Winters’ Day In
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author Talena Winters.
Pour a cuppa and stay awhile.
Can Someone Stop the World? I’d Like to Get Off.
Personal update about the current pandemic, The Sphinx’s Heart (it’s two books now!), our new dog, and more.
Mae Renfroe: Surrendered to God
Mae Renfroe lost her second-eldest son, Clayton, in a quadding accident in April of 2017 at the age of fourteen. Mae and I both hope you will be encouraged by her story.
Finding Peace in the Pain
For many, the holidays can be a difficult time of year. I recently shared a one-minute testimony about how I’ve found peace after our family tragedy, and wanted to share it with you. I hope it blesses you.
Healing from Loss, One Bite at a Time
There is an old joke that goes, "How do you eat an elephant?"
"I don't know, how do you?"
"One bite at a time."
The not-so-hidden truth in here can be applied to so many things—projects, goals, ginormous meals. But today, I'm going to talk about how I have found this true when tackling emotional hardship.*
*No elephants were harmed in the making of this blog post.
7 Things: The Busy Writer’s Edition
Obligatory blog update. Mostly about writing. But also with a motivational Facebook Live video and guest post mention, in case you missed it. ;-)
The Healing Power of Community
Two years after losing our son, we are still completely humbled when we consider the massive wave of support we received when Munchkin died. I am convinced that the support of our community through that first difficult year had a good deal to do with the progress we made in our healing. Yes, the work of grief must be done on an individual basis. But knowing that we were never alone had a significant impact on how brave we were in approaching that work.
Getting Unstuck
A day at a time, the log jam is loosening and the ideas are flowing. The sun is coming back, energy is returning, and I am pulling myself blinking from the retreat of hibernation. For my own mental and emotional health, this year needs to be less about driving myself and more about reducing commitments, taking care of myself, and finding my passion again. It needs to be about healing.
How Being Unselfish Heals Us
Bitter or better? We can choose how we heal from loss. It's all in what we focus on.
Photo Friday: Difficult Discoveries
"It's your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you." - Rumi
Joy Comes Softly
Every day is another step forward. Every day, grief morphs and whirls and changes into a different shape, like dancing aurora borealis. And lately, I have been surprised by joy.
Photo Friday: Hope in Grief
Last Saturday, Levi turned four. It could have been an awful, hard, day of mourning. But it wasn't. It was a day of joy, and remembering, and thinking about our little man. Together.
Riding the Rails: How to Avoid an Emotional Train Wreck
Are you trapped in the tarry black hole of dwelling on loss? Are you jumping trains trying to hide from it? Or are you figuring out how to keep moving forward with loss as your travelling companion? How to avoid a train wreck on your road to healing and your dreams.
How Love Lets Go
There is no "one-time thing" when it comes to grief. It happens in pieces.