[ 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 […]
If They Are In, Am I Out?
by on May 19, 2019 Leave a Comment
It is “Eastertide” right now in the church calendar. Turns out Easter is not just a one day thing. And in Eastertide this year, my church is thinking about what people do after the resurrection of Jesus. Christ died and was risen, and they knew Christ would come again, but what in the world do […]
The Red Couch: Love Undocumented Introduction
by on April 30, 2019 Leave a Comment
Immigration is a red-hot iron poker in the politics of our day. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the facts, lies, stories, and media. A year ago my Facebook feed was crowded with pictures of children in cages. Families being ripped apart at the border. I was filled with indignation. I donated, called my […]
Liberated from Fear
by on April 16, 2019 Leave a Comment
I wasn’t always afraid. After graduate school, I hopped on a plane to a village 60 kilometers outside of Prague where I lived for a year in a construction building and taught English as a Foreign Language at a local Gymnázium (high school). My roommate and I occupied two rooms in the construction building. The […]
Welcome To The Brave, New, World
by on March 27, 2019 Leave a Comment
Dear Leah, In two months, everything will change. You will pack your bags, move across the country and into a small apartment to live with your partner (who you will then call husband) and his two cats. You will look for a new job. You will hunt for a grocery store that you like, and […]
