This in-depth exploration uses individual portraits to show what parents face as they love and care for their mentally ill children and cope with how the mental health system has failed them. The Surgeon General has identified children's mental illness as a national problem that creates a burden of suffering so serious as to be considered a health crisis. Yet, what it means to be the parent of a mentally ill child has not been adequately considered—until now. Parenting Mentally Ill Children: Faith, Caring, Support, and Survival captures the essence of caring for these youngsters, providing resources and understanding for parents and an instructive lesson for society. Author Craig Winston LeCroy uses in-depth interviews to chronicle the experiences of parents of mentally ill children as they attempt to survive each day, obtain needed help, and reach out for support, and he lets them share their misunderstood emotions of shame, anger, fear, guilt, and powerlessness in the face of stigma from professionals, family, and friends. The book concludes with a critical appraisal of the social policies that must be implemented to help—and the reasons we should feel obligated to initiate them.
Larry is a young penguin on a secret quest for the meaning of life that teams up with a lost polar bear named Marsha who has walked halfway around the world searching for her destiny. Captured by a scientist, the unusual pair is transported to a zoo in Alaska where the scientist's dying six-year-old son frees them from captivity and joins their search. Readers are taken on an often humorous, yet deeply philosophical, satirical, iconoclastic, emotional, and sure to be controversial adventure leading to the discovery of the Round Song and the secret of life. This unusual novel isn't for children.
Each of us is confronted in life with visceral, personal, human questions: Why am I here? What is my life's purpose? For the reflective person of faith, life is an ongoing quest to respond to still further questions: Where is wisdom? What does the Lord require of me? The Life Worth Living provides answers to such questions - culled from Byron Sherwin's many years of religious wisdom and experience. / Sherwin's rich and lovely book lays out the path to abundant, fulfilled living - by cultivating religious virtues such as love, wisdom, gratitude, and humility. It demonstrates how living in partnership with God can provide all of us with the means to craft our lives into unique and "exquisite" works of art. Very accessibly written, The Life Worth Living will resonate with a wide spectrum of thoughtful readers - believers and seekers alike.
This book will help you design and create the best version of yourself. It will give you the chance to shape the kind of person you want to be, and to articulate the goals you want to achieve in your life, both professionally and personally. It will help you behave in ways that are true to your most honorable and generous self. It is a practical guide for people who are interested in leading a more meaningful and successful life, or helping others to do so. It teaches you how to author your own life and how to make commitments to yourself and others that will transform your life for the better. You’ll learn to reflect on your life, think about what really matters to you, and how to create a personal mission statement. You’ll think about your values, articulate your goals, and manage your time effectively. You’ll explore what it means to live an examined life. At the end of each chapter, there are questions to think about and actions to take that reinforce the key messages.
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Book of Angels, a wise and inspiring guide to strengthening one's intuitive abilities. Are you intuitive? Do you trust your intuitions? In The Art of Intuition, Sophy Burnham contends that we all have hunches and sudden insights and that we need only awaken to our inborn abilities in order to develop our inner wisdom. In this fascinating book, Burnham tells the stories of individuals who have "seen without seeing" to illustrate the workings of what she calls our "intuitive hearts." Exploring such topics as how loved ones are able to communicate with one another telepathically to skeptics who deny their power to see into the future, this book represents an important spiritual thinker's take on a subject that is vital to us all. According to Burnham, intuition is always right, and when you receive messages from Spirit-be it in the form of a subtle impression or a thunderous bolt from the blue-you must always, always follow the call.
Harness the seven key elements of successful organisational change Leading for Organisational Change is an intelligent and practical guide to the human side of merger integration and other organisational change. Building a clear sense of common purpose and then reinforcing it through storytelling can underpin the success of an integration or significant change programme. Pulling together the best thinking from neuroscience, psychology and business, and her rich personal experience in twenty years of leading change projects in professional services organisations and other people-centred businesses, author Jennifer Emery presents a framework for change rooted in seven key themes that help organisations establish their BECAUSE: belonging, evolution, confidence, agility, understanding, simplicity and energy. Exploring the role each theme plays in the context of change, this insightful and warm book shares real-world examples and provides advice on building purpose and culture and strengthening motivation through listening, empowering and collaborating. Clear understanding of purpose, powerful communication techniques and carefully planned implementation strategies assist in navigating an often stressful and uncertain period of change, and can even enable organisations to thrive throughout this period. This book encourages you to apply important lessons to your own context, allowing you to: Focus on the human, cultural and practical elements of organisational change Apply central concepts of communication and motivation to a wide array of situations in your personal and business life Understand perspectives on change from a broad range of professional sectors Build and strengthen communication skills to promote a sense of shared purpose Leading for Organisational Change offers a warm and intelligent perspective on the personal and inter-personal factors that contribute to successful integration. An invaluable resource for professional services and people-focused organisations, this book provides advice that can cross sectors and lend insight to any major change programme.
While American gay fiction has received considerable scholarly attention, little has been given to developments in other English-speaking countries. This survey catalogs 254 novels and novellas by some 173 British, Irish and Commonwealth authors in which gay and bisexual male characters play a major role. Arranged chronologically from the appearance of the first gay protagonist in 1881, to works from the onset of the AIDS epidemic in 1981, in-depth entries discuss each book's publication history, plot and significance for the construct of gay identity, along with a brief biography of its author. Including iconic works like Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) and E.M. Forster's Maurice, as well as lesser known but noteworthy novels such as Rose Macaulay's The Lee Shore (1912) and John Broderick's The Waking of Willie Ryan (1969), this volume--the first of its kind--enlarges our understanding of the development of gay fiction and provides an essential reading list.
This volume guides religious leaders during turbulent life events that challenge their ability to serve as effective ministers. Encouraging careful introspection and a focus on personal fulfillment and self-care, the book challenges all readers to build support systems for themselves and their faith communities.
Are you anticipating midlife with excitement? Are you also wondering “What’s Next?” Midlife is a time for adventures and great, new opportunities, but it can also present uncertainty and challenges. Do you have questions about what lies ahead and about how to make the most of the good things to come and meet the difficult ones head on? You’re not alone. Eileen Caroscio, Sandy Demarest, and Paul Ward—three well-known thought leaders in the field of second half of life navigation and positive living—have answers in Midlife, New Life: Living Consciously in Midlife and Beyond. If we adopt a living consciously approach to the future, decisions about major life and work transitions can be made with confidence. The Midlife, New Life team brings their expertise, experiences, research findings, and wisdom to bear in this engaging, friendly, and comprehensive guide. They share life lessons and insights and provide practical tools and resources to help you plan and prepare for your journey. Their guidance will help you find meaning and purpose, stay engaged and healthy, support your cognitive functioning, enhance your support network, work for a living and for fulfillment, savor the world, and give back. This transformative book will— • encourage you to reflect on what tips and resources (not just financial ones) resonate with you and which ones you want to try • inspire, educate, and encourage you about what to expect and how to optimally approach midlife for a fulfilling life journey • provide strategies and purposeful practices to support life and work transitions • share wisdom from those who have walked the road ahead Midlife, New Life showcases what can happen when we talk to each other and have purposeful conversations that matter. Coming together, sharing conversation, sharing wisdom is part of this valuable book’s process. The authors of Midlife, New Life share their philosophy: “The power of conversation, curiosity, connection, and common goals of helping others navigate the second half of life brought us into collaborative relationship in writing a book and pulling all of our expertise together in a creative, fun project for the common good.” Chapters and Themes 1. Exploring Purposefully (finding meaning and purpose in how you live your life) 2. Living Well (how to support all your key well-being factors) 3. Appreciating Money 4. Working for a Living 5. Working for Fulfillment 6. Savoring the World 7. Living Life Creatively 8. Minding Relationships 9. Helping Humanity (giving back in diverse ways that match your interests and concerns) 10. Living with Technology (how you can use technology to help you live optimally) 11. Bouncing Forward (the art of building up your resilience for bumps in the road) Eileen Caroscio, CSC, RN, MSN Eileen is a multicertified coach and consultant, and a registered nurse. She is passionate about helping individuals achieve their goals and live their best lives. Referred to as the “midlife muse,” she engages people beyond their titles, jobs, and formalities to get to the core of what will enrich their midlives and make them more meaningful and magical. Sandy Demarest Sandy is an executive career, retirement, lifestyle, and leadership coach, trainer, and speaker. She leverages her experience to help organizations and mid–late-stage workers transition to new chapters. She specializes in training and coaching programs focusing on topics such as Engage as You Age, From Fulltime Career to Fulltime Life, and Create Your Next Meaningful Chapter. Sandy is the founder and owner of Demarest Directions, which provides coaching, training, and retreats. Paul Ward, Ph.D. Paul is an international conscious leadership and conscious living coach, author of The Inner Journey to Conscious Leadership, and host of conscious conversation circles. He is sometimes referred to as the “consciousness whisperer.” Paul is the principal owner of the coaching, consulting, and training company 2Young2Retire, LLC, offering impactful transitions coaching and facilitator certification training.