Coming Clean With Ourselves

How can I get myself out of this mess without anyone knowing? How can I ever get free of the secrets and shame I feel? These were questions to which I didn’t have any answers. And as I shared in the last post, I had…

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Not One of the Many Anymore / Reality At All Costs, Part 3

“Had I done enough to go to heaven?” I was asking the question about something that honestly had never bothered me before. I remember the nagging doubt about what I’d been doing in church the last forty-plus years, especially after listening to my college-age daughters…

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Reality At All Costs, Part 2

Keeping up appearances. It’s exhausting, isn’t it? But we all do it all the time, don’t we? Social media is rabid with pretending to be okay when everything isn’t okay. When was the last time you answered, “I’m good,” when everything was not good and…

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Reality At All Costs, Part 1

I vividly remembered the experience. The sensation seemed like a laser beam of light pointed directly at me.  An uncomfortable, heart racing, sweaty forehead kind of realization that no, things weren’t good. While my attempts to rationalize – a.k.a. the stories I’d been telling myself…

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Restored in an Instant

I loved hanging out with my dad as a kid, but his time was limited and precious with three jobs. So most of my upper elementary years, I rode with him on his school bus route. He’d arise while it was still dark, stand at…

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I Want Cake and Yes, More Cake Please

There was an offer on the table for ice cream, but I wanted cake. It was my birthday, and my sweet husband wanted to please, but it was late, and bakeries were closed. However, to my delight, we found ourselves in front of several sizeable…

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Clay in the Potter’s Hand

Evidence of a potter’s hand is all over our home.  The first gift I ever received from my husband was a beautiful teapot made while studying under a master potter. And throughout the decades, we’ve used his functional and decorative pottery. The fruit bowl he…

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Words Matter / The Subtleties of Shame, Part 2

Have you felt helpless as a small child jumbles out a string of syllables you can’t understand? Can’t you visualize the connections firing in their little brains as they work, searching for the right word, and waiting for a hint of recognition? Unfortunately, a communication…

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The Interruption You Don’t Want to Miss

Is survival mode and just barely getting by all you’ve known? Do you think your life is an inconvenience or interruption to the people around you? Do you wonder why you are here or why you’re still alive after some of the things that have…

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The Subtleties of Shame – Part 1

I’ve heard people say they don’t regret a single moment in their life. While I certainly understand that all our experiences and memories make us who we are, I know I have regrets. I have grieved and mourned over some of my decisions. I bet…

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