Closing in on thirty, Butch has lots of decisions to make -- from tiny to life-altering. Right away, he needs to find a kids’ craft to sponsor during the Old Town Holiday Festival. Next up, should he expand his blacksmithing business or remain a one-man shop? Finally and most importantly, it’s time to decide about his personal life. Is this the Christmas he proposes to the love of his life and best friend Jimmy and risks his hopes and dreams being shot down? Or will he find Jimmy’s casual assurances of love are deeper than those of a lifelong buddy? Big, burly Butch may seem like he’s looked life in the face and won. But until he takes a stand and mans up, how will he know whether his holidays will be happy or not?

This book is a life raft in a grief storm. From the first gripping chapter, when Debbie's husband dies expectedly in her arms, she takes readers by the hand and offers them gentle insights for healing and hope, while sharing her powerful story of loss. As a psychotherapist specializing in trauma and grief, Debbie and her wisdom can help you too.

Confident Parents, Confident Kids lays out an approach for helping parents—and the kids they love—hone their emotional intelligence so that they can make wise choices, connect and communicate well with others (even when patience is thin), and become socially conscious and confident human beings. How do we raise a happy, confident kid? And how can we be confident that our parenting is preparing our child for success? Our confidence develops from understanding and having a mastery over our emotions (aka emotional intelligence)—and helping our children do the same. Like learning to play a musical instrument, we can fine-tune our ability to skillfully react to those crazy, wonderful, big feelings that naturally arise from our child’s constant growth and changes, moving from chaos to harmony. We want our children to trust that they can conquer any challenge with hard work and persistence; that they can love boundlessly; that they will find their unique sense of purpose; and they will act wisely in a complex world. This book shows you how. With author and educator Jennifer Miller as your supportive guide, you'll learn: the lies we’ve been told about emotions, how they shape our choices, and how we can reshape our parenting decisions in better alignment with our deepest values. how to identify the temperaments your child was born with so you can support those tendencies rather than fight them. how to align your biggest hopes and dreams for your kids with specific skills that can be practiced, along with new research to support those powerful connections. about each age and stage your child goes through and the range of learning opportunities available. how to identify and manage those big emotions (that only the parenting process can bring out in us!) and how to model emotional intelligence for your children. how to deal with the emotions and influences of your choir—the many outside individuals and communities who directly impact your child’s life, including school, the digital world, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Raising confident, centered, happy kids—while feeling the same way about yourself—is possible with Confident Parents, Confident Kids.

For a parent, losing a child is the most devastating event that can occur. Most books on the subject focus on grieving and recovery, but as most parents agree, there is no recovery from such a loss. This book examines the continued love parents feel for their child and the many poignant and ingenious ways they devise to preserve the bond. Through detailed profiles of parents, Ann Finkbeiner shows how new activities and changed relationships with their spouse, friends, and other children can all help parents preserve a bond with the lost child. Refusing to fall back on pop jargon about "recovery" or to offer easy suggestions or standardized timelines, Finkbeiner's is a genuine and moving search to come to terms with loss. Her complex profiles of parents resonate with the honesty and authenticity of uncomfortable emotions expressed and, most importantly, shared with others experiencing a similar loss. Finally, each profile exemplifies the many heroic ways parents learn to live with their pain, and by so doing, honor the lives their children should have lived.

We want to say or do something that helps our grieving friend. But what? When someone we know is grieving, we want to help. But sometimes we stay away or stay silent, afraid that we will do or say the wrong thing, that we will hurt instead of help. In this straightforward and practical book, Nancy Guthrie provides us with the insight we need to confidently interact with grieving people. Drawing upon the input of hundreds of grieving people, as well as her own experience of grief, Nancy offers specifics on what to say and what not to say, and what to do and what to avoid. Tackling touchy topics like talking about heaven, navigating interactions on social media, and more, this book will equip readers to support those who are grieving with wisdom and love.

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.

Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath. ~Psalm 34:1718, The Message translation Has grief knocked your breath out of you? Everybody experiences grief, loss, and life challenges throughout their lives. Most are unprepared for their grief and the impact it will have. Grief is brutal and has a way of making you feel as though everything good in your life is slowly being crushed, leaving you gasping for air. Although painful to experience, grief is one of the most powerful teachers you can learn from. When one goes through grief or loss, the invaluable opportunity to understand, love, and know God better immediately beginsHe is the key to creating a fuller, more purposeful life in spite of grief. In Getting Your Breath Back After Life Knocks It Out of You, K.B.H. Niles transparently shares her experiences with grief and loss. She reveals how her relationship with God helped her grieve multiple deaths, including the deaths of her sister, father, and grandparents, after she found God in the midst of her pain. How do you get your breath back after life knocks it out of you? K.B.H. Niles explains key "oxygens" God revealed to her as she studied His Word during times of intense grief. In Getting Your Breath Back After Life Knocks It Out of You, you will find how to: Develop a treasured relationship with God Regain your faith and hope Resolve bitterness, guilt, and regrets Find the encouragement you need during grief Understand the importance of relationships Value God's time through grief and life Realize the importance of grieving in your own unique way Develop gratefulness, thankfulness, and praise Experience wellness, traditions, and enjoyment Create a fuller, more purposeful life