Relationships

As the issue becomes more prevalent in our culture, there seems to be an increase of knowledge around the topic of self-harm. This is great, but there is always room to grow and learn. One of the most common questions about self-harm is probably: why? A handful of people (oftentimes teenagers) may engage in self-harm for attention. The majority, however, do it because they have so much pain inside that they don’t know how to deal with. Inflicting physical pain seems like the only solution. It provides relief … at least temporarily … and so people become trapped in the cycle. It’s vicious. Regardless of the reason, however, it must be taken seriously. I have been on both sides of this heart-wrenching struggle. As a 17-year-old, I was […]

I consider myself a rather ambitious person. One who loves feeling efficient and admits an obsession for maximizing the hours of my day to accomplish the most humanly possible. Though I may revel in my to-do list, accomplishments, and victories in getting things done at the end of the day, too often I have found myself unable to recall any authentic interactions had with other individuals. This gradual realization has caused me to see that there is so much more to life than the achievement of my daily tasks, and provoked my asking where and how people fit in. After what seemed like years on a hamster wheel, my husband and I recognized that we didn’t have many deep friendships, even though

It seems I should start this off with a disclaimer: I’m a happily married woman. Now that I’ve told you that, I can tell you the rest. There are some things that I miss about my days being single. Most of those don’t have to do with guys or dating or anything, but just about who I was during that time and how I was able to live. Being in a healthy relationship certainly has many perks, but every once in a while, I pine for pure alone time, less responsibility, and a different lifestyle. Here are some of the things I miss about being single: 1. Only being responsible for myself. I mean that in the best way, but I’m serious. I

When the new school year began, I became nostalgic for years past: for the purchase of new supplies, the order of organizing binders, the shopping for fresh, new clothes, and the excitement of finding out which teacher we will have for the new year. Perhaps nothing brought as much of a thrill as the postcard we received at the start of August declaring, “Welcome to my class! I’m excited to be your teacher.” Teachers have the power to shape who we are and to speak words over us that we will never forget. My sons have been blessed with caring, creative teachers over the years, and I have seen them challenged, encouraged, and affirmed by them time and time again. I experienced the

This morning I had a heart-to-heart with my son’s teacher. It all began when she commented on my physical transformation that she noticed from the pictures I provided for his family collage. We chatted a little about that (as you do when making small talk), but then she commented on how honest I seemed… And friendly… Somehow our conversation became more personal, and she ended up sharing her struggle to get pregnant after a miscarriage. Then I shared how many friends I had who experienced the same thing; then we talked about considering adoption… Each of us revealing a piece of our heart. I am now sitting here, grateful for little interactions like these… Moments to be honest while sharing our lives. Ladies, let’s