By NANCY PATRICK People who don’t know me well consider me smart, energetic, outgoing, upbeat, and quite nice. I know this because others have told me, but sadly, these assessments describe the veneer that covers the melancholia I fight daily. I have written about depression before, thus establishing the gravity of a condition inexplicable to those immune to it. However,
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By NANCY PATRICK Although my husband Mike and I married very young, we had the good sense to wait seven years to have a family. We managed to earn our undergraduate degrees and get our careers started before having our only child. Naively, I believed that I could plan and orchestrate my family’s future. As many parents, I focused my
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By NANCY PATRICK Many years ago during an especially bad period of depression (a condition that has plagued me my entire life), I went to a therapist for some guidance. She introduced me to the concept of co-dependency, an unconscious psychological game in which family members involve each other in emotional blackmail that holds them hostage to each other’s needs.
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By NANCY PATRICK America, one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in the world, affords its citizens more freedom, education, success, and affluence than most other countries. You might think that would make Americans the happiest people on the earth; ironically, they are not. Examples of our unhappiness and dissatisfaction surround us—among them: stress, debt, family conflict, addiction, violence,
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By NANCY PATRICK Women’s History Month provides a time for everyone to pause and reflect on the value of women in society. Modern women benefit greatly from the dedication, persistence, commitment, and sacrifice of our female predecessors. No longer does the developed world relegate women to the home as wives, mothers, and caregivers. Though many modern women choose to retain
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By LORETTA FULTON During March, which is Women’s History Month, Spirit of Abilene will feature posts from contributors about women of spiritual influence in the Bible, in their personal lives, and from history. Below is a story I wrote for the Abilene Reporter-News for Women’s History Month in 2016. It is about a woman who was a giant in the
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By NANCY PATRICK Living in the Bible Belt of America has many advantages. Christian people who live morally upright lives, support their families, participate in their communities, donate to charities, and exemplify integrity and honor comprise the majority of the community. In spite of the positive aspects of living in a Christian community, some people feel alone and alienated when
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