’t been about privacy, or having too few or too many friends, or even the type of content to share.

After undergoing treatment for breast cancer at the age of forty-two, Johanna Maaghul's path was permanently altered. As an important part of her healing process, she began to look closely at her own family and ask the question: Why do so many family relationships break down, and how can they be reconciled? Johanna's book The Prodigal Family offers her own unique perspective on this important question. Johanna lives in northern California with her husband and three children. For the next seven days, The Compassionate Eye will feature blogs by Johanna. 

After not seeing each other for over fifteen years, I ran into a dear friend from the days when I taught English Literature at Vancouver Community College. During my ten years in that profession, Betty was my very “bestest, bestest” friend.

“Connie! Connie!” I hear someone scream as I amble along the ocean during an afternoon walk.

“My God, Betty! Is it you?