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“Laura Davis gives us the courage and hope we need to confront the fears that keep us from living full and healthy lives."
Dot Walsh
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Pick a theme, click and go!
When a Relationship Is Truly Over
When your attempts to reconcile fail, it is very painful to accept that the relationship is truly over.
Stop Shooting and Start Talking: Bereaved Families for Peace
An
Israeli man and a Palestinian man, both of whom have lost close family
members to terrorism and war, work together to spread a message of
peace.
Big Rocks, Little Rocks
When
we make time for the things that really matter in our lives, we
naturally develop the resources we need to deal with the difficult
people in our lives.
Peace Begins At Home
It is only from a quiet, peaceful place inside that we can know how best to proceed in resolving troubled relationships.
Strategies for Reaching Out
Once you've decided to reach out to the other person, the big question is how. Here are some answers.
Setting the Stage for Success
Some attitudes are much more likely to lead to successful reconciliaton than others.
Fear Doesn't Have to Stop You
We can learn to move forward toward our goals even when we're trembling and afraid.
What Are You Afraid Of?
Identifying the fears that keep you from reaching out is an important part of the reconciliation process.
The Importance of Boundaries
Being able to set clear boundaries is one of the cornerstones of successful reconciliation.
Opening Your Heart While Protecting Yourself
There is value to keeping our hearts open to someone we are estranged from, even when a direct reconciliation is impossible.
Choosing Not to Reconcile
There
are times when the healthiest thing we can do is walk away from a
relationship that continues to bring us grief, criticism and pain.
Creating a Meaningful Holiday Even When You Can't Be With Someone You Love
When
we are estranged from someone we love, holidays can be bitter times.
Here are some suggestions for creating meaning despite our grief.
Learning to Sit With Your Pain
Acknowledging the real hurt that has occurred is an important part of the reconciliation process.
Benefiting from a Failed Reconciliation
Even a failed reconciliaton can provide tremendous benefits to the person who takes the risk to try.
The Freedom to Make Choices
While we can't change our history, we can choose our reaction to the people and circumstances in our lives.
September 11th: One Year Later
Where are we in our lives one years after September 11th?
The Rewards of Reconciliation
Laura visits her mother and they reflect together on what they had to do to rebuild their broken relationship.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
Although
it is possible to work on relationships even after the other person has
died, there are real benefits to making your peace while both of you
are still here to reap the benefits.
The Role of Courage in Reconciliation
Risk and reconciliation go hand in hand. What can we do when we want to reconcile but are quaking in our boots?
Seeing the Bigger Picture
When
we zoom up to the balcony, we can get a bigger perspective on our
situation. Rather than just feeling victimized by someone else's
insensitivity or cruelty, we can begin to see ourselves--and the other
person--as actors in a much bigger drama
Seeing the Other Person Realistically
Fantasies
that the other person will magically change can lead to tremendous
suffering. Realistically assessing the other person's capabilities is
one of the most important steps in the reconciliation process.
The Importance of Determination
Reconciliation requires every resource we have, and then some.
The Obstacles to Reconciliation
Pride, anger and fear are the biggest obstacles to reconciliation. Here's why.
The Role of Autonomy in Reconciliation
Until we know who we are, separate and distinct from the other person, we can't consider reconciliation.
The Role of Maturity in Reconciliation
Time usually has to pass before people are willing to reconsider a relationship that was so painful it had to end. Here's why.
What Is Estrangement?
Estrangement, by its very nature, is painful. It cuts us off from part of our world and makes us smaller than we want to be.
Learning to Listen
True
listening is at the heart of reconciliation. It is the willingness to
take in what another person is saying, even if what they have to say is
painful or difficult to hear.
Are You Ready for Reconciliation?
Reconciliation
is only possible when we become larger than the people who have hurt
us, and the things that have caused us pain. This questionnaire will
help you determine whether or not you are ready to pursue
reconciliation at this time.
Ten Ways to Make Peace During Family Celebrations
Being
estranged from people in our families can make holidays and family
gatherings events we dread, rather than times of joy and celebration.
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