Apparently there is this school of thought, some believe supported by Scripture, that being the unfortunate victim of abuse is “God’s Will”. Obviously they don’t understand how wrong of a conclusion they have come to. Nor do they get the depth abuse reaches into the spirit, the soul and the foundation of someone deeply traumatized […]
Words Matter– Spoken and Unspoken
Tearing down is for strongholds, not for people. Not ever for people.
Awoken
Have you ever told the truth, then had to try to prove you were telling the truth, about something that no one wanted to believe? I have. Have you ever been called a liar by people who knew you were telling the truth, to others who did not? And the others not only believed you […]
One Size Fits… Um No
I confess– I have a tendency to be a serial unasked-for advice giver. I can’t help it. I know others can glean from my experience-gained wisdom. Right? Except that’s never how it’s taken. If I’m honest, it’s also not how I take it from others, either, even though I try to be polite and respectful. […]
What I Wish Some Understood About Sexual Abuse Survivors
We live in a world full of people with as many backgrounds as there are people. No two are completely alike. In this mix, there are abusers, abuse survivors and the unaware. The category I fit into is abuse survivor. I was molested as a child, harassed as a teen and young adult, and raped […]
What’s Sexism Got To Do With It?
What does every woman want, universally? Is it to be a “sex symbol”? To be loved by everyone? Is it to be known as the prettiest? The friendliest? How about the smartest? On the surface, every one of these may fit. But, what’s at the heart of it? I believe it’s simple acknowledgement of […]
Survivors Are The Strong Heartbeat Of Our Nation
I am a survivor. I survived childhood trauma, dealt with it and moved on. -Taught me how to be a better parent for my kids. I survived life with a mentally ill parent. -Taught me the importance of trusting God for who would father my own children. I survived nearly dying from alcohol poisoning. -Taught […]
Happy Birthday, United States Air Force– What Is There To Even Celebrate Now?
As a veteran and military spouse with 22 years of Air Force experience, what can I say about my beloved branch of service on its 69th birthday? I was proud the day I stepped out of MEPS with a promised new, exciting yet completely unknown future. At 24, after a failed marriage to a man […]
Fighting An Invisible Enemy
I have an invisible enemy. I’ve fought against it for as long as I can remember. This enemy does not fight fair. It hides in the shadows. I have exhausted myself many times throughout my lifetime trying to fight back, but it dodges every retaliatory jab. My enemy catches me off-guard, though less often […]
The Spiritual Damage Of Anorexia
Fasting is an important part of our growing relationship with God. When we fast unto God, we deny our flesh to set aside our physical wants and needs temporarily to focus on seeking God.
Dark Reflection: Looking At The Painful Past
I hate looking at my past. I hate remembering. I have set out so many times to write “my story”, but something always blocks me. I think it might be “this” me hating the “old” me. I don’t want to look at it through my memories. Why would you? Today my youngest was playing with […]
Why My Defensiveness Is A Reflex Reaction For Me With Some
Last night, I had the most wonderful time having dinner, talking, then just listening to a dear friend. I learned so much about her, things I never would have guessed! It’s even easier to see why she is such a beautiful, loving, sincerely kind woman of God. As is the usual case with me, […]
Why I Am This Way, And How It Applies To My Dating Daughter
I grew up a fighter. At a time when women were belittled– not taken seriously while harassed for wanting to break out of the “norm” set for us by men– I decided not to just accept that, but to push past it. I have dealt with that issue head-on for many years now. From […]
I Once Was Not A Christian
I have had a lot of experiences in my lifetime. Way too many to write about here. I’ll break it down into two parts: Before Christ and After Christ. I’ll even throw in some Why I CHOSE Christ, for added tangibility. So, BC: I was born into a family that loved me, but that love […]
God Loves Divorcées
I get it. God hates divorce. Divorced people also hate divorce. It’s ugly. It’s destructive. It tears apart what God put together. It turns a peaceful union into a war zone. Moses gave permission for divorce because mens hearts had hardened against their wives. A hardened heart makes way for cruelty and abuse. Moses was […]
One Anothering
My husband and I got into an argument early this morning. Which, in all honesty, is an uncommon, even a rare thing for us. We both had had a long night for different reasons, both feeling tired and some stress. He was snippy with me, I was short-fused because of that and the long night… […]
Depression IS A Thing
Worth
So What?
This is what my insides feel like every time I try to write my story. Gut-wrenched. I describe that feeling to my husband as killer moths flapping around in my tummy. Every time I tell a portion of my story it feels like someone reached inside of me and yanked a piece of me out. […]
Exposed
I hate my past. I hate the parts of my personal story that involve my past. I don’t like who I was, I don’t like what I lived through. I abhor my reactions and choices. I despise where I had no choice or that I […]
What’s In An Opinion?
I have always liked people. Anyone who really knows me, knows it’s kind of my nature to try to put others before myself. Sometimes I’m clumsy about it, often I appear to just be trying too hard. OK– yeah, I try too hard. Always I just want others to know they […]
9/11: 13 Years Later
My daughter asked me what today’s date is, and as I glanced at my calendar and told her, the date slapped me across my consciousness. September 11. Wow. So much significance in that date, and yet, this year for the first time, it caught me off my guard. 13 years ago, when our country was […]
Embracing Pain and Fear
Do you know Who you belong to? Do you believe on Him so deeply, that no amount of pain or suffering will manipulate you into relenting and turning away?
The Truth About My Mom-In-Law
The strengths of my mother-in-law stand out so clearly for me. She has been a wonderful example of being strong, courageous and faithful. Sensitive Traditional Righteous Observant Noteworthy Gentle Concise Outspoken Unrelenting Respectable Amazing Giving Encouraging Overjoyed Unique Smart Fabulous Ardent Intuitive Thoughtful […]
My Mom Is One Of A Kind
The things I learned from my mom are perseverance, strength, wisdom and loyalty. My mom is: Practical Economically minded Resourceful Supportive Effective Valuable Excellent Rational Authentic Needed Courteous Encouraging Strong-willed Tenacious Realistic Engaging Necessary Generous Thoughtful Humorous Wise Intentional Selfless Daring Outgoing Magnanimous Logical Original Yielded to God Ambitious […]
Jemtree's Heart 