Articles from the Week of December 23, 2022
Interesting Quotes
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that prisoner was you.
Lewis B. Smedes, author and theologian
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
Martin Luther King Jr.
I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.
Abraham Lincoln
Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love.
Fred Rogers
If I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?
Abraham Lincoln
There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst of it is that half of them are true.
Winston Churchill
I also remember something that Thomas Jefferson once said. He said, “We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.” And ever since he told me that, I’ve stopped worrying.
Ronald Reagan
Behind every great man... is a woman rolling her eyes.
Bruce Nolan (Jim Carey) in "Bruce Almighty"
Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters.
Amy Leigh Mercree, author
Sometimes I lie awake at night and ask, “Where have I gone wrong?” Then a voice says to me, “This is going to take more than one night.”
Charlie Brown
Fascinating Facts and Trivia (many from InterestingFacts.com)
20 Fascinating Facts About “The Wizard of Oz”. These are quite interesting, and some are probably not things you have read before. Click here to read the full article.
A town in Maine built a 122-foot-tall snowperson. Bethel, Maine built the world’s tallest snowman, or actually snowwoman. They named her Olympia in honor of their senator, Olympia Snow.
Quote from InterestingFacts.com: “The earliest U.S. Presidents didn’t wear pants. The very first American Presidents — George Washington included — led the country through the American Revolution and its earliest days without wearing a single pair of pants. That’s because the Founding Fathers actually wore breeches, pairs of tight-fitting men’s bottoms that cut off at the knee. (Their calves were covered with knee-high stockings.) Breeches were a status symbol; full-length pantaloons were generally reserved for working folk who needed more ease to complete manual labor, which was difficult to do in custom-fitted breeches.”
Tomatoes have more genes (31,000) than humans (28,000).
Amusing Facebook cartoon
An Encouragement to Mothers
Scripture tells us that the Apostle Paul was not the one who led Timothy to Christ. It was rather the influence of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. Research in 2019 revealed that it continues to be mothers and grandmothers who play a crucial role in nurturing their children’s spiritual development. Nearly 2/3 of those who claim a legacy of faith credited their mother, and 1/3 attributed it to grandparents (usually their grandmother). So if you are a mother, or you counsel women who are, its very appropriate to affirm their role in nurturing their children’s spiritual development.
Celine Dion’s Stiff-Person Syndrome
This is not a counseling article, but I think many of us have been touched with Celine Dion’s unusual neurological disorder. For a summary of this condition, here is an article from Medpage Today. Click here to read it.
5 Overlooked Signs of ADHD – the Inattentive Type
ADHD Inattentive Type gets overlooked because the hyperactive type is more obvious in school or other situations. Those with inattentive type also often get misunderstood as being lazy or unmotivated. Here is a good article on some of the overlooked signs of ADHD, inattentive type and some good strategies to use to help those with inattentive type. Click here to read the full article.
How to Shepherd — Not Carry — Your Child Toward Fulfillment
Highly respected ADHD specialist Russell Barkley gives eight common-sense principles for parents who are raising children with ADHD. Click here to read the full article.
When Therapists Struggle with Suicidality
Therapists are not immune to feeling suicidal. Here is one therapist’s recollection of how she struggled with suicidal feelings, and the great struggle within the psychotherapy field about whether or not therapists who have struggled with suicidal thoughts themselves should share that fact. Click here to read the full article.
Meta, TikTok, Others Being Sued, Here Are 10 Ways Social Media Can Hurt Kids’ Mental Health
“According to a recent 60 Minutes episode, over 1,200 families are now pursuing lawsuits against Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and other social media companies. These lawsuits are alleging that such companies’ products and services have had a variety of negative mental health effects on the families’ children.” Click here to read the full article.
Why ADHD Self-Awareness is the Key to Effective Action, Change, and Progress for Each of Us
Probably for all of us, healthiness begins with self-awareness and acceptance of who we are, with our strengths and weaknesses. Here’s an article that applies that approach to the lives of those with ADHD. Click here to read it.
Ransomware groups are on the prowl, could you be their next target?
Although we don’t like to think about it, any of us could be open to a ransomware attack, and it could have a severe impact on our practices. I don’t have the expertise to evaluate the validity of this approach to ransomware, but here is what Kurt, the Cyberguy recommends for prevention and what to do if you become the victim. Click here to read the full article.
It’s College Application Season! 7 Practical Pointers for Teens with ADHD
When I first started to read this article, I almost didn’t finish it because it’s written by a teen with ADHD applying to college for the first time. But it really does have some good tips that might be helpful if you’re counseling a teen with ADHD who is applying to college. Click here to read the full article.
Norwegian artist could face 3 years in prison for saying men can't be lesbians, get pregnant
The rules for what constitutes “hate speech” in Norway are rather interesting. A lesbian artist posted a comment on Facebook saying that men could not be lesbians nor could they become pregnant. Her comment: “It’s just as impossible for men to become lesbian as it is for men to become pregnant. Men are men regardless of their sexual fetishes.” While the majority of people in the world would say those are true statement, in Norway they could result in a three-year prison sentence. Click here to read the full article.
2 ‘Ps’ That Don’t Belong in the Same Pod: Pot and Pregnancy
People in marijuana shops are encouraging pregnant women suffering from nausea to smoke pot to deal with the nausea even though there are considerable medical groups who say this is not wise. Click here to read the full article.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
Henry Virkler
