MSI Press Blog

  There was a time when I believed that the more I controlled them, the safer my children would be. Meals on time, schedules color-coded, emotions accounted for before they even spoke them aloud. It wasn’t about perfection—it was about love expressed through precision. But love has layers, and one of them is trust. Not just in your child, but in yourself, in God, and in the unpredictable beauty of growth. 🌾 The Illusion of Control Control masquerades as strength. It offers structure and certainty, often born from the quiet ache of fear—fear of harm, of mistakes, of being misunderstood. But when control tightens its grip too hard, it can silence spontaneity and dim the spark of genuine connection. Children need boundaries, yes—but they also need room to trip and rise, speak unfiltered, and feel the weight of their own choices. Letting go doesn’t mean abandoning structure. It means reorienting your compass from authority to trust. 💗 The Shift from Command to Communion True mot...

  excerpt from  Anger Anonymous  -  CHAPTER ONE ANGER STYLES: TENDING THE FIRE “Anger’s my meat. I sup upon myself and so shall starve with feeding.” —William Shakespeare   Everybody gets angry. “But not me,” I told myself.  In my father’s drunken rages, I witnessed the devastating effects of uncontrolled anger. I saw dealing with anger as playing with fire. I could easily get burned. I decided at a young age, without really mak bing a conscious choice, to smother any smoking tinders of irritation I felt. In remaining calm and controlled, I found safety and, I believed, acceptance and admiration from others. It was only many years later that I began to recognize the awful price I paid for my pseudo-tranquility. ANGER, A POWERFUL ENERGY Anger is a natural energy, like fire. Our earliest ancestors witnessed the power of fire in lightning storms and raging forest fires. They also enjoyed the light and warmth it provided in their cold, dark world. It was like a...

  I Am Not Wearing That Leash  Cat Tale : Shelly was an indoor cat so I thought she might benefit from going outside. She could breathe the fresh air and smell exciting new things. But since my apartment was on a busy street, I didn’t have the nerve to let her go out untethered. I was afraid she might run away or get eaten by a pack of coyotes. So, I decided I’d walk her on a leash. The idea made sense at the time. After all, why would a pet store sell cat leashes if it weren’t at least theoretically possible to put one on a cat?  The leash was really more of a harness, where you slip each of the cat’s front paws through a loop, then tighten the cord so the whole thing fits snugly. I’ve seen them on dogs before, mostly bulldog types with portly bodies and stumpy little legs.  I brought the leash home and put it on the floor, letting Shelly check it out. She was suspicious but also curious. As she started to sniff it, I made my move. I took her paw and slip...