Recipes for living, loving and laughing:Jo, Elliott, Cloey & Zoey's adventures

This was mostly written by Elliott. The year has taken its toll. When we were traveling to move to CA, he said "what if we get estranged?" I was baffled because it was unthinkable to me. His inner being sensed it could happen. My mom did not speak to my aunt for 10 years. We do not have 10 years. We are missing so much even it is on facetime.  It has been a year since Arik and Jessica terminated contact between Eliana, Mikayla and Dylan and their paternal grandparents.  This is the story that needs to be shared with the children. (I will add that I know this situation has escalated. There are support groups on Facebook for estranged family members. This story might work for others if published in a magazine. -May 2015.  Elliott, Arik’s dad, was in Sacramento for his regularly scheduled visit with his son.  Arik introduced his dad to Jessica, whom he met in Dec 2014.  The couple shared that they were pregnant.  Elliott called Joanne, Arik’s stepmother for th...

 That's what we call it. https://tiny.cc/# I had an exam, a mammogram, and an ultrasound. They all say I'm ok. However, a couple of months ago my left breast was itchy. That can be a sign of cancer. So I am terrified that my cancer has comeback. I'm anxious.

  Narcissists are disordered, disturbed individuals. They have developed a disorder due to their poor upbringing, and even genetic factors also contribute to the development of narcissism.  Narcissists are truly evil people because they have control over their behavior depending upon the people they are with. Narcissists are chameleons. They will change their behavior according to their needs and desires.  Narcissists are aware of their manipulation and abuse. They abuse you to gain control and dominance over you to feel powerful in relationships. Narcissists will abuse you and play the victim to escape accountability and responsibility. Narcissists will destroy your life and move on to someone else who isn't aware of their behavior. Narcissists are evil in human disguise. Narcissists don't change even with help of treatment.

 When I was about 12, my older cousin (may she rest in peace) gave me a piece of paper with these words. Since then I have done a large puzzle, I have a book and right in front of me I have Desiderata framed.  This is the original text from the book where Desiderata was first published. Go placidly  amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the...

by  Angela T. Nicholson When it’s all going wrong for the narc, they can experience a narcissistic collapse. And there are certain stages that they take to get to that point. They will first experience a series of narcissistic injuries that lead to narcissistic rage. They need to be praised and admired for the things that they pride themselves on. So, they might need to be the smartest, the most beautiful, have the most money. And if it is a covert narc, they need to be the best victim or martyr. So they need everybody feeling sorry for them. They need the constant attention of being the victim or they are martyring themselves. ‘I’ve sacrificed everything for my family.’ When you hold them accountable, when you say no to them, when you put down a boundary and sometimes things that you didn’t say that they wanted you to say, these can all lead to narcissistic injuries. And when they are in a narcissistic rage over the injuries, they will do these punishing behaviors, like the silent...

 A quiet teaching from the path… There are wounds that wisdom cannot explain. Not every hurt was meant to make sense. Some pain arrives because another was willing to cause it. And no amount of searching will turn cruelty into clarity. Do not chase the one who bit you. Do not sit in the grass asking the snake why it chose to harm. Instead… tend to your wound with compassion, protect your peace with devotion, and walk gently back toward safety. You were never the reason for the wound. You are the one who must now choose to heal.