It’s that glorious time of year when people pack the gym and try to go vegan for the first time in their lives. The New Year rings in a list of items to improve in our lives. This is the year to lose the weight. This is the year to pay off our remaining debt.… Continue reading
Mental health stigma holds a strong presence, despite how common the symptoms. Even for those who walk through without having a mental illness, we all struggle with depression or anxiety, eventually. While I believe this to be unavoidable, I believe we can better our situation. Perhaps hard times will come, but perhaps we can lessen… Continue reading
As Christmas winds to a close, we start distributing the leftovers and putting our new gifts away. We know we should take down the decorations, but the tree will be dead before it finds the curb. The end of Christmas marks the time for us to think about our New Year’s resolutions. Every social media… Continue reading
As many of you know, Vietnam is a place very dear to me. I feel drawn to the entire region of southeast Asia, but one of my dear friends is there a missionary (or ‘Associate Missionary’). For those of you who don’t know, Vietnam is one of five remaining Communist nations. This influences religious freedom… Continue reading
Every year, we get what some call “Christmas cheer.” We sing about peace on Earth and globally unite to celebrate. But, do we mean the words that we sing? Or is it just a tradition? Anyone who knows me is aware of my struggle with this time of year. I love the meaning of Christmas,… Continue reading
The weather is finally starting to cool down and the nights at least semi-resemble winter. This brings out our sweaters, and often our winter cold, too. Sadly, this is the worst moment to get winter colds– we still have a few more days before Christmas break. And now, our barely-hanging-on minds have a matching ill… Continue reading
Yes, I know that men and women read that title and nodded their head out of relatability. The men perhaps only did so in their heads. A hormone imbalance can come in and ruin our routine. It distracts, even when we are working on an important project. It makes those team projects that much more… Continue reading
If you read my post on Monday, you know that I literally just told you to take a mental break. While I do think you should hold off on any major planning, I am not telling you to dawdle. Realistically, many of us have to be productive over the holidays. We can approach the months… Continue reading
Well, it’s that glorious time of year when we start to get reminders to plan the next year. We get taunts from New Year’s Eve Resolutions and what we want to see in the next season. This would be great, if we could get the energy to finish just this day out strong. But this… Continue reading
Gossip can seem like an ambiguous idea. There is often a question of what actually constitutes gossip. Usually by people who feel that what they are doing isn’t gossip. Not really. They are concerned about this person and should find out if others are worried. And what if someone needs prayer? Should they not pass… Continue reading
Americans have every freedom a First World nation can afford (in some cases, more than we can). Yet, for all we’re free to do in our nation, we’re still not completely safe. We still face doubts, stresses, uncertainty, and being overwhelmed. This is not an uncommon thing that persecutes the few. This is a struggle… Continue reading
Confession: I hate pumpkin pie. Before you judge, I’m just like everyone else who has an obsession over pumpkin spice flavoring. But of all the things I look forward to at Thanksgiving, the dessert table is simply not my temptation. This is the part where you feel like shoving me down the stairs for not… Continue reading
When I head into the gym, I usually talk to a total of: 1 people. I interact with the girl at the front counter when she checks me in, and then the headphones go on. People usually bring the suggestion of a workout partner to help keep you accountable. Assuming you and a friend have… Continue reading
Before any of you do something drastic and call my mother: Giles and I are happily married. The topic of divorce is comprehensive and I’m not going to try covering everything. I have a specific topic I would like to discuss. I’m always torn in two directions with controversial topics. I always want to know… Continue reading
It is inescapable in recent years to be aware of the celebrity deaths involving suicide. In past decades, the expectation was for drug/alcohol overdose and plane crashes. One the consequence of the lifestyle choice and the other a freak accident. But recently, it seems that suicides have afflicted the rich and famous and not always… Continue reading
Most people think they would be a great friend to turn to, should anyone need a shoulder to cry on. But how do we know that we aren’t comparable to Job’s friends, making everything so much worse? For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Job is a man facing loss in every part of… Continue reading
I know I must have attracted the attention of either the sceptics or the theologians, wondering what wild allegations I’m going to be making about Jesus and God’s will. And perhaps a third group known as ‘concerned relatives’. In pursuing holistic health, it can become easy to overlook my spiritual health. It’s always the final… Continue reading
I have a confession to make, and it might cause you to feel differently about me. I’m not shy about this and would definitely not consider it a secret. Yet, somehow people always feel envy or pure hatred. I don’t actually like desserts. I don’t like chocolate, cake, cookies, or any other decadent items. While… Continue reading
Hello all! Today, I’m very excited to have my dear friend, Kim (author of the blog, Officially Kim), guest blog for me! Kim is preggers and still manages to look adorable! Whether you’re pregnant, plan to be or it’s all a distant idea (*raise my hand at the last one*), you can keep her tips… Continue reading
As I begin to tackle this new challenge in my life, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I’m sure this is something we all face. We decide to pursue a goal, knowing it will be difficult. Before we even begin, we’re faced with a problem that has kept us from goals before. We have issues and those… Continue reading
