Book Review: From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks
At Midlife, we begin to realize that our effectiveness is waning. This may cause us to question our purpose and our worth. None of us desire to be irrelevant. The fear of irrelevance may steal our joy and drive. Midlife is the ideal opportunity to make changes that will revitalize your effectiveness and bring great fulfillment.
Book Review: The 4 Seasons of Marriage: Secrets to Lasting Marriage, by Gary Chapman
Marriage relationships have their ups and downs: times of growth and times of atrophy; times of strength and times of challenge. Well known author and marriage counselor Gary Chapman describes these as “seasons.” In The 4 Seasons of Marriage: Secrets to a Lasting Marriage, Chapman describes the emotions, attitudes and actions that characterize each season, and he provides strategies for moving through difficult seasons and lengthening favorable seasons.
Book Review: Marriage in the Middle: Embracing Midlife Surprises, Challenges and Joys by Dorothy Littel Greco
Marriage can be difficult at every stage, but especially during transitions. Do you remember the struggles and adjustments that you made when you newly wed? Then the relationship changed again when kids came into the family. Chances are good you have avoided or left unresolved many issues over the last 20+ years. Now that it’s just the two of you again, those issues are going to come back to the forefront.
Book Review: Empty Nest, What’s Next?: Parenting Adult Children Without Losing Your Mind by Michele Howe
Parenting emerging adult children brings about a host of challenges, internally and externally. When our children grow up and leave home, it introduces the void (or opportunity) of an empty nest, an altered state of our marriage, and new relationship dynamics with our kids. The practical and emotional impact of these changes is wide-ranging. In this book, author Michele Howe provides helpful perspective and advice on multiple facets of this phase of life and parenting.
Book Review: Empty Nest, Full Life - Discovering God’s Best for Your Next by Jill Savage
Author Jill Savage offers a guide through the emotional chaos that confronts parents when their children leave home, leaving them with a sense of loss and confusion. This dynamic is especially potent for women who have spent most of the prior 25 years dedicated to raising children. For the primary caregiver, their personal goals, dreams and desires have been put on hold for the sake of the family. Now that the kids are gone, they are left asking, “Now What?” “Who am I?” “What do I do?”
Book Review: Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk - How to Have Essential Conversations with your Parents About Their Finances by Cameron Huddleston.
You can’t start this conversation too soon! But for many of us, talking to our parents about financial matters and their mortality is awkward, emotional, and dreaded. But now is the time. This book contains great tips on the hows and whys of the difficult but important conversations we need to have with our parents as they move from independence to needing your help. It includes explanations of legal documents, lists of information to collect, conversation starters, and many other helpful tools.
Book Review: Doing Life with Your Adult Children - Keep Your Mouth Shut & the Welcome Mat Out by Jim Burns.
If you thought the teenage years were tough, parenting emerging adults is tricky. None of the tools that were available to you when your children were at home are effective now that they have the ability to leave. Parenting adult children requires a whole new basis for the relationship and method of engagement. In some cases, your children are expressing their new independence in ways that are disappointing. In other cases, your children are not moving into independence as quickly or thoroughly as you would like. Perhaps one child fits in both categories!