By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist A foster child’s journey is one like no other, and often they feel unheard. They are placed in the homes of strangers where they are left to figure out...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist As the time changes and the days get shorter, people often struggle with feeling down or like they have less energy. That often gets compounded by the number of...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist Once again our country is in a state of acute stress. We’ve experienced something so horrific that we struggle to make sense of it and cannot. This traumatic experience...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist As grownups, we, too, have been traumatized by the recent events in the world, and with the recent school shooting in Spokane it hit really close to home. We...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist As August arrives and summer begins to wind down, it will soon be time to get ready for a new school year. Whether your summer was filled with fun...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist Like many, I have spent years raising children and helping them thrive. After working three jobs, seven days a week for years to help pay for college so my...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist “You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.” —Winston Churchill As the volunteer education and youth liaison for...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” — Robert Quillen The secret to a good marriage is an interesting question, and if you did a survey,...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist Summer is a wonderful time to build memories for our children that they will carry into adulthood. Ask people about summer, and most have memories of connections with friends...
By Dianne Smith Reader Columnist Jeff D. was a 15-year-old who, after being declared emotionally disturbed and mildly mentally disabled, was placed in the custody of the state of Idaho. The problem was, the...
