What Do I Say When My Kid Asks, “Why Did They Die?” One of the hardest moments as a parent comes when your child looks at you with wide, wondering eyes and asks about death, especially death by suicide. Their question is simple, but the weight behind it is not. As adults, we often wrestle… Continue reading What Do I Say to My Kids
Tag: Hope
Breaking Generational Silence
Suicide, Secrets, and the Stories We’re Finally Telling For generations, suicide has been treated like a shadow. It is a whispered tragedy, hidden behind closed doors, wrapped in shame, and carried in silence. Families didn’t talk about it. Churches avoided it. Communities swept it under the rug. And so the pain grew heavier, passed down… Continue reading Breaking Generational Silence
Hold On to Hope
When my son was diagnosed with Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS), the world shifted beneath our feet. It was one of those moments that divides life into before and after. Fear came crashing in, and the questions outnumbered the answers. The only phrase that permeated through my life was "Hold On to Hope." In the middle… Continue reading Hold On to Hope
Even When There Was No Reason for Hope
There’s something about this verse that stops me in my tracks. Even when there was no reason for hope… Abraham kept hoping. Why? Because God had said. I was told there was no hope in my son living, however, Even When There Was No Reason for Hope. This isn’t blind optimism. This isn’t wishful thinking.… Continue reading Even When There Was No Reason for Hope
The Prophecy and The Call
The Prophecy and The Call In December, we found ourselves at church, preparing for worship. After several months of church hunting, we had settled on one that we had initially been hesitant to visit. We knew the pastor and his wife, along with a few families, but we hadn't been attending for long. It felt… Continue reading The Prophecy and The Call
Courage in EnCOURAGE
The Power of Encouragement: A Call to Love and Lift Others Did you ever notice the word courage in encourage? Encouraging someone takes little effort but can change a life. We may not always agree with what others do or believe, but at the end of the day, does their life truly harm us? Our… Continue reading Courage in EnCOURAGE
What Happens When Your Pitcher of Life Crashes
What Happens When Your Pitcher of Life Crashes Life is like a glass pitcher from the 1960s—meant to hold lemonade, sun tea, or even flowers. From the moment we are born, we have a purpose, just as a pitcher is meant to hold liquid. As we grow, we fill that pitcher with our dreams, aspirations,… Continue reading What Happens When Your Pitcher of Life Crashes
I Did My Best, and God Did the Rest
I Did My Best, and God Did the Rest There’s a deep peace that comes with knowing we are not in this alone. We show up, we try, we give it everything we have—but at the end of the day, we are only human. And that’s okay because God fills in the gaps where we… Continue reading I Did My Best, and God Did the Rest
Focus On the Step In Front of You
Focus on the Step in Front of You When life feels overwhelming, it’s easy to get caught up in the big picture—the long journey ahead, the challenges still to come, the uncertainty of it all. But when you stand at the bottom of a staircase, you don’t climb it all at once. You take it… Continue reading Focus On the Step In Front of You
Happiness Versus Joy
Happiness versus joy. Is it perspective or something more? What is happiness? A wise man once said that happiness is based on circumstances, and circumstances can ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean. What is joy? JOY comes from the Lord. That phrase has stuck with me many years later. We are not… Continue reading Happiness Versus Joy
What Do You Want To Do?
What Do You Want To Do? This is a question that I would pose to my ladies when I worked as the inpatient residential therapist, "What do you want to do when you grow up?". They would come to our facility, at their lowest of lows, broken with little hope. My job was to give… Continue reading What Do You Want To Do?
What Does Impossible Really Mean
What Does Impossible Really Mean I stumbled on this quote by the great actress Audrey Hepburn and it reminded me of Luke 1:37 that says "For nothing will be impossible with God." As the word IMPOSSIBLE is broken down, she says it really say I'm Possible. However, we can do nothing without the salvation that… Continue reading What Does Impossible Really Mean
What is a Traumaversary?
What is a Traumaversary? A traumaversary is the anniversary of some sort of trauma in your life. It can be from a deployment, abuse, car accident, traumatic pregnancy/birth, house fires, neglect... the list can go on and on. You aren't obsessing over all the bad things that happened in your life. It is simply something… Continue reading What is a Traumaversary?
New Mercies Every Morning
New Mercies Every Morning This is a beautiful reminder that there are New Mercies Every Morning. Lamentations 3: 22-23 says "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Today might have not been the most pleasant for you (or… Continue reading New Mercies Every Morning
Joy in the Morning
Let's just leave this right here. Joy in the morning. I highly encourage you to go to YouTube and listen to the song. It is worth it, and I listen to it almost daily. There is a reason and a season for everything under heaven. If we could all just grasp that knowledge, we… Continue reading Joy in the Morning
High Functioning Depression
High Functioning Depression Let's learn about some technical terms. High functioning depression is a real thing and it is what I function on daily. Now, when I'm in a super funk, that is a bit different but that is for another day. I have said this once and I will say it again, I am… Continue reading High Functioning Depression
Don’t Quit Just Do It
Don't Quit Just Do It There are days when I am done. Done. DONE. I've had all I can stand and I simply can't take anymore. I'm good until I'm not. Over the years of struggling with depression, I can typically feel myself sliding down the mountain into the pit. I know my traumaversary dates… Continue reading Don’t Quit Just Do It
The Lord Will Fight for You
The Lord Will Fight for You I thought today was fitting for this Scripture. Today is my son's 11th birthday and let me tell you...I have lived on this verse since the day he entered my life. There are so many facets of this child and the one that impresses me the most is that… Continue reading The Lord Will Fight for You
You Are Capable
You Are Capable You are capable of doing all things when Jesus is by your side. People often tell me that they do not know who they are anymore due to the amount of trauma that has occurred in their lives. It is my pleasure to tell them that they are not only capable of… Continue reading You Are Capable
When the Silence is Deafening
When the Silence is Deafening When silence becomes deafening, emotions can shift from moment to moment. Some days, it feels like they change by the minute. Lately, the silence has been so loud that I can’t hear myself think. It’s like when my aunt can’t smell anything because the noise around her is too overwhelming—strange,… Continue reading When the Silence is Deafening