13 Wishes for 2013

 By Cheryl Mattox Berry As you prepare to ring in the New Year, spend a little time assessing what you accomplished in 2012 and where you fell short. The answers are a starting point for setting goals in 2013. Once again, I’m not asking you to make New Year’s resolutions because everyone knows those commitments […]

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Take a Real Holiday; Silence Social Media

By Cheryl Mattox Berry You’ve been ripping and running since school started in August. It’s time to chill. During the holidays, give your thumbs a rest, too. Disconnect from social media and reconnect with family, neighbors and old friends. It’s hard to believe that a mere decade ago, social media as we know it didn’t […]

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‘Tis the Season for Forgiveness

By Cheryl Mattox Berry It’s inevitable: Someone will let you down. The person – a friend or family member – may not intend to do so, but things come up. Also, we’re human and make mistakes. How do you deal with the hurt and anger of disappointment? Do you lash out at the offending party. […]

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Make Every Day Christmas in the New Year

By Cheryl Mattox Berry When I was in sixth grade, my class staged a Christmas pageant. It was written and directed by my teacher, the late Mrs. Bernice Harris, a much sought-after speaker and one of my mentors. I delivered the closing monologue, and the words I recited that day have stuck with me throughout […]

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Follow the Rules

By Cheryl Mattox Berry If you think rules are made to be broken, just ask basketball great Michael Jordan. He was recently called out for not wearing the proper golf attire at a private country club in South Florida. Jordan wore cargo shorts instead of golf shorts or pants. When a club staffer told Jordan […]

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Just Say No!

By Cheryl Mattox Berry No. Say it. Again. That two-letter word is hard for some people to say regardless of how they feel. It could be that they don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings or that a no response would make them look like a bad person. Sometimes, it’s okay to say no. […]

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Time Running Out, Get College Applications In

By Cheryl Mattox Berry The other day, my mother asked me if I ever got tired of harassing the children (my nieces and nephews.) “Absolutely not,” I replied. “That’s my job. If I don’t do it, no one will.” What she considers harassment, I call gentle prodding. I ask them when they’re taking the ACT […]

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