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I thought I'd continue with the theme of new beginnings during the first week of the new year by telling you a "biggie" for me - something I had to learn at a deeper level than just on an intellectual level.' I took up the game of pool about a year ago.' And like everything I do, I jumped into it "full bore" and with ferocity unmatched by any other living creature.' I practiced hours every day in this mad-like rush to conquer this goal as soon as I possibly could.In general, my enthusiasm and full commitment pay off in learning and conquering new goals, but there are some that actually require a dispassionate approach.' That was tough for me.' I got thoroughly emotional whenever I missed even one shot!' I quit several times out of utter frustration.'Fortunately, I have a great coach/teacher who keeps trying to get me to be quite robotic.' He has me do what amounts to a ritual routine with each shot:' look at the shot and imagine it happening as I put chalk on the cue tip.' Then, put the chalk down and I pretend I'm doing the shot once or twice in the air, then get way down on the table and do practice motions up to the cue ball and then fire.Once I am down, no more thinking, moving, judging...just faith that my mind and body have this covered.'This took the better part of a year to learn.' But it works.The too easy frustration with myself comes from a most critical father's constant berating of me, and taking up pool has helped a tremendous amount with getting rid of that knee-jerk response.'I was setting up my weaving loom the other day, and everything was going wrong.' The set-up looked seriously trashy.' But instead of getting down on myself (like I would have done before), I just smiled, leaned over, cut it all off the loom and threw it away.' I walked away feeling quite accomplished!' Why?' I just accepted that sometimes it doesn't work - thrown away yarn is not the end of the world - and having the calm to make that decision to come back and loom another day is a big victory!I hope this story helps you. More >>

SFLA, Students for Life of America, are furious because of video of one of their undercover investigations has been pulled from YouTube.' Evidently, according to Kristin Hawkins who heads the organization, "Last week SFLA posted a video on YouTube exposing Planned Parenthood in Charlotte, North Carolina, covering up statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl." Here's the story: a college woman volunteering for SFLA entered a Planned Parenthood clinic in Charlotte, posing as a 15-year-old girl who had unprotected sex with the mother's adult, shack-up boyfriend.' She told that staff that the stud had suggested she come to Planned Un-Parenthood and get the "morning-after" pill.'''''Planned Un-Parenthood gave her the pills, and made an appointment for her to start taking birth control pills without parental knowledge or consent.' SFLA also proved that the crime was not reported by PP to local police, which is a violation of North Carolina Law.According to Ms. Hawkins, YouTube said the tape had inappropriate content - damn right it did: it showed PP breaking laws...that's pretty inappropriate.' As it turns out, YouTube has also yanked previous pro-life organization videos while it does, according to Ms. Hawkins, continue to play videos which show, for example, a young man desecrating the Eucharist.To watch SF's video visit studentsforlife.org I'm always impressed with the star-studded and blinged out locals who attend the yearly Santa Barbara Planned Un-Parenthood fund raising events even with the ongoing' stream of information demonstrating their cavalier attitude towards minor women pregnant by adult men, their disrespect for parental rights, as well as their resistance to diving full force into the adoption realm. More >>

As always, I LOVE being on the Larry King Show.' The original intent of my appearance last night was to promote the release of my New York Times bestseller, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage," in paperback,' but the fun thing about being with Larry is that he expands the experience by asking anything from politics to sex to celebrity nonsense to one's personal life, and so forth.' Last night was no exception.The Larry King producers have added a new dimension to the program - one I enjoyed tremendously: the "man" on the street short video questions.' My favorite was a young man asking about his girlfriend's determination to have him take money from her father.' He wanted to know if his inclination to not do so was out of line.' I instantly heralded him as a "real man," and suggested he dump this "daddy's girl" for a real woman.'Just prior to my appearance on the show, Arianna Huffington (great hair, by the way) was included in a panel of political pundits.' After she left, I noticed she had forgotten her Blackberry and compact.' I called to her and she was most grateful and gracious, acknowledging that she "owed me one."' I sincerely hope she remembers that the next time she mentions me in her blog.All-in-all a great experience, and you can read the transcript from the program by clicking here .'''' Oh yeah...do you like my new hair-do?' Takes me - brace yourselves - only 10 minutes from shower to coif! More >>

I had an experience recently I will not soon forget.' I had a conversation with a woman with whom I've become quite friendly who told me a fascinating story.''''She was adopted.' Although she is very close to and loving with her adoptive family, she was quite interested in knowing something about her birth mother and father - for medical history reasons (I never quite believe that, considering the technology available today for diagnoses) and for curiosity's sake.' She realized and accepted that there would probably be "the good, the bad, and the ugly" to learn, and she was right.She found her birth mother to be an unstable sort with a number of children from a number of men.' The turning point of her life was when she had her first conversation with her birth father on the phone.He cried with joy that she had contacted him.' He told her that her birth mother had planned to abort her but he paid money to her and paid for all the adopting costs to spare her life.' Shocked, she told her husband and children about this revelation, and they were all so grateful for one man's commitment to life."In listening to all my friends and family telling me what they would have missed had I never been, I completely changed my position of being so-called 'pro-choice," she told me.Suddenly there is clarity: a human being who impacts the world in some unique and meaningful way is obliterated before they have an opportunity to do their part to perfect the world.When it 's YOU' who could have been aborted, suddenly the issue of cavalierly terminating a human life gets put in a bigger perspective than one woman saying, "I just don't want 'it' - 'it' being a human being.The same day I had this conversation I received this email to my program: "You asked a female caller today if she was pro-abortion.' THANK YOU for using that phrase.' Who do pro-abortionists think they are that they can hijack the word 'choice?'' I LOVE choices, but I'm against abortion.' You and I both know the only valid choice other than adoption comes before conception, not after. Abortion has nothing to do with choices.' American women have all the choices in the world!: the choice to have or not have sex with a man who is not her husband, the choice to use birth control, and a million choices therein.' Why is it they claim that unless they ALSO have the choice to kill their unborn babies that they have no choice?' Huh?' American women have all the choices they need and have a right to have, regardless of whether they are also able to suck the unborn babies out of their bodies and down the drain. I take back the word 'choice.'' I won't let the pro-abortionists have that word anymore.' I'm PRO-CHOICE.' I LOVE choices.' But I'm against abortion.' And I won't let anyone rob me of the word 'choice' so that they can use it to justify killing babies." -- Shannon, St. Louis. More >>