Guest Stories

3 Reasons to Proceed with Your Startup Business

Barefoot Faith Journey is a faith-based blog by marriage and family counselor Brandi. Read more informative and entertaining articles today! Image via Pexels 3 Reasons to Proceed With Your Startup Business Plans Amidst COVID-19 If you were going to start a business before COVID-19 hit, you may have chosen to put your startup plans on… Continue reading 3 Reasons to Proceed with Your Startup Business

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

What Fireworks Means to a School Shooting Survivor

What Fireworks Means to a School Shooting Survivor I despise fireworks. Some of them are so pretty, but the sound triggers me. I can feel it in my chest whenever a firework goes off. The breath gets knocked out of me, and I freeze. At that moment, I am transported back to school. I am… Continue reading What Fireworks Means to a School Shooting Survivor

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

LA Came in Like a Tornado

LA Came in Like a Tornado Ten years ago, I met a brassy blond girl at a ballpark. She had a crass mouth and a nasty smoking habit. She was loud and obnoxious. A person people moved away from when they saw her. She did not dress the part, talk the part, and certainly did… Continue reading LA Came in Like a Tornado

Guest Stories, Suicide

Lockup: Extended Stay

Lockup: Extended Stay A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses mental health hospitalization, trauma, anxiety, depression, and seeking help during a difficult season. It is shared with permission for awareness, support, and suicide prevention. If you are in crisis, thinking about suicide, or in immediate danger, call 911, call or text 988, or go to… Continue reading Lockup: Extended Stay

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, Guest Stories

To Care for Others, First Care for Yourself

To Care for Others, First Care for Yourself   We are all walking our paths, and the road to healing isn’t always easy. We all need to remember that to help others, we must first ensure that we are maintaining our light and keeping ourselves mentally sound. In other words, To Care for Others, First… Continue reading To Care for Others, First Care for Yourself

Grief, Guest Stories

Open Letter to A Brother Who Left This World Too Soon

A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses grief, sibling loss, cancer, regret, and faith. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or a substitute for professional care. Open Letter to A Brother Who… Continue reading Open Letter to A Brother Who Left This World Too Soon

Guest Stories

Keep the Season Merry and Safe

  Keep the Season Merry and Safe with Innovative Takes on Holiday Gatherings Keep the Season Merry and Safe. The 2020 holiday season poses new challenges for parents trying to balance family life and health concerns. However, it is still possible to enjoy some seasonal socializing with caution and creativity. Families who have experienced stress… Continue reading Keep the Season Merry and Safe

Guest Stories

Tips for Meeting Your Kids’ Needs as they Grow

My guest blogger, Alex Robbins, talks about Tips for Meeting Your Kids’ Emotional, Physical and Educational Needs as they Grow.  Funny he should send this to me at this particular time.  Tonight, as I was sitting in my son's hospital room, we had a "Comin' to Jesus" meeting about our emotional, physical, and educational needs. … Continue reading Tips for Meeting Your Kids’ Needs as they Grow

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

From the Outside Looking

From the Outside Looking From the Outside Looking In {my family} We were a happy family {We} went to church We spent time with other people {We} went places together But what you don’t see Is the mother that can’t get out of bed Or the stepfather that won’t help feed the kids And the… Continue reading From the Outside Looking

Guest Stories

The Things You Need to Know About Nana

The Things You Need to Know About Nana In The Things You Need to Know About Nana, my guest blogger uses her words to convey the love she has for her grandmother. They had a tight bond that this young girl missed terribly. Dearest Nana The past six years of my life have been awful,… Continue reading The Things You Need to Know About Nana

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Memories with My Mom

Memories with My Mom   Memories with My Mom. My earliest memories of my mom are when she would rock me and sing silly old songs that would make me giggle. We would play hide and seek, sit outside on the glider, and swing for a long time.  We had snuggled in the bed, played… Continue reading Memories with My Mom

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

No Thanks to You Part 3

No Thanks to You Part 3 No Thanks to You Part 3. It was such a shock to me. It came without warning. I honestly don’t understand. Because that morning, it was business as usual. We were doing quality assurance and fixing simple mistakes on the computer. What was that you said to me?  If… Continue reading No Thanks to You Part 3

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

No Thanks to You Part 2

    No Thanks to You Part 2 I didn’t do things the way you wanted me to. Honestly, I like to make notes. I don’t shred things as often as you would like because I fear losing something important. Frankly, I still do that to this day. I am good at returning phone calls,… Continue reading No Thanks to You Part 2

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

No Thanks to You

No Thanks to You No Thanks to You. I held such resentment for you. I still have some resentment for the way you treated me. At first, you made me feel like I was a prodigy, that I could do it all. You knew my family and me; their reputation preceded me. I was hired… Continue reading No Thanks to You

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

I Am Who I Am

I Am Who I Am Being who I am that I do not have many friends. It is hard for me to open up to other people because of how often I have been used. Also, for being backstabbed by these so-called "friends." My circle of friends is tiny due to this issue I have… Continue reading I Am Who I Am

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

I Should Have Known

  I Should Have Known I should have known something wasn’t right When you told me you loved me for the first time And I didn’t say it back   I should have known something was up. When I couldn’t stand the fact that you wrote me love letters Or when you posted love stuff… Continue reading I Should Have Known

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Depression is Gray and Black

Depression is Gray and Black     Depression  Is a dark and twisty place It's when your inner thoughts are gray and black There is no light  There is no white  Just gray or black The gray is sad but bearable thoughts This is where you look back at what's wrong  grieving the way you… Continue reading Depression is Gray and Black

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

The Proposal

The Proposal   Now it is time to talk about The Proposal. After about two years, the man I was dating proposed to me at the park with no people around because I believed that proposals should be private. I had pushed so hard to be engaged because I wanted to be married, and I… Continue reading The Proposal

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

How It Began

This is Something That is Considerably Difficult for Me to Write This is How It Began. I still have not been able to let it go after all these years. I feel like now is the time to write. From my perspective, this is what my experiences were like when I was dating someone. I… Continue reading How It Began

Circle of Hope Counseling Services, End the Stigma, Guest Stories, Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Misery Loves Company

Misery Loves Company Misery loves company they say But is it the misery the person wants to share Or are they looking to someone for help? But instead, bring them down too Is the misery more infectious than the need for help? Or does the person just not want it enough Personally, I think I… Continue reading Misery Loves Company