Category: growth
Letting Go
2019 was a hard year, which is evident by my lack of posts. I had so much to write about, but it was all so hard that I couldn’t write about it. But that’s not what I’m letting go of today. In asking myself… Continue Reading “Letting Go”
the body keeps score
I stared at the vanilla latte on the table in front of me. My friend Linda asked questions about what I had shared, and I searched for something sure and concrete to hold on to. The small red table between us reminded me we… Continue Reading “the body keeps score”
Rise
I first learned about Rise back last Fall, thanks to a few tweets from friends. Then I had the first hand of experiencing the power of what they do in April, when I attended the Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids.… Continue Reading “Rise”
in the bleak midwinter
I’ve always been more comfortable in melancholy and sadness, more so that the average human being. It’s something that 2017 taught me to lean into more, but also be careful of, since it can lead to unhealthy ways of thinking and skewed perspectives on… Continue Reading “in the bleak midwinter”
on moving, goodbyes, and community
I went through those double doors for the last time, and briefly paused as I heard the glass door rattle behind me as they latched. From what seemed out of nowhere, my heart filled with sadness and tears threatened to brim over as I… Continue Reading “on moving, goodbyes, and community”
no longer and not yet
The last six months have been about the space between the “no longer” and the “not yet” for me. Have I honored that space? Not hardly. I screwed a lot of things up. Perhaps I handled it as best as I could have expected… Continue Reading “no longer and not yet”
two silences
I really wish I could tell the difference between the silence. The bridled silence I’m afraid I too often control. The caged silence for which I blame myself. When he is silent, it hurts. When I forget to listen it hurts, too. It just… Continue Reading “two silences”
sentimentality and the death of Christmas idols
I’ve always been a particularly sentimental and nostalgic person, and it has increased significantly since moving away from my family, where this nostalgia is often born. Even as a teenager, I collected and kept things that represent memories and moments that are special to… Continue Reading “sentimentality and the death of Christmas idols”
tight corners, feelings and self-talk
It’s always been a little been hard for me to be truly authentic with people when I feel hurt by them. Much of this is part of my own story, going back years and years of being taught that I was too sensitive and… Continue Reading “tight corners, feelings and self-talk”
An Early Lenten Lesson
So, my first 5 days of Lent started out wonderful…. with me being sicker than a dog. I woke up Wednesday morning without a voice and by the afternoon I was so weak I could do little more than lay on the sofa and… Continue Reading “An Early Lenten Lesson”
Stephanie Nelson 