One of the painful realities of life is unmet expectations. Desires unfulfilled. Dreams shattered. This, at the very least, is disappointing. Disappointment can bring anger, sadness, and anxiety that last for a day, a weekend, or, sometimes, months and even years. Disappointment’s ache can last so long and be so deep that it alters our outlook on life and even our sense of who we are.
To Be Human
If you’re like me, then you likely have an internal monologue or a running internal conversation. This doesn’t mean that you’re crazy or something is wrong; most people talk to themselves. Often we ask rhetorical questions like, Why does my head hurt? What do I want for dinner? Why do I feel this way?” We discuss the reality around us as we navigate our internal world.
Surviving and Thriving
Connection, Isolation, and Grace
On Desire
Even in our brokenness, we can learn to become the self God intended us to become; honest, genuine, passionate, transparent, vulnerable. And each of us has our own uniqueness that only we can express. Thomas Merton said that only you can love people the way you can love people. You are uniquely situated in the world to do what only you were made to do.
Facing the Shadow of Fear
The Battle for Healthy Sexuality
The mention of sex or pornography tends to capture a room and fill it with an uneasy tension as people panic for a change in topic. People would rather talk about anything else. We can’t deny that our culture is filled with sexual references and products designed to be just sexual enough so that it walks the line between pornographic and marketable. We post disgust about sexual exploitation and that we wish it would change, but we don’t address where the conversations must start.
Confronting Depression, Unleashing Hope
Dressed for Life: Creating Fulfillment
A Brief Look at Addiction and Attachment
When you read the word, addict, what character comes to mind? Who is this person? Do you feel pity for him? Disdain, fear, indifference? Do you avoid him? Is he you? Whoever you picture, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume none of us aspire to own the label. It alludes to weakness, selfishness, loss, unreliability, and trouble. But can’t we all relate in one way or another? And what is addiction?
Curating a Life of Meaning and Fulfillment
How Does Family Form You?
Ready or Not, Back to School Here We Come!
So much has changed over the last few months, and it can all feel a bit overwhelming! With COVID-19 spreading throughout the country in March, schools moved to online classes virtually overnight, and kids quickly transitioned to staying at home all day. Any hint of normalcy seems like a blur, especially with the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the Memphis area.
Getting to the Root of It
I dread yard work. I find deep satisfaction in completing to-do lists, and yard work is never fully finished. It can require a constant rhythm of maintenance, which invites the maintainer to sometimes step into unpleasant weather conditions, not to mention mosquito bites and getting dirty. These are not a few of my favorite things.
Cultural Humility
Always Plant Tulips
In November, my husband, Tim, planted around 3,000 tulip bulbs in our garden. It took him a few days to dig up the dirt, place the bulbs in the ground, and cover them back up. I did not help. I never considered myself patient or mindful enough for any gardening type of work. I did not think much of the tulips again.