The Interpreted Rock

By Stephen C. Schultz “What is essential is not that the therapist learns something about the patient and then teaches it to him, but that the therapist teaches the patient how to learn about himself.”   Fritz Perls   As the father of four children, three of which are now teenagers, I am amazed at the level of “parenting energy” that my wife and I put into our family. It seems that we are being pulled in many different directions and find ourselves being more “reactive” to life’s daily endeavors than “proactive”. I assume that my family is not much different than most other families. As my wife and I move through this enigma called time, we find ourselves trying to meet three very specific needs of our family. 1)       Physical This includes everything from a bed to sleep in to clothes, food, healthcare and recreation. We find ourselves moving from one activity to another whether it is shopping for clothes, attending a baseball game ...

By Laurie Frost My last morning in the RedCliff wilderness therapy field starts with me and Steve Schultz, the media rep for RCA, leaving to go to the camp just over the hill. I feel kind of leery to leave "my boys," as I think of them, but I need to find some RCA girls around here to interview. Yellow Badger comes to lead us to the camp just over the hill (an all girls group). I walk into a clearing and feel several pairs of eyes on me. I'm dirty already, but not nearly as much as these girls. They introduce themselves, from Jessica (who's only been in RCA for eight days) to Silent Raven, a quiet girl whose hair is matted with dirt. She's been out for 96 days. I turn to an olive-skinned girl on my left, whose long brown hair is plaited in two tight pigtails. "What's your name?" I ask. "My name's Kaylani," she chatters. "I'm part Hawaiian. There are lots of people who think I don't look Hawaiian, but I am. ...

By Laurie Frost I roll out of my sleeping bag first thing the next morning, stiff, sore and cold. (Luckily the sun was coming up to dispel the chill in a short time. Then, of course, I was too hot. Go figure.) I eat breakfast, oats with some apple sliced in it and honey over it. Hunter looks over my shoulder as I stir it up. "That looks good," he says. I instantly want to give him some - I can get French toast at home - but there's a strict no-food-sharing policy at RedCliff . So I just say, "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" and keep stirring. I find out that morning I'm not much of a campfire cook. The apples are still crunchy and the oats are soggy before I finally give up and just make myself a Scooby ( RedCliff slang for an ash cake). How do these kids do this, anyway? I think. I'm a tough girl, and I can't seem to manage . That was definitely the theme of the day - I wasn't as tough as I thought, and I definitely wasn...

By LAURIE FROST My experience with RedCliff Ascent wilderness therapy program began, as usual, with me pulling away from the house 45 minutes late. I had to be in Enterprise at 8:30, and unless my '87 Chevy Cavalier was going to sprout wings like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I was not going to make my appointment on time. It was already 8:15, for crying out loud. I hunched over the steering wheel and imagined Steve Schultz, the RedCliff media rep and the one who would be escorting me around in this wilderness camp, standing in the Enterprise Office, looking at his watch and huffing and puffing. "Why isn't she here yet?" I imagined him saying, tapping a wing-toed shoe. "We need to get out there now!" That image of Steve, and my obsessing with time and lateness, was two of the many illusions that would be shattered in the next three days. When I pulled up to the RedCliff offices at a quarter after 9, I had little idea what was awaiting me. But the firs...

By Stephen C. Schultz (I know it...I'm not much of a poet!) Since Mother's Day is almost here, it's time to remember our Mother so dear. There will be gifts and cards and Mother's Day Brunches. There will be breakfast in bed and flowers in bunches. Some Moms will get kisses, some a ride in the car. Some Moms are close by, while others are far. One thing about Moms, I have learned to this day! There is always a lesson, and they won't let you stray! So, check out these posts, they're about teens and their mothers. If you like them a lot, please share them with others. A Mothers Wisdom - Lessons for a teenage boy. An Educator And A Mother    Why do bad things happen to good people? My Memories of Mother   Hawaii - 5 - O

I have been traveling quite a bit over the last two months. This has certainly had an impact on my blog submissions. For that I apologize. But the impact that I feel the most strongly about is the time away from my family . While it is nice to see new and exciting places, there is a sense of emptiness in the experience when you can't be there with loved ones. One thing I have learned through my time away from home is that happiness in life is not found in the "Things" or the "Stuff" acquired, but in the "Shared" experiences and memories spent with family . I have listed below my  "Top 5" favorite blog posts from my blog that have to do with family and associated experiences. I hope they encourage memories of experiences and lessons learned in your own family . You may even want to re-evaluate how you spend your time. Enjoy! "Family Night"...Much more than fun and games! The Pizza Caper...A Nine Year Old's Sneaky Ad...