13 Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13:13Common English Bible I chose to start Raising Good People with a chapter on compassion because compassion, love in action, is required for any of the other traits we see in Jesus. Without compassion, you can't truly live genuinely, make … Continue reading Compassion is the foundation of good character
Self-Compassion When You’re Anxious and Depressed
I have struggled with anxiety for my entire life. If you have seen Inside Out, my command center is run by Fear. I have depended on perfectionism, planners, and the illusion of control to help ease Fear. As an adult, I have learned new coping skills like meditation, box breathing, the five sense technique, and … Continue reading Self-Compassion When You’re Anxious and Depressed
A thank you letter to my ex-husband
It's been a long time. The last time we talked, you confirmed to me that you never really were paying attention to me. You were broken. I was broken. It's been at least 6 years ago, but probably even longer than that. How are you? I hope better. I truly hope you are better. When … Continue reading A thank you letter to my ex-husband
Sleep deprivation is torture. Like, for real.
I expected to not get much sleep with a newborn. Folks would tell Michael and I to get as much sleep as we could while I was pregnant in preparation for the long nights. Plus, I remembered waking up on occasion to Marty and Liam's cries when they were babies. But no one told me … Continue reading Sleep deprivation is torture. Like, for real.
Who has the right to learn?
I was talking with one of my dearest friends a couple days ago about my most recent therapy session. I have been feeling a lot of fear and a lot of grief lately, and my therapist walked me through a visualization where I saw and spoke to younger versions of myself. One of the versions was the 20 year old me. In this visualization, she was very suspicious of the 33 year old me. She wanted to protect the 6 year old me. She wanted to prove that she had it all under control. She wanted me to get the hell away from them.