- Abortion, Abuse/Neglect, Aging Parents, Anxiety, Crisis Pregnancy, Depression, Discouragement, Divorce, Faith, Family, Grief and Loss, Health, Heart, Hope, Marriage, Mental Illness, Prodigal Children, Rejection, Soul, Strength, Suicide, Tragedy
Hope Was Born In a Manger
Over 2,000 years ago, Hope was born in a manger. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.…
- Depression, Discouragement, Faith, Family, Heart, Hope, Hope-filled Fiction, Mental Illness, Non-Fiction Story, Soul, Tragedy
How Can You Offer Hope to the Homeless?
Is it just me, or does it seem that we see more people in need this time of year? People are poor and homeless all year long, but in the winter months, their needs are more prevalent … or maybe we’re just…
When Depression Robs Your Gratitude
Sometimes circumstances in our lives can be so difficult we find it hard to celebrate holidays with joy. With Thanksgiving approaching this week, my mind drifted to one of those periods for me twelve years ago. We were going through a…
Why Does That Child Behave so Poorly?
Last week, I attended a seminar entitled “They Need to Know That You Care, Before They Care What You Know!” The focus was on the impact of trauma on children. What is trauma? According to childwelfare.gov, trauma is an emotional response…
Spiritual Lessons From a Spin Class
After two weeks in Dallas and New Mexico, then another five days at the Mountainside Novelist Retreat, I continued to shove physical exercise to the back burner to play catch up on my work, home, and writing projects. This morning…
Magnified
The magnifying mirror in the above picture was hanging on the bathroom wall in the condo where we stayed while at the church conference in Orlando. I developed a love/hate relationship with this mirror over the five days I used…
- Abuse/Neglect, Anxiety, Depression, Family, Foster Care, Mental Illness, Non-Fiction Story, Parenting, Suicide, Tragedy
Childhood Trauma & Anxiety
Last week I shared with you about my work as a CASA for the City of Chesapeake and how I’m using that experience in my novel. Another aspect of my novel involves the repercussions that can occur in a person’s…
Help! Someone I Love Has a Mental Illness
In the novel I’m currently writing, the main character becomes a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children. I have been a CASA volunteer for two years with the Chesapeake Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. One of…
Comfort Food
The recipe for No Bake Cookies popped up on my Facebook memories today. Every time I see these cookies, I’m ushered back to my childhood. My brother, who is a year and a half my senior, used to make these regularly. Granted, even though the cookies are made with…
Hope That Heals
Hope is the expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Do you have hope? At times we can have the desire for something to happen, but no expectation that it will. Hopelessness is a very difficult place to…
