We celebrated Easter each in our own homes almost a month ago. Still, according to the church calendar it is Easter. There are years where I revel in the length of Eastertide. I walk through the 50 days expecting resurrection at every turn. What miracle will I experience now? This year has not been a […]
Carrying an Unshared Trauma Together
by on May 1, 2020 Leave a Comment
There is something hauntingly intimate when you hold a secret between two people. Something that only the two of you know. A sacred knowing. What is it called, though, when the same secret is carried by millions? In 2012, I arrived through the gates of O’Hare International Airport. Home. My feet had landed on US […]
When You’re Resistant To Change
by on January 27, 2020 Leave a Comment
I don’t have a particularly good track record when it comes to change. I don’t like it. I always assume it’s going to end badly and, because of that, I tend to stay in situations longer than I should. The familiar unpleasant is less terrifying to me than the unknown. When it comes to thinking […]
Writing Love Letters To Our Bodies
by on July 14, 2019 Leave a Comment
Summer can be a particularly hard time of year to be a woman in a body. Many of us have complicated relationships with our bodies and with the sheer number of messages telling us to be more of this and less of that, it’s no wonder we have a hard time seeing ourselves clearly. This […]
Sisters in Mental Illness: Shaley Hoogendoorn Talks to Jessica Birak of Mint & Birch
by on June 26, 2019 Leave a Comment
[ Trigger Warning: Mention of abuse, as well as an eating disorder.] This month, Shaley Hoogendoorn talks to Jessica Birak, founder of the jewelry company Mint & Birch, who is also a vulnerable and honest advocate for mental health. They talk about topics related to anxiety, depression, postpartum, hypochondria, eating disorders and healing from childhood […]
