recovery
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In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12 That is a very hard concept for me. Approaching my earthly father was miserable. It was a relationship built on maniuplation and lies. Pain and suffering was at the core of my fatherly relationship so how now am…
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Over 35 years ago, I saw a book in my mind’s eye. The book cover had a woman sitting on a cold cement floor in a prison cell with no bed, no toilet and only dim light cascading down on her from a high window that had bars on it. The title of the book…
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Parenting after surviving childhood abuse feels like steering a ship through a storm without a compass. You become both the protector and the frightened child, caught in the echoes of your past while trying to build a future for someone else. There’s no map for this kind of journey, no help from extended family to…
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Introspection — what better way to start a week. Question: Don’t we all want to be a good son or daugther? What happens when that means I need to be disobedient to my parents’ rules to survive? What if my speaking up goes against everything they taught me? What if my needs now must surface…
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There’s a delicate moment, almost invisible, that stretches between the end of tragedy and the beginning of something new. I have lived there, in that thin, gray space where everything feels raw, unmade, like a wound that hasn’t yet decided if it will scar or heal. How do we begin again when the world as…
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Let me tell you something about hope and keeping faith going—it’s not a one-time decision or a magical moment. It’s a relentless, everyday choice. I’ve learned this through my own journey of healing and rising above. And trust me, it’s a messy, beautiful ride. Optimism isn’t about ignoring the dark parts of our lives. It’s…
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Healing is an intricate and often arduous process, and it requires a willingness to confront some uncomfortable truths about ourselves. One of the most profound truths is that we must take responsibility for the role we play in our own suffering. This is a critical step that many people overlook, and it is essential for…
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Mine is a story woven with threads of detestation, betrayal, haunting memories, and a soul that was nearly destroyed. But it is also a story of redemption, learning to trust again, hope, and feeling truly alive. For years, I lived with a sense of hatred towards myself and my body. The abuse I suffered at…
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Like brokenness, shame, and anxiety, fear is part of what it is to be human. We are afraid of endless things, from the very understandable to the bizarre. I first encountered debilitating fear when I was a child. My father, who ruled our home with blanketing anger and sexual dominance made my very skin tingle…
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I see so much misguided fear around abuse of children. Talk of sex trafficking, kidnapping and abductions by strangers run rampant on the news, on the internet & in family circles. These views show me that we haven’t learned much as a society about the realities of childhood sexual abuse. At all. Yes, these things…