Where to even start… I went back to school a year and a half ago to pursue an education in Social Work. My training has been the most personally fulfilling work I’ve ever done outside of my family. It has opened my eyes to a world that is comfortably veiled for most of us. At least, it was for me before doing this work. I’m thankful to finally feel like I am alive and actively living the life that God had created me for from the very beginning. Finding your calling is a bit like labor – hard to tell…
“Find a way to not be so political…”
“You just have to find a way to take all your passion and energy and say the things you need to say, without being so political.” This is what a friend said recently as we spoke about the state of things. She is so right. But that’s easier said than done. It seems impossible to have a conversation anymore without someone making thousands of assumptions about what you are saying before you’ve ever actually said a thing – and I am prone to doing the same. I live each day so frustrated and anxious and I know most people are…
I belong, too.
So Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the phone call that I would be laid off. Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of that lay-off. It is also the two year anniversary since I first publicly shared my personal story that started this blog. Tomorrow, January 15, is a big deal for me and I thought perhaps it might be a good time to begin dipping my toes back into the world of blogging. In many ways this past year has been one of the most beautiful years of my life. I didn’t go back to full-time work. Instead, I…
What now?!?
I’m scared to write anymore. I’m afraid to offend or rile someone who I love, but who holds a different view. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? We are all so scared. There was an election this week in the United States of America, did you hear about that? Yeah, they are rioting and shooting in the streets over it. That’s never happened in my lifetime. A lot of them are young; there is a lot of activity on college campuses and in larger cities. Our minority populations are hearing and seeing some awful things; kids chanting in schools, spray…
Five Minute Friday: Listen*
*Since I’ve been out of practice with my writing and posting lately, I’m going to get my toes wet by re-visiting an old favorite practice: Five Minute Fridays. This is a group of writers who meet over the interwebs each week. The host provides one word that we each sit down and write about for five minutes, then post whatever it is we wrote. There is minimal editing allowed. It is a good way to stretch those writing muscles that may have atrophied a bit in the hustle and bustle of life. Around our house we celebrated the end of…
Walking into the light
As I watch the election unfold here in the US, Brexit in the UK, and terror attacks around the world I can’t help but wonder, along with many others, “What in the world is happening to us? When did we become so led by fear?” As I thought about this question it led me to wonder what changed in the make-up of the American people, and that led me to an interesting possible correlation. World War II ended in 1945, just 71 years ago. Of the 16 million Americans who served in that war, only approximately 500,000 remain alive today….
Why I won’t quit Facebook:
Facebook was made available to the general public in February 2006. 10 years later there are over 1.65 Billion users. That is more users than the entire population of China, who interestingly, bans access to Facebook along with Iran and North Korea. But other than those three countries the entire world is represented on this network. Studies are just beginning to show the impact that this type of connectivity has on our psyche, our relationships, etc. You can find studies that show negative effects, and studies that show positive effects. You can find people who swear it is the downfall…
There has to be a change – in us.
Tsunami’s of tragedy won’t stop happening. I have a fiction piece on the blog about the refugee crisis. I was going to write another installment after reading a heartbreaking article on the children, mothers, and fathers dying in record numbers. I wanted to put a human face to the tragedy and continue to research the drive behind ISIS – both theological and political. I also wanted to highlight the amazing groups working to save these precious lives, these image bearers of God. I was ready to start on that piece and then the massacre in Orlando happened. 50 lives lost…
Surprised by Winter….
I ran off. I’m sorry. One of the basic tenets of a good blog is an implicit contract between the writer and the reader that they will both show up. It’s been almost a month since I posted last, and that post was, ironically, a bold ask for readers to provide support. And then I left. I’m sorry. I got a little confused. I am six months into a new life and it started feeling a little dark. Most of you know, but to recap – I was laid off in January from a career I had spent 20 years…
Why is asking for help so hard…
I have always been passionate about sharing my favorite things: books, make-up, kitchen gadgets, etc. You can ask my mom (she is probably laughing just reading this). I am always telling her about some life changing book, tv show, gadget, etc and encouraging her to give it a try. Inevitably it will take quite some time until she will finally go try whatever it is I’ve been pitching and, lo and behold, she loves it. It’s become a running joke between us, because often (way more than once) she will finally try something when she has heard about it from…