Kass P Dotterweich - Be-good-to-your-family Therapy

Be-good-to-your-family Therapy Kass Dotterweich Illustrated by R. W. Alley Abbey Press All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. Text copyright 1997 by Kass P. Dotterweich Illustrations copyright 1997 by Saint Meinrad Archabbey ISBN: 978-1-4976-8032-6 Abbey Press Publications 1 Hill Drive St. Meinrad, Indiana 47577 www.abbeypress.com Distributed by Open Road Distribution 345 Hudson Street New York, NY 10014 www.openroadmedia.com Foreword Family life is challenging.

Changing values, overcrowded schedules, information overload, cultural and economic pressures all make it hard to be a family today. Yet no single unit of society is as important as the family. For its within the family that we are all fashioned into the persons we are. Our individual traits, our unique talents, our strengths can be enhanced in countless waysor can be restricted, ignored, or repressedwithin the family structure. And its within the family that we learn to love ourselves, other people, and God. Be-good-to-your-family Therapy provides simple but substantial direction for making your family life all it can be.

And while pointing out the responsibilities each member has within the family, it will remind you of the wonders, the joys, the blessings, the privilege of being a family. God the Creator shaped you into a family unlike any other that has ever beenor will be. Be-good-to-your-family Therapy shows you how to celebrate this precious gift. 1. Remember the sacredness of your family relationship. God created you to be parent to these children, and God created them to be children to you. 2. Your family is a wonder, the unique consequence of countless choices made over generations by all those who came before youchoices that resulted in each of you being here today. 2. Your family is a wonder, the unique consequence of countless choices made over generations by all those who came before youchoices that resulted in each of you being here today.

Celebrate the special, one-of-a-kind miracle of your family. 3. Stories weave the fabric of family into a timeless tapestry. Turn off the TV, CD player, and video gamesand tell your stories. Youll create your own spoken scriptures for future generations. 4. Families gather to celebrate holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions. 5. Collect family memories in photos, videos, audiotapes, and scrapbooks, and then revisit the past together. 5. Collect family memories in photos, videos, audiotapes, and scrapbooks, and then revisit the past together.

Memories are links that join yesterday to today. 6. Take timeat family meetings, at meals, in private chatsto talk, to listen, and to understand. Communication builds trust; trust binds. 7. Play together as a family. Laughter and excitement release energy that enlivens and renews body and spirit. 8. Laughter is the hearts favorite exercise. 8. Laughter is the hearts favorite exercise.

Dont take yourselvesas individuals and as a familytoo seriously. Act silly, tell jokes, and remember funny family stories. 9. Welcome the unplanned moment into your family; leave room for spontaneity and serendipity. The unexpected is where we find some of lifes sweetest gifts. 10. Family means sharing responsibilities. Assign chores according to abilities, preferences, and time.

Be flexible; rotate chores for variety. When the whole family chips in to do a big job, enjoy the team spirit and celebrate your accomplishment. 11. Cultivate awe by noticing Gods simple wondersand point them out to each other: the delicate strands of a spiderweb, the tenacious grace of a dandelion, the squishiness of mud. The wow that comes from attending to lifes fine details is truly a prayer of reverence. 12. A healthy family strives for balance. When the demands of work, school, social activities, and church or civic responsibilities rob you of precious quality time your family needs, everyone suffers.

Learn to say no so you can say yes to what matters most. 13. Meals feed more than the body. Arrange your schedule to allow your family to come together regularly to share meals. Shared food and conversation is a blessing that nurtures both bodies and spirits. 14. Build family faith by encouraging prayer: Sunday worship, mealtime prayer, informal moments in times of fear, sadness, or joy. 15. Loving touch goes deepall the way to the soul.