It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. – Wendell Berry I came across this quote recently and it caused me to take pause. I had to read and...
It’s a possibility that an effect of your “uncoupling” is that you’re living alone, at times, for the first time in a long time, and sometimes not by your own choice. No matter. Living alone, even if it’s a day or two each month, is a...
“…people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Steve Jobs This week the world lost one of the great innovators of our era. Steve Jobs was a visionary who changed the way we live and whose life will be ranked with other greats...
Co-mediation involves two mediators working together with the couple. Mediation Around The Table utilizes co-mediators to add professional expertise to the agreement. The advantages of having two professionals to help develop the agreement are: more ideas, more...
Do you know someone contemplating a divorce? Until a few years ago, I always felt badly for my friends who embarked on this contentious and expensive journey. I didn’t know there was any alternative but to undergo the bitterness and cost of the litigious divorce. Then...
I am often referred to as an arbitrator. In actuality, I am a mediator and there is a difference. While both mediation and arbitration are ways to avoid litigation, there is a big difference. In mediation, you make the decisions with the help of a mediator. In...
Peer Conferences have been around for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years in a variety of cultures. Mainstream business has seen the benefit of this process for about 30 years. When I was supervising a laundry department early in my career I was asked to develop...
As thousands of gay and lesbian couples are planning weddings in states such as New York, Massachusetts, Iowa and a few others, where their hard-fought right to marry has been secured, others around the nation are fighting for the right to divorce. And in this case,...
Today my grandmother Mary who I loved dearly, would have been 101 years old. She left us last New Year’s Eve. Yes, she lived to be 100. I have come to realize that I’d better take better care of my body as it might have to last a long time!! In honor of my...
Sometimes individuals with disabilities need an accommodation to allow full participation in the mediation process. Accommodations that might be needed include: assistance with verbal or written communications; specific meeting times or specific break times due to...
Because child support is determined by statutory guidelines, parents can often come to agreements quickly and in a clear-cut way. After all, simply put, the courts mandate it. However, the argument is often heard that child support isn’t really being used to...
The other day I saw a friend put on the spot as he was asked to make a small impromptu speech. His opening remarks went something like this, “Good morning, I feel like that guy whose house caught on fire. He phoned the fire department to report his need for their...
