The first time I went to therapy, I was 23 years old. It was just after my attempted suicide and it was part of a free treatment program recommended by the hospital. The therapist was a student, working towards his degree, and he certainly had his hands full with me. I have already shared how much of…
I felt happy this week. Truly happy. Not just content, or relieved, or peaceful. Genuinely happy. It felt so good, I woke up the next day and prayed that I would feel it again. Part of it was spending time with my close friends who love me so fiercely that I can’t help but see…
The word itself is so ugly. Betrayal. It’s not a word I would have ever chosen to define most of my life for the past five years, but this side of heaven, I know we don’t always get to choose. I have recently been accused of “airing my dirty laundry” here with you. I am…
I cleaned out my garage this week. This is something I meant to do when my son and I first moved into our sweet little townhouse more than a year ago. I had it well-organized, but there were boxes that I just could not face back then. But this week, I needed to move my…
A thought has been lurking in the back of mind lately. It’s a thought that I have not wanted to allow to fully form, feeling the threat of it without even truly understanding what it is. Last night, as I was beginning to fall asleep, this one little thought crashed into my consciousness like those…
My first real job was working at McDonald’s. The oldest child of 4 to a single mom desperately trying to put food on the table and pay the bills – there was never any question that I needed to bring in some income. I applied the day I turned 16 and was eligible for employment….
There are two competing aspects of life, and especially motherhood, that have defined the last 22 years for me. Loving And letting go. Loving fiercely, protectively, with everything I’ve got. Letting go, reluctantly, fearfully, and fighting all the way. It has been, by far, the greatest paradox of my life. It’s also where I’ve learned…
I heard it before I knew what it really was. I was 13 and had just sat down in the rows next to my grandfather’s casket. My grandmother was directly in front of me, seemingly settled and waiting for her priest to begin the graveside service. Without any warning or build-up, she let out a…
Not so long ago, when my marriage was still intact but also beginning to crumble around me, I started therapy again. My anxiety was becoming increasingly unmanageable and I was desperate for help. After the first few weeks, my anxiety calmed, sessions evolved into a weekly reality check about the things that were actually true…
Thank you for sharing so many of your words of the year last week after I shared mine. Enough Intentional Gentle Dedicated I loved reading each of your messages. If you recall, my word of the year for 2025 is NEW. So you can imagine my sheer and complete joy when none other than Anne…
Welcome to the first month of our year long, monthly study. Our approach will be the same each month, designed to be simple and personal. We begin with Hagar. Hagar We find the story of Hagar in Genesis 16: 1-16 and in Genesis 21:8-21. We learn in Genesis 16 that Hagar is an Egyptian slave…
I use words to process and perceive the world around me. In fact, I’ve shared before how much words matter to me – sometimes to my own detriment. So, it’s probably no surprise to you that I am one of those women. I choose a word of the year, every year. Here are my past…
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