MSI Press Blog

  The need for a personal space for parents of young children by Dr. Haim Omer A friend of mine, who had given birth to twins a couple of years after having her first child, told me of an interesting decision made by her therapist. The psychologist thought my friend was deeply exhausted and she became worried by the fact that the young mother could not find any protected space for herself, although the twins were already two years old. When my friend would arrive to her therapy session, the therapist would have her sit for an hour in an armchair in her garden, before starting the actual meeting. My friend told me that this had taught her a vital lesson: That if she could not find a safe space for herself, she would not be able to give her children the stable mother they needed to grow up well. Read the rest of this post HERE . For blog posts by and about Dr. Omar and his book, click HERE .

Many of our authors have had incredible lives or incredible experiences -- or both! Surely, you can find one or more that sits beside you and keeps you company for years. All are difficult to put down.   Looking for love in your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and yes, even your 80’s or 90’s?  57 Steps to Paradise  will help you navigate dating in midlife and beyond. Lorenz unzips her soul and exposes her foibles during 50 years of men weaving their way in and out of her life, providing a heap of wit and wisdom to help you make life-changing decisions about love and, perhaps, a life partner. A diverting and informative story of searching for love in mid-life by a divorced social worker, who intertwines entertaining stories of successful love interests with well-known movies containing similar plots and themes. Written as diary entries covering a 15-year period, the author shares openly, in detail, and with insights her experiences with dating, friendships, affairs, and relationships. Written ca

  DEADLY SINS “Jesus now called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority to overcome all demons and to cure diseases.” --Luke 9: 1   “The unexamined life is not worth living,” proclaimed Socrates two and a half millennia ago. That timeless wisdom is an unfailing guide to happiness and fulfillment. The examination entails an honest assessment of both our strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, many of us tend to have an unbalanced view of our innate tendencies, exaggerating or diminishing one or the other. We also tend to take the moral inventory of others to avoid self-reflection. We have an astute awareness of others’ faults, while being blind to our own. From an early age, I learned to make a nightly examination of conscience. As a child, I used the Ten Commandments, the list of what is forbidden, as my guide. I focused on the “thou shalt nots.” I tried to avoid doing what was wrong, fearful of punishment. When I sinned, I went to confession and performed the prescribed

With time to be filled while locked away in quarantine, self-isolation, or sheltering in place. memoirs can become delightful reading material -- escaping into other worlds, experiencing other lives. Here is one of our favorites: Tucker and Me by Andrew Harvey: INTRODUCTION   My first memory involves being slapped in the face. I think psychologists put some measure of meaning into your first conscious remembrance. When people who know me read about this first memory, they are probably going to say, “Okay, now that explains a lot.” Well, I can’t blame them for that because in many ways I feel the same. I had just finished my lunch and was watching Sheriff John, a local Los Angeles daytime TV show for kids. I’m guessing I was only a few years old at the time because I remember still sleeping in somewhat of a crib contraption. Sheriff John was not an actual law enforcement official, but he wore a uniform that looked real to me and worked in an office that seemed pretty legitimat

  The following excerpt comes from Road to Damascus by Elaine Imady. My father was always the outsider in our family, the one with the funny Missourian accent, who said “Miz”, “naught”, “bucket” and “skillet” instead of “Mrs.”, “zero”, “pail” and “frying pan,” who spoke slowly and who moved deliberately. We–Mother and we three sisters–were the fast-moving, fast-talking, mercurial Easterners who got impatient with Dad’s phlegmatic, Midwestern ways. Dad only had his mother, our Grandma Rippey, but Mother, who had been a Post, had aunts, uncles, first and second cousins galore. In Palisades, everywhere you turned, there were Posts, relatives all. Actually, Dad’s relatives probably outnumbered Mom’s, but they were far away in Missouri and we only saw them once when they came east. So, as I said, Dad was an outsider. He was also a drinker. At the end of our days with him, drink was more important to him than anything else in the world. He swallowed it down, and it swallowed him up. I’m not

excerpt from Road Map to Power -  Chapter 5: Self-Focus and the Challenges of the Discontent Rule of the Road: Looking for security? It’s in the attachment. Mile Markers: Attachment, Self-Esteem, Self-Focus, Bullying, Celebrity Worship, Real vs. Ideal Self, Social Comparison, Keeping Up with the Joneses, Eating Disorders, Rosebud Four former high school chums, George, James, Phil, and Tom, meet for a highly anticipated reunion with their coach to celebrate past victories and relive previous triumphs. Sounds like a scene from any of a myriad of communities across the landscape of the United States. It is also the premise for Jason Miller’s play, That Championship Season, winner of Pulitzer and Tony awards. Originally debuting in 1972, the play was a rebuke of time-honored traditions and a challenge to many of the collective values held by society at large. Set in the coal mining town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, four star athletes return to the house of their former coach to share the la