Feeling anxious? Join the crowd. Once “just” a mental illness (although the most prevalent, currently affecting about 18% of the US population according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America), today anxiety seems to be the norm for most of us. Many factors play into this: – The wide variety of consumer choices both fulfills needs and wishes and creates stress through too many options; – The 24/7 news media keeps us up to date on the latest threats to safety and security, helping us feel both in-the-know and more in control yet more anxious about our present and future; – Social media helps us connect in more ways than ever before but keeps us more image co
I wrote earlier about a huge trial that my husband and I went through a few years ago. In point of fact – it’s been almost – key word: almost – three years since the beginning of the year that changed my life. It was a journey of faith unlike anything I had thought I would ever face, and I was totally unprepared for it. Looking back, I still can’t believe that we came through it, by the grace of God, so well. Even that I came through it sanely! It began on a Monday in December, and – well, I guess it hasn’t really ended quite yet. I was working – I still remember the session I was in – and Pete called our “emergency signal” – ringing my phone twice in a row. He was in the hospital and they s
I started to write this blog post weeks ago. Typically words flow easily for me but this post was personal and more of a challenge to articulate. We all experience loss in our lifetimes. Each person grieves and mourns differently. Many of you have probably heard the expression that our grief is as individual as our fingerprint. When it happened to me with the sudden loss of my husband five years ago, I was unaware of the stages and types of grief. I just knew that my world was forever changed. Sudden loss leaves you no time for goodbyes. During the last five years, I have traveled in and out of every stage of grief more times than I can count. Many changes follow the loss of a loved one. Cha
