Last weekend my sister and I took a quick trip to Seattle to see family and attend a memorial for our Grandma Ries. Rosemary’s story was often a mystery to us. I’ve been told her life was not an easy one. I’ve always wondered why she disliked and avoided having her picture taken. I feel … Continue reading In Loving Memory
past
Valley After Valley
Recently I’ve been reflecting on our different seasons and chapters, our various moves and the similar challenges in each new place. It was then that I realized: I’ve spent the majority of my adulthood living in four different valleys. I lived in the same small town for 21 years (Marysville, Washington). And then my family … Continue reading Valley After Valley
At the Well
Have you ever felt disqualified because of who you are? Or maybe unqualified because of who you aren’t? I’ve felt both! There’s a real struggle between feeling like you’re too much but also not enough. (Jess Connolly & Hayley Morgan have a great devotional on this called Always Enough, Never Too Much.) At Life Group … Continue reading At the Well
Fear and Love
One of my biggest fears is the fear of abandonment. Loved ones leaving. Being left out or left behind. Being overlooked or forgotten, especially by those closest to me. And that reinforces the fear that I’m not good enough, that I’m not worthy. It’s something that I often come back to in counseling as I … Continue reading Fear and Love
Redeeming Love (A Recommendation)
I’m becoming more and more convinced that isolation is one of the hardest parts of being sick. (I am so glad to be free!) But I am also thankful for one of the perks of isolation: time. A few months ago, a couple of authors I follow on social media shared a trailer for Redeeming … Continue reading Redeeming Love (A Recommendation)
The Father Who Heals
God is continuing to make it clear to me that I need to unpack my life’s worth of baggage. I’ll be honest… I’ve been feeling a little frustrated because I’m lacking two things that are crucial to the process: time and space. I wish I could go on a spiritual retreat to the beach with … Continue reading The Father Who Heals
Taking Time to Unpack Trauma
Just because my trauma looks different than yours, doesn’t mean it’s not real. I might be opening a can of worms… but I think it might be necessary. I’ve been toting around some heavy emotional baggage for decades. Various forms of abuse, even if small and spread out, were compounded throughout my childhood and beyond, … Continue reading Taking Time to Unpack Trauma
My Race to Run 