How grief lives in everyday moments Grief is not always loud. Sometimes it does not show up in the big, obvious moments. It can slip in quietly, through the ordinary things. A chair or a cup. It could be a room or a habit. A sound you did not realize mattered so much until it… Continue reading The Ordinary Things I Miss Already
Author: Brandi Crum, LMFT
I’m Brandi Crum, LMFT, writer, therapist, wife, mom, and the voice behind Barefoot Faith Journey. This space began as an adoption and family blog and has grown into a faith-filled place for psychoeducation, grief support, mental health awareness, and honest hope for life’s hard places. My writing is educational and inspirational only and is not therapy or a substitute for professional care. Kentucky residents seeking counseling can learn more through Circle of Hope Counseling Services.
Where I Am With God Right Now
Where I Am With God Right Now. Holding faith when it doesn’t feel steady If I’m being honest, my faith doesn’t feel neat right now. It’s not wrapped up in certainty or clarity or strong, confident words. It feels quieter than that and sometimes heavier than that. There are moments where I know God is… Continue reading Where I Am With God Right Now
The Guilt No One Warns You About
The Guilt No One Warns You About and when love never feels like enough. No one really prepares you for this part. You expect the sadness, the worry, and even expect the exhaustion. However, the guilt, that part catches you off guard. It shows up quietly at first. In the small thoughts like “I should… Continue reading The Guilt No One Warns You About
What I Haven’t Said Out Loud Yet
What I Haven’t Said Out Loud Yet The moment everything shifted. I don’t know if there was one exact moment. Honestly, I wish I could point to a day, a sentence, something clear and defined but it wasn’t like that. It was quieter and subtle at first and easy to dismiss if I wanted to.… Continue reading What I Haven’t Said Out Loud Yet
The Grief That Comes Before the Goodbye
The Grief That Comes Before the Goodbye There is a kind of grief that no one really prepares you for. Learning to hold what hasn’t fully happened because nothing has “officially” been lost. They are still here. You can still see them. Still talk to them. And still sit in the same room. Yet something… Continue reading The Grief That Comes Before the Goodbye
When Your Parent Starts to Need You
When Your Parent Starts to Need You When Your Parent Starts to Need You and the moment roles begin to shift, there is a moment that doesn’t announce itself. There are no warning, no conversation and no clear line in the sand. Just a quiet realization that something has changed. It might be the first… Continue reading When Your Parent Starts to Need You
Carrying This Forward Without Losing Yourself
Carrying This Forward Without Losing Yourself Living what you have learned Healing seasons often end quietly. Not with resolution, but with awareness. You may not feel dramatically different, yet you know something has shifted. The way you respond. The way you listen to yourself. The way you notice when something feels off. This is where… Continue reading Carrying This Forward Without Losing Yourself
Still Blooming
Still Blooming Resilience, hope, and becoming There is often a desire to end a healing season with clarity. To name what has changed. To define what comes next. But real growth rarely offers that kind of closure. Instead, it leaves you more honest, more aware, and more connected to yourself than you were before. Still… Continue reading Still Blooming
You Are Allowed to Bloom Slowly
You Are Allowed to Bloom Slowly Gentle permission There is a quiet pressure that often follows healing. Once things begin to stabilize, the expectation to move faster can creep in. Others may assume you are ready for more. You may assume it too. Progress can start to feel like a deadline instead of a process.… Continue reading You Are Allowed to Bloom Slowly
God’s Faithfulness in New Seasons
God’s Faithfulness in New Seasons Testimony and trust New seasons can feel unsettling, even when they are needed. Change brings relief and uncertainty at the same time. You may sense that something is different without fully trusting what comes next. Faith in these moments is rarely loud. It is often quiet and cautious. Many people… Continue reading God’s Faithfulness in New Seasons
Unique Faith-Based Ways to Nurture Mental and Emotional Wellness
Unique Faith-Based Ways to Nurture Mental and Emotional Wellness. Busy Christian parents juggling work, kids, and church life often carry a quiet question: why does Christian mental wellness feel so hard to hold onto when the day-to-day is relentless? Between Christian parenting challenges like constant needs, conflict, and mom-or-dad guilt, it’s easy for prayer to… Continue reading Unique Faith-Based Ways to Nurture Mental and Emotional Wellness
When Healing Brings Grief With It
When Healing Brings Grief With It Mourning what didn’t survive Healing is often expected to bring relief. Sometimes it does. But there are moments when healing opens the door to grief instead. Not new grief, but grief that was postponed because survival did not allow space for it. As life begins to feel steadier, you… Continue reading When Healing Brings Grief With It
Building a Life That Supports the New You
Building a Life That Supports the New You Rhythms, relationships, boundaries Healing eventually moves beyond insight and into structure. It is one thing to understand yourself differently. It is another to live in a way that actually supports who you are becoming. Many people notice that even as they heal internally, their external life still… Continue reading Building a Life That Supports the New You
The Courage to Be Seen Again
The Courage to Be Seen Again Emerging from hiding For many people, hiding was not a choice. It was a strategy. You learned to stay quiet, to stay small, to stay contained because being visible once came with a cost. Maybe it was criticism, betrayal. Or maybe it was being misunderstood, dismissed, or hurt in… Continue reading The Courage to Be Seen Again
Honoring Who You Were While Becoming Who You Are
Honoring Who You Were While Becoming Who You Are Integration, not erasure Healing often comes with an unspoken pressure to reinvent yourself. To shed the past. To become someone new and unrecognizable. We talk a lot about transformation, but rarely about integration. And yet, integration is where real healing lives. When you survive hard seasons,… Continue reading Honoring Who You Were While Becoming Who You Are
Growth Changes You and That’s Not Betrayal
Growth Changes You and That’s Not Betrayal Releasing guilt for becoming different There is a quiet kind of guilt that often shows up during healing. It does not come from doing something wrong. It comes from becoming someone different. Many people expect healing to bring relief, clarity, or peace. What they do not expect is… Continue reading Growth Changes You and That’s Not Betrayal
Trusting God With What Is Still Tender
Trusting God With What Is Still Tender Faith and vulnerability Faith invites trusting God with what is still tender. Healing honors vulnerability without rushing strength. Some places in us heal more slowly. Tenderness lingers. Faith does not require those places to harden. Scripture shows us a God who meets vulnerability with care. Trust is built… Continue reading Trusting God With What Is Still Tender
Allowing Yourself to Want Again
Allowing Yourself to Want Again Desire after disappointment Disappointment can teach us to stop wanting. Desire begins to feel dangerous when hope has led to pain. Healing invites desire back slowly. Wanting again does not guarantee loss. Scripture reminds us that longing is part of being human. You are allowed to want without certainty. Desire… Continue reading Allowing Yourself to Want Again
When You Don’t Recognize Yourself Anymore
When You Don’t Recognize Yourself Anymore Identity after loss Loss changes us. Trauma reshapes how we move through the world. It can be unsettling to realize that the person you once were no longer fits. You may miss parts of yourself. You may feel disconnected from who you used to be. This does not mean… Continue reading When You Don’t Recognize Yourself Anymore
Learning to Breathe in a New Season
Learning to Breathe in a New Season Nervous system and hope After prolonged stress, breathing can become shallow without you even noticing. Your body stays braced. Your shoulders stay tense. Calm feels unfamiliar. Healing includes learning how to breathe again, not just physically, but emotionally. Breath is how safety enters the body. Hope often follows… Continue reading Learning to Breathe in a New Season
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