Community, Community Building, Community Development, Family, Parenting

Three Things I Wish People Would Stop Doing and Saying to Pregnant Parents {and what they could do instead}

As discussed last week, a pregnancy is a very intimate affair and yet has a certain community-oriented side which I have been very lucky to experience both as a non-pregnant and pregnant community member. There are still, however, many boundaries that need to be respected.  Learning how to identify and respect these boundaries is further… Read More Three Things I Wish People Would Stop Doing and Saying to Pregnant Parents {and what they could do instead}

Family, Pregnancy

Pregnancy, Personal Development, and Community Building Some Initial Thoughts

While pregnancy is quite obviously related to the personal development of both the mother-to-be and father-to-be, it’s a little bit more difficult at times to see how pregnancy can be related to the process of building a vibrant community.  After all, how can such a personal and intimate experience be shared one’s entire community? It… Read More Pregnancy, Personal Development, and Community Building Some Initial Thoughts

Community, Community Building, Community Development, Consultation, Family, Governance

From Governing One’s Family to Governing the World: Learning to Use the Vital Instrument of Consultation

Someone recently mentioned that there is no institution older than that of marriage, which really got me thinking. If this institution has been part of human society for millennia, why are we still so terrible at maintaining it, with divorce rates in North America so high? No wonder, then, that so many conversations revolve on… Read More From Governing One’s Family to Governing the World: Learning to Use the Vital Instrument of Consultation

Family, Parenting, Pregnancy

Big News and The Launch of a Related New Family Focused Feature

Someone recently told me that the most important advice she could give my husband and I about my impending dive into parenthood was to be ready for a lot of changes.  Like so much of the advice I have received, it seems pretty obvious in theory, but still comes as a little bit of a… Read More Big News and The Launch of a Related New Family Focused Feature

Community, Community Building, Community Development, Family

The Emerging Clarity of Supporting Someone with Cancer

The end of the summer was a little difficult for my family, to say the least. As I shared back in September, my uncle was diagnosed with cancer. The conversation his wife and I started then about the support they are getting from their network has continued; it’s a little convoluted at times and unsatisfying… Read More The Emerging Clarity of Supporting Someone with Cancer

Community, Community Building, Family

Weathering the Storm of a Cancer Diagnosis: Some Initial Learnings and Thoughts

There are a few things I strongly believe in. For example, The X-Files and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer are two of the best television shows I have ever watched and chocolate is a cure for nearly everything. Or, that community-building at the grassroots is essential in ensuring the well-being of every single individual and that… Read More Weathering the Storm of a Cancer Diagnosis: Some Initial Learnings and Thoughts