I asked for suggestions on where we go from here on my Facebook page and have had a few messages and conversations, so today I’m going to pull from those and answer a few spoken and unspoken questions. We’ll start with a simple one: How are you doing (after sharing so publicly)? Thanks for asking, I’m doing really well. It hasn’t been easy, but overall – it is good. I’ve received wonderful and encouraging comments and notes. Several of you have reached out to say how reading my story has helped you with your own. I know, for me, even…
Part Three: I live with Grace.
A teacher I respect recently talked about Light. Dark. Light. – There is light on the other side of darkness. I can attest to this, but you have to go through the dark to get there… (This is the third post of my journey – You can ready the first and second by clicking here.) After I changed my entire life – job, home, friends – I began to see a path to a better life. I am a firm believer that God guides us to people that can help us grow and become who he had in mind when…
Part two: And darker still….
Please read Part 1: The Inner Darkness for the first part of my story. I can share this today because – I am a beautiful and loved child of God, created in the very image of an incomprehensible Love that knows no bounds. I have been this child since the day I was born, and so have you. All my mistakes were not made prior to my becoming this child, they were made because I was unable to recognize who I already was. But now that I know, I wake every day to a banquet of Abundant Life that is…
Part One: The inner darkness
This is the first in a series of posts that will tell the secrets I carried for so long and the process I’ve gone through to heal. Before I even begin I want to thank my family for their unwavering support. In telling my secrets, I tell some of theirs as well. I’ve offered to edit on their behalf, but they have done nothing except love and support me. My mom, brother, step-dad, and my dad in spirit, have walked with me. My friends have shown up time and again. My faith in a loving God is not based on…
Can I ask you… Are you a Christian? Chapter 3
Chapter 3: As I was leaving Sarah’s room I received a text message: “All-Staff Meeting – Immediately – Cafeteria – Mandatory”. Curious as to why a mid-day meeting would be called, I hurried to the cafeteria. There are five full time staff from the U.S., and another five from several different European countries. It had been fascinating to learn about so many different culture and customs as we all came together around a common calling. Local volunteers also came in at various times to help with meals and other needs, so in all there were about forty of us that kept…
This New Beginning
A few years ago I began coming to terms with my life. I began coming to terms with who I am, the choices I had made, and I began seeing a different way to live the rest of my life. The end result has been a completely new beginning for me and my family. I had some shameful secrets in my past. Secrets that I planned to take to my grave. Then through a series of significant life events, including the loss of my dad, I became aware that keeping my secrets would require me to die having never lived a full…
Can I ask you…Are you a Christian? (Ch 1)
Chapter 1: “We have room for a mother and an infant. Addy, You need to go find them.” I had done this before. Gone out to find someone. The first time I was so excited to get to bring someone in, but I was soon freed from my delusion. I had to step over so many men, women, and children as I looked for the family that met our availability. We had learned that the refugees would not be seperated. After traveling so far, and surviving so much, these families would not leave one another behind. So, when we had…
Can I ask you…Are you a Christian? (Ch 2)
This is the second installment of a new fictional series. You can begin at the first installment by clicking here.Chapter 2 The next morning began very early, as they always did in the shelter. There was breakfast to be cooked and paperwork by the droves to be completed. I saw Sarah and the little one, Ada, at breakfast. I explained that I had to complete several things for work, but that I would come find her when I was done. A few hours later, having been relieved by a local volunteer, I went to spend time with Sarah. I found…
Compassion
Do we temper our passion with enough compassion? I have always thought of passion as this wonderful characteristic to have. Passion, in it’s modern usage, is defined as boundless enthusiasm. That sounds like a good thing to have, right? Enthusiasm is nothing but good – even the word itself sounds joyful. But boundless? Boundless means having no boundaries, not having limits. No boundaries doesn’t seem like such a great thing – we need limits. Even toddlers need limits to feel safe. Unlimited enthusiasm… passion. This new definition of passion is a far cry from its Latin origins. Passion stems from…