Religious belief, trust, a sense of connection to the universe - no matter what you call it, there is a spiritual component to strong families. They see their lives as imbued with purpose, reflected in the things they do for one another and the community. Small problems provide a chance to grow; large ones are a lesson in courage. A mother whose son died of a brain tumor bravely returned to the hospital where he had died in order to set up a research fund. When she saw the parents of children who currently were suffering, she told her son's doctor: 'If any research you do produces any advance, my son's passing won't have been totally without purpose.' It takes a certain type of spiritual grace to see beyond one's own misery to the needs of others. Strong families try to live so they can look outward - and inward - every single day.

Strong families value their extended family, particularly grandparents. In one study of college students, a majority thought their interactions with grandparen…

Don't fool yourself that you are going to have it all. You are not. Psychologically, having it all is not even a valid concept. The marvelous thing about human…

In strong families, positive strokes out-number negative broadsides by a wide margin. Members regularly express appreciation: 'Thanks for fixing the drainpipe.…

There will be ups and there will be downs, there will be times when things make sense, there will be times when they won't, but you'll always be on an adventur…

You have lost a child, a dear, dear child. I have lost the only earthly object of my affection.... I have now one request to make,... deny me not. Afford me th…

'Can you let your son's body become the same temperature as your son's penis before you turn this into a political campaign against the president? Could you do…