It’s been two years since I signed up with Women for Sobriety New Life Program. I’d been sober for about six years by then, but one morning I suddenly felt “at risk.” I’d tried AA several years before. As one who understands the profound and lasting effect of words, I could not embrace the hypnotic…
Tag: Encouragement
Motivation, hope, beating blues, defeating depression, taking a pause, lifting up
Writers, Start Your Engines
Where are you sinking your 50k words this fall?
Do Ancient Curses Still Apply?
I did not know Charlie Kirk, but I am deeply grieved by the violent censorship of his voice and the mockery that comes on the heels of his death. For years we’ve allowed people who do not have our best interests at heart to tear at the fabric of what our country stands for. Charlie…
Is Journaling Worth It?
Thoughts on the value of keeping a thought record.
Shedding What You Don’t Need
When I inherited a friend’s huge library, I had to make some hard decisions about what to keep. In the limited space I currently occupy, my rule is if something comes in something goes out. Which meant I couldn’t keep all the currently owned books if I kept all the inherited ones. What I could…
Where You From?
I love a good challenge. A fellow author and friend posted a thought-provoking poem some years back. Her powerful words took my mind places. I found myself nodding, resonating and in awe. Later I learned the poem was a directed template, but the kind of template that accommodates clever turns of phrase, and vivid imagery….
Red Sea Road to Sinai Book Review
In her newest release Red Sea Road to Sinai; Overcoming Abuse and Trauma with God’s Word, Cate Jones, RN had it all. She grew up in an idyllic New Zealand town, beautiful, healthy, and strong in the care of loving parents. As a young adult she had a promising new career in the Salvation Army…
Words Matter Week March 2-8
Hello there! I’m glad you’re reading this right now. First a quick shout out to some of my more active readers: Thanks to Mike, Kris, Jeremy, Brenda, Michael, and Stuart. Please leave your links in the comments so others can visit your sites and enjoy your great writing. If you’re a writer, you may already…
Rescue Vs Resilience
I knew a man who of a man who struggled most of his life with addiction, broken relationships, chronic car trouble, debt, and health issues. He and his wife worked very hard to make ends meet. Nothing came easily to them. Because there were no rich relatives, no financial windfalls they scratched out life as…
Adjusting to the Compass
How do you know when it’s time to move? Either from one apartment to the next, to another city, or even across the country? After thirty-nine moves, I’m very tuned into YHVH on this. Five years ago this month, my husband began talking it up about moving. We even went to a place or two….
Betwixt and Between
A new friend and I were recently discussing the place of in-between, where what is coming is not yet here. At what point does it become real? At inception? Conclusion? Or somewhere along the way? In the waiting it often looks like nothing is happening, especially if forward motions isn’t visible to the naked eye….
Destined for Success
One year in late winter, I decided to try sprouting an avocado pit. In some ways, this seemed doomed to fail at the outset. For one thing, avocados are tropical plants. Currently, it’s the coldest season in the Midwest. The best light happened to be in the kitchen in front of the sliding glass doors….
Juli Ocean 