Whenever these calls come in, I try and encourage my friends to slow down, step back and approach this process with mindfulness and intention. Take your time to get this right; you’re going to be sharing your innermost thoughts and feelings with this person. I’m a big fan of psychotherapy as one of many healing modalities.

This spring marked the 19-year anniversary of my mom’s passing. Healthy and active, she died at age 60 from congestive heart failure as a result of a sudden, serious case of the flu leaving behind six children ages 19 to 34.She’s been on my mind--and in my dreams--a lot lately. I really miss her.

Last week my husband I were at a dinner party with several other couples. Henry and Amy were lamenting about how much their lives had changed since our potluck dinner the month before. “Just a few weeks ago I was seriously contemplating…