American Life 
Stories about life in America.
Yes, You Can Help Prevent Suicide(0)
Columnist Armstrong Williams struggles with the suicide of a close friend and how to help prevent suicide. That has a lot to do with learning to listen, rather than giving advice, when someone you care about is feeling sad, scared, angry, or hopeless.
American Income Life Executives Help Homeless Veterans Get Fresh Start During Miami Visit
During a company retreat in Miami, American Income Life executives and their spouses help formerly homeless South Florida Veterans get a fresh start.
Don Lemon ‘Debrief’ for Parents and Children
Five steps to the Don Lemon debrief to help parents and children stay connected.
Peggy Vaughan, Infidelity Expert, Dies at 76
Peggy Vaughan, author of “The Monogamy Myth” and “Beyond Affairs,” died at her home in California on November 8th after a four-year battle with cancer. Her death came on the day CIA Director David Petraeus submitted his resignation. For more than 30 years, Vaughan was the go-to person for reporters, producers and the general public searching for answers about why people cheat and how to live beyond the affair.
Liberty City’s Parkview Gardens Offers Innovative Housing Model for Distressed Neighborhoods
Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said Parkview Gardens, a new Carrfour community that opened in Liberty City this week, is a model for the potential for public/private partnerships to provide quality, affordable housing to reduce homelessness in America’s most distressed urban neighborhoods.
Alexis Wright Comes from Friendliest Town in Maine
Alexis Wright comes from the friendliest town in Maine. The 29-year-old Zumba instructor has stirred things up in Small Town, USA as local police publicize the names of 150 men who allegedly paid her for sex and local couples struggle with the challenge of overcoming infidelity.
Love of Country Inspires Rebecca King’s Commitment to End Homelessness for America’s Veteran Families
Rebecca King, a military spouse and Family Support Specialist for Operation Sacred Trust, relocated to Florida from the midwest to serve on the frontline of a Department of Veterans Affairs initiative to end homelessness for America’s Veterans.
Denise Martino Starts Homeless South Florida Veterans on Path to Lasting Housing Stability
With a husband who is a Veteran and stepson currently deployed to Afghanistan, Denise Martino can relate to the unique needs of Veteran families. As Intake Specialist for Operation Sacred Trust, she’s often the first point of contact for struggling South Florida Veterans who reach out with the hope of ending homelessness.
Virginia Satir’s Columbus Day Story Suggests Not Just the World is Round, But People Too
Virginia Satir, considered the mother of “Family Therapy,” shares a Columbus Day story to help us better understand ourselves, each other and the prospect that it’s not just our world that’s round, but people too.
Juan Garcia: No Greater Honor Then Serving Veterans
Juan Garcia lived through his mother’s struggles as a single-parent while his father was serving in the Korean War. While his father returned home emotionally and physically sick, he “was a great father” who made it possible for Juan to go to college and earn his degree. Today, as a Family Support Specialist with Operation Sacred Trust, Juan Garcia is helping hundreds of South Florida homeless and at-risk Veterans learn to strengthen connections with family, friends and social supports and obtain stable, affordable housing as the foundation to rebuilding their lives.
Clifford Johnson Shares Experience Overcoming Homelessness, Addiction to Serve At-Risk Veterans
Clifford Johnson shares his experience overcoming years of homelessness and addictions to serve at-risk and homeless Veterans through weekly resiliency classes in South Florida. Together with the team at Operation Sacred Trust, he’s helped end homelessness for hundreds of Veteran families.
Operation Sacred Trust’s Yvette Costa is Helping End Homelessness for South Florida’s Veteran Families
Yvette Costa, a Case Manager for Operation Sacred Trust, has helped end homelessness for hundreds of Veteran families in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Although Ms. Costa is the daughter of a Veteran, it was ultimately the help she and her family received from the Department of Veterans Affairs during difficult times that led her to dedicate her life to serving the Veteran community.
Ralph Lynn Remarried His Best Friend
For years, Ralph Lynn, a former Marine sniper in Iraq, suffered from undiagnosed PTSD. “My own relationship with my wife suffered to the point of divorce. After I got help, I am happy to say I am re-married to my best friend.” Ralph and his wife Michelle today help other Veterans through marriage and relationship education retreats offered by the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.
Relationship Coach Dianna Nash Helps Couples “Talk it Out” for Better Marriages
Dianna Nash was raised in a single-parent household. “Because of that lifestyle,” she says, “I always wanted to be apart of a two-parent family.” But as an adult, Ms. Nash says her relationships failed. “Because of my failures, I sought love in the wrong places and for the wrong reasons.” Today, through Talk It Out Relationship Services in Roseville, California, Ms. Nash is helping couples and singles learn to build healthy, vibrant relationships by “talking it out.”
Chaplain Sharon Wheaton Helps U.S. Navy Couples Learn Skills to Navigate Trying Times
As a chaplain at Naval Station Norfolk, the worlds largest Naval Station, Lt. Sharon Wheaton helps military families find the strength and skills needed to navigate stressful lives. Chaplain Wheaton completed PAIRS Professional Training at the Hampton VA Medical Center in September to bring evidence-based, relationship skills classes to the Sailors, Marines and Coasties she serves.
Charlotte Michie: A Good Relationship with Your Spouse is Foundation for Having it All
“Relationships are everything,” says Charlotte Michie, a Cary, North Carolina marriage and family therapist. “If you have a good relationship with your spouse, you have it all even if you are sick and without money.” Next month, with assistance from her husband of 34 years, Charlotte will begin offering evidence-based, skills building weekends to help couples learn to create and sustain happy, successful marriages.
Chaplain Len Driskell: Helping Coast Guardsmen Find Strength and Healing
“Marriage and Relationship Education builds a resiliency in a couple that means they are more able to face the inevitable crises that come their way,” says Navy Chaplain Len Driskell, who serves more than 2,000 active duty and reserve Coast Guardsmen, their families, and the civilians who work alongside them as the Sector Charleston and Sector Jacksonville Chaplain.
Memorial Day 2012
As my oldest brother narrowly missed the Vietnam draft, it would be nearly a decade later that I realized the meaning of Memorial Day. Today, it has become a moment to pay silent tribute to those lost and renew our commitment to serve many more for whom the battle against the invisible wounds of war continues.
PAIRS Teams Up with VA to Offer Marriage Retreats for Visually-Impaired Veterans
After becoming trained as Marriage Education Instructors by the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation in 2011, Deborah and Todd Lovell today lead marriage retreats for visually-impaired Veterans and their spouses at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.
PAIRS VA Marriage Retreats Helping Veteran Couples Restore Love, Intimacy, Trust
PAIRS VA Marriage Retreats are today helping thousands of Veteran couples restore love, intimacy and trust through programs offered by many of the 300 VA Chaplains and Behavioral Health professionals trained by the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation.
