Caring for Others
We often think of support as something that happens in one direction, with the strong helping someone who is struggling. For someone who’s always seen themselves as the strong one, accepting support can be a challenge. Yet when two people in need help each other, both may experience a much-needed boost. I witnessed this dynamic…
Admiring the Lifestyle
My sister and I returned from a fabulous journey to Spain’s Andalucia region last week. The primary reason for our visit was to view an exhibit at the contemporary art museum in Malaga devoted to the life and work of our father’s Uncle Frank, who spent the latter half of his life and career in…
5 Years of Inspiring Friendship
Five years ago, Sara and I started languageofriendship.com to explore the concept of friendship and to inspire others to put friendship at the center of their lives. Back in 2021, nearly a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, getting together with friends was taking a back seat to health and safety concerns for many people. Social…
BHM: Remembering the Underground Railroad
A few years ago, I was visiting my daughter in Cleveland, Ohio, when we noticed a National Historical Landmark sign planted in the sizeable yard in front of a large brick house in this otherwise urban area. We had been exploring the University Heights neighborhood, right near Case Western Reserve University, where she was a…
Quiet Season
As Sara wrote last week, winter has a way of narrowing our worlds, with cold days and dark nights making cozying up on the sofa with a blanket preferable to venturing out. I also find this season invites reflection. While I’ve settled into a post-holiday routine, I’m still thinking about the year ahead and how…
Cozy Winter Reading
Massive snow drifts and frigid temperatures outside always signal to me that it’s time to hunker down in a warm, comfy spot with a pile of reading material as my trusted companion. I’ve been reading like crazy this winter thanks to my winter hibernation tendencies, and I have a few fiction recommendations to share. The…
Friends Across the Oceans
February will mark five years since the first Language of Friendship blog post, when Sara and I decided to write about friendship and its impact on our lives. With this anniversary approaching, I find myself reflecting on how valuable and diverse my friendships are. We make our first friends early in life, before we can…
Observing MLK Day
The middle of January, one of our darkest months, seems like a fitting time for a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He shined a bright spotlight on the systemic racial injustice and inequality suffered by Black Americans, leading to major societal changes including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting…
Embracing the Darkest Months
January is a tough month in most of the U.S. Not only is it cold and dark when I start and end my commute each day, but the return to work or school after a holiday break is just hard. Over the years, I’ve relied on a few coping techniques, such as working out more…
What’s Happening in 2026
Welcome to 2026! We hope you enjoyed a festive holiday season with friends and family. Now that the new year is here, I’ve been looking at the calendar to see what opportunities this year has in store for making memories together with people you care about. I’ve found plenty of events to add to my…
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