Let there be spaces in your togetherness.

Sometimes it is just as important to know when to leave others alone as it is to know when to talk with them.

We all need to be alone at times -- to think, to work out a problem, or just to be quiet with ourselves.

 This is especially true in families, where we're often surrounded by others.

If we tune in to our other family members, we can develop sensors that will let us know when they need some time alone.

Part of good communication is knowing when not to talk, too. 

It may be that we've just gotten braces or a new haircut and we're afraid everyone will stare at us.

We stop smiling and talk with our heads bowed. Many people have worn braces and many more will.

We need not be ashamed just because we feel different.

By beginning to smile again we will see how many people really didn't notice our braces, or our haircuts, or anything but what they see inside us. 

All we need to do is lift our heads and smile.

We will be amazed to find how little even our best friends notice about the externals, the things that don't really matter.

Who we are is far more noticeable and far more important than what we look like.

A smile at shy times helps us accept ourselves as others do. 

We need not be anxious because our emotions refuse to stand still.

Changing emotions are part of the process of normal living. And changing emotions reflect an involvement with the moments.

Situations do touch us, as they should. They do invite responses, as they should. And our responses will reveal our emotional involvement, as they should.

We can cherish the variety of our emotions. They enrich us. But they may also create problems, if they go unchecked.

We need to maintain a balance.

Confidence, certainly desirable, can become overconfidence and thus complacency. Confidence needs humility to temper it. Fear makes us cautious, and that's good; but too much can immobilize us.

Being in charge of our emotions makes them work for us.