If you stroll down the streets of your neighborhood right now, it’s likely you’ll see a lot of parked cars lining the curbs and driveways. Walk a little further and you’ll pass cafes, restaurants and shops with their lights off and doors locked....
In light of so much going on in the world that (rightfully) brings up fear, I believe it is important and helpful to remember how we were made. First, we were made to feel. Your fear is normal. It actually brings about clarity around things that can seem murky or...
“My heart beats so hard, I feel like I have an earthquake inside of me. It’s weighing me down and my hands shake with the need of safety and comfort.” -Karen Quan There are points in everyone’s story where life happens and we must respond. The...
We all need a safe place, where we can tell the truth about our daily struggles and be cared about without fear of rejection. So often anxiety is increased by not having a place to struggle and experience security at the same time. The “good enough” parent can create...
Watching TV tonight I couldn’t help but notice that every commercial contained some reminder of how life used to be. Remember when we used to give each other high fives? Remember when there used to be sports on TV every night? Remember when we used to eat out and go...
Dear nurses, doctors, healthcare professionals, and first responders, You are no stranger to sickness, suffering, and death. You willingly enter its chaos every workday, and are the first to volunteer your skills and bedside manner on your day off. For that, we thank...
In a world that rewards us for moving at a dizzying pace, it is often hard to remember that we are limited creatures. We have physical bodies, we live in particular places in space and time, and we have needs. Meanwhile, technology tells us that we can transcend time...
I picked up the phone and called someone when I found myself looking at something called a “bathtub bladder”. A bathtub bladder is a big rubber ball that you install in your bathtub to store drinking water. I connected with a good friend of mine and I told him the...
My fellow human beings, there is no doubt that we are in the midst of hard times. The recent tornado that tore through parts of Nashville, the political divide that continues to separate our country, and now, the ramifications of Covid-19 on our day-to-day lives are...
Have you ever thought to yourself, “If I could just know the future, then everything would be ok.” This kind of magical thinking troubles a lot of us. It’s called anxiety, and thoughts like this carry the potential for a lot of wasted energy. Anxiety is a powerful...
Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s account every day. -Seneca What a beautiful sentiment. Postpone nothing. Balance life’s account. Daily. Just breaking it down like this makes me breathe slower…more mindfully. What does it even mean to...
At times our culture seems to glamorize and idolize romance and marriage. Meanwhile this beautiful narrative of singlehood can get overlooked. I believe these years are full of meaning and purpose. I’ve compiled six truths about singleness that help us better live...
Among the many characteristics that grow a healthy relationship, five markers stand out as foundationally significant. These five characteristics give opportunity for others to trust us, to want to be with us, and to be close to us: These five characteristics give...
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. – Joseph Campbell How often do our best-laid plans go awry? Once in a lifetime? Twice? Too many to count? We begin each year with resolutions. We turn over...
This season I have been counting down every day until Christmas. I have been playing all of the classic Christmas songs from Bing Crosby to Amy Grant. However, there is still an emptiness I feel. The fear comes up when I have a second to sit still. Anxiety has a tight...
1. Anger acts as the check engine light. When you notice anger coming up in your body: stomach, chest, face, etc, it’s time to slow down and pull the car over to check in with what is really going on. (Car is you; Engine is your heart) Without anger we cannot love...
Painful truth is better than a pleasant lie. – Bryant McGill Almost two years ago now, my family received some unexpected news. A painful truth, if you will. And it felt how I imagine a tsunami would feel. Frightening. Suffocating. Powerful. Inescapable. And for...
My husband, Steve, is a master gardener. He has created wonderful beauty in our gardens in every house in which we have lived. Most of our marriage, I did not contribute anything to the gardens. My shame would not allow me to even participate because I had no...
Some days you will feel like the ocean. Some days you will feel like you are drowning in it. – Lora Mathis Aren’t there moments when this is absolutely true — we feel like the ocean! Powerful. Strong. Unstoppable. Floating easily with contentment and joy,...
Working with children, teens, and families has taught me many impactful lessons throughout my years of practice. One lesson that rings true for me more than ever is: parenting is not for the faint of heart, but the strong and courageous. They say it is the hardest job...
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen.” Beuchner If ever a human being summed up existence in fifteen words or less, Frederick Buechner does it here. The world is full of beautiful things. Sunset at the beach The laughter of...
There is a song by Lana Del Rey called “Summertime Sadness”. It’s a love song bidding someone we love farewell. It’s stuffed with loss, adrenaline, and recklessness. The video, in as heartbreaking as pop music can get kind of way, encapsulates what it feels like to...
“Mom, I am so sad.” On the way home from tax-free weekend shopping, my son, gazing out the window as we passed his old middle school, said, “Oh Mom, I’m so sad. I will miss my old middle school.” In that moment, I realized that I was sad too....
For the majority of my life, I’ve felt drawn to change. Not the dye-my-hair-every-season type of change, but a voracious hunger for new surroundings, new roles to explore, new relationships to replace old. I moved across the city, the country, the world; I changed...
