Colin Family Mediation Group

How does your family celebrate Earth Day?
While every day is a good day to be kind to our world, Earth Day is an especially great day to show appreciation! From building your own DIY greenhouse with the kids to group document shredding and composting, there are many ways to celebrate Mother Earth in Fairfax County. Check out this guide to Earth Day activities.

How to Celebrate Earth Day in Fairfax County Find events for Earth Day 2022 in Fairfax & the DC area for nature lovers, beer drinkers, the family, the sustainability purveyors, and stargazers.

Wednesday, April 3, is National Walking Day.
Will the members of your family take a long walk together?

National Walking Day A day to celebrate the easiest way to be the healthiest version of you.

When a child's parents live apart, which one can claim an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for the child? You can find the IRS rules through this link.

Qualifying Child Rules | Internal Revenue Service Review the qualifying child rules for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

officially starts before midnight Tuesday. Wednesday will be the first full day of spring.
It's time to play outside!

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Happy International Women's Day from Virginia Family Law Center, P.C.!

https://bit.ly/3jgJLP9

Our mission is to help families solve problems privately, peacefully, and constructively. A courtroom is an awful place for resolving a family matter.

Happy Valentine's Day my friends. 🩷

Let's talk about love.

Love is why we’re here.

Love is who we are.

Love is what our best days are built on.

And all we really leave behind.

If we could lift up off the earth, and see as the angels see, all we would see is the light of our love. 🩷

So let's be the kindness that reminds someone that there's still plenty of love in the world.

I'm sending you so much love, Valentines. 🩷

* May our prayers rise together for those who need the power of love today.

From Every Day Spirit: A Daybook of Wisdom, Joy and Peace. Filled with love. Right here: www.everydayspirit.net

On Monday Americans will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a national holiday and a National Day of Service.
All National Parks are free on Monday, Jan. 15, and most have events to honor Dr. King as well as service projects. It will be a great day for teaching your children or your grandchildren about giving back to your community.

January 2024 Blessings with so much love. 💛

Thank you, January, for welcoming us to the threshold of a pilgrimage.

We begin by blessing the year that is done:

May we remember the gifts and the wild grace amidst the challenges and losses.

And we bless the year to come:

May we surround this new year with possibility and promise.

May we grow together on the pilgrimage of this year in gratitude for what is and hope for what will be.

May this year open your heart in new ways, shine light in new places, and hold love beyond your wildest dreams. 💛.....
What a blessing it has been for me to walk with you on the road of becoming more loving, more self-compassionate, more joyful, more able to bear our burdens, more willing to be instruments of peace in the world.

Let's keep walking - and becoming who we really are. 💛..............
Most of these posts are excerpts from Every Day Spirit: A Daybook of Wisdom, Joy and Peace.

The book has a page for every day of the year and “starts” again today.

It’s not too late to get your book and join us. They are here for you: www.everydayspirit.net

Today marks the solstice and the beginning of a little more light each day in the Northern Hemisphere. 💙

The traditions of the season rise from stories of great Light and Love that permeate all darkness and fear.

At this time of the year, we celebrate a new dawn, birth, rebirth, blessings and miracles.

Even amidst the challenge and suffering that we are witnessing or experiencing, there is a possibility of hope. 💙

Have faith that from darkness will grow new life from seed to bloom.

Tomorrow there will be more light.

And the next day, more light. ✨

May the longest night of darkness bring rest and rebirth.

May the growing sun of daylight bring hope and new beginnings. 💙

From Mary’s heart and the Every Day Spirit book. There's a page for every day of the year. For your heart right here: www.everydayspirit.net

Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas
from personal finance coaches
Talaat and Tai McNeely

1. Give Items You Already Have
2. Give Away Your Time
3. Give Your Skills
4. Show Random Acts of Kindness
5. Give Away Coupons
6. Offer Mentorship
7. Cook A Meal
8. Give Blood
9. Set Up Online Fundraisers

Do you have a friend who needs a divorce that does not cost a fortune? This book can help.
https://colinfamilymediationgroup.com/the-guide-to-low-cost-divorce-in-virginia/

Co-Parents:
It's time to plan ahead so your kids can have happy holidays.
https://colinfamilymediationgroup.com/sharing-the-love-and-the-holidays-with-your-ex/

December blessings with great love! ❤️💚

Dear Ones, This year, as we enter into the sacred story of December, let’s continue to stand by each other, lift each other, belong to each other.

The seeds of our love in the world are planted in self-compassion and self-love.

Remember to find time for your soul nourishment.

And you will shine like a candle in the darkness of someone's day.

It matters. You matter.

Your love matters. ❤️

Happy December with so much love! Mary xo

Every Day Spirit: A Daybook of Wisdom, Joy and Peace - the beautiful book of daily wisdom, reflections, meditations, prayers and inspirations - is here for you: www.everydayspirit.net

💛

Thursday is Conflict Resolution Day!
Family conflicts, workplace conflicts, relationship conflicts -- conflict is part of life. Learning ways to resolve conflicts or manage conflicts well is important for almost everyone.

Conflict Resolution Day Join the world to observe a day that promotes peaceful conflict resolution.

for

When the world feels uncertain, it's helpful to stay hopeful. Things can get better 🌈 Join us for and find ways to take positive steps forward

https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar

September is National Su***de Prevention Month.
If you are concerned about someone you know, here are some resources for you and for them.
***deprevention

Su***de prevention resources Find resources for su***de prevention for your or someone you know.

Supporting your partner through difficult moments starts with making them feel seen and heard. ⁠

Dr. John Gottman discovered that couples who remained close over time were good at listening to each other’s stresses. One way to do this is by regularly have a Stress-Reducing Conversation. ⁠
⁠
Take about 30 minutes daily or weekly to discuss things from outside the relationship that may be causing each of you stress or hurt. Spend half the time listening to your partner’s feelings and half sharing your own. This isn’t the time to come up with solutions for one another or talk about things within the relationship that are upsetting you. Instead, offer empathy and understanding. ⁠
For additional relationship resources: https://bit.ly/3zlLuZJ

Tomorrow -- the International Day of Peace
Peace Day is observed around the world each year on 21 September.
Established in 1981 by the United Nations, Peace Day provides a date for all humanity to commit to Peace and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.
We mediators work to help our clients create peace within their families. Peace Day is much bigger than that.
https://internationaldayofpeace.org/

September is National Su***de Awareness and Prevention Month.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available.
Crisis Resources:
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately.
If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.
Read NAMI's guide, "Navigating a Mental Health Crisis"
***dePrevention

Su***de Prevention Month | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Show support with NAMI by participating in several annual mental health awareness events. Learn more about the events.

It’s not a matter of “should you argue” but “how you argue.” Modeling healthy conflict means approaching conflict as an opportunity to understand, brainstorm, and agree together. The result may not be the exact outcome you wanted, but it's about regulating conflict instead of resolving it.

Melissa Benaroya, MSW, LICSW (Childproof Parenting - Melissa Benaroya)shares tips about arguing with your partner & if you have kids, the influence this could have on them. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3Ll7E5z

Please note: This post, and most of our posts, are NOT intended to address situations of abuse. If you, or someone you know, is in danger, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233

TONIGHT the "Peace After Divorce" program begins in Springfield.
Lauren Geraghty, the lead pastor at Springfield UMC, told us about this wonderful program that Westwood Baptist is offering. The program is full of love, not judgment.
It begins TONIGHT at 7 pm so if you're interested, please contact the facilitator as soon as possible! Her name is Susan and her email is [email protected]
This is what Susan shared about the program:
"Coping with the loss of your marriage and rediscovering joy in life is on the horizon—and this curriculum paves the way. Peace after Divorce offers a grace-filled, uplifting experience that promotes real action toward personal growth and healing. This is much more than a divorce support group. Participants are empowered to take practical steps, find hope, have faith, and feel better in the midst of trauma and all the emotions divorce brings.
The book on which the discussions will be based is very much focused on addressing the emotional trauma of divorce and the grace those in the midst of it (or its aftermath) should grant themselves, as well as their former partners.
As a divorced mom with my share of battle scars, I found this book much more realistic in terms of the trauma piece, and kind, i.e., grace-filled, than other options I considered that were more "you did a bad thing, but God loves you anyway" in tone. Others I considered also tended to sweep the trauma and pain under the rug and focus on how divorced people have disappointed God and broken the rules, which is not a perspective I (or our senior pastor) would endorse."

So far (8/17) Play Music on the Porch Day will be happening in over 2000 locations, in over 45 Countries around the world! Help us grow by tagging any musicians you know, or any musicians who inspire you!