I am thankful that I write down my thoughts in my journal.  When you look back at past entries you are able to zoom out on your life and see the broader picture.  When you are in the middle of living your day to day, your focus is too blurry.  Being able to see more of how your journey is unfolding helps you see a little bit clearer.  

Years ago when my husband and I left the first church we were pastoring, I remember going through a time of mourning, which led to counselling and a journey of healing.  At the beginning of this journey I remember Dustin holding me while I was crying and we were talking through life and what our future could hold.  I remember saying that I wish I could see 10 years down the road, and be able to say what a great learning experience that was.  

Well that was 22 years ago, I don't know if I can say that it was a great learning experience but it was something that we learned to work through together and brought Dustin and I closer in the early stages of our marriage.

As I have been coming through the hurt from my experience in 2018 and moving into the healing stage I have been reading through past entries in my journal.  Here is an excerpt from May 2019:

How often we get in the spiral of confusion and we don't know how to move forward.  Sitting in confusion gets comfortable and then we feel that there is no way to make a decision so we choose not to make a decision.  Then we get stuck and then we just don't know how to move forward.

I can remember writing this journal entry.  I was suffering in silence at this point.  I didn't want to admit my struggle to anyone because I didn't want to feel shame or to be judged.  I chose to continue to suffer for months with so much inner turmoil.  I didn't pray because I thought God didn't care, when I did speak to Him there was so much anger in my voice, and hatred in my words.

The inner turmoil was that I felt like something was missing, that there was more going on in this situation and I didn't understand.  I longed to return to the scriptures and to listen for that still small voice but I couldn't get the thought that this "message from God" I received - told me that I wasn't wanted by God and I had no place teaching in His name.

I carried this feeling of rejection for a long time.  We are all searching to understand who we are and how we fit into this world.  I had lost my place and I started to change.  I must have so many people confused on my Instagram account because I keep changing my name and the content so much.  Sorry about that.  I have been trying to find my way.

The title of this post is hurting to healing.  I have been hurting for a long time.  My thoughts have been so negative and the deep wound of hurt is going to take time to heal.  But I am starting to heal.  I am starting to find my way back.  I am starting to feel more like myself again.

I am thankful for friends that I was able to have a safe place to share, they support me in prayer, and encourage me to open my Bible everyday.  My healing is found in the scriptures.

I will continue to share my journey here.  I know when I was struggling I didn't know where to go for help.  I hope that I am able to give support to those that don't know where to go or who to talk to.  

What are you searching for?  Are you searching for approval?  For agreement for the choices you are making?  Are you searching for truth?

​I have been searching.  I have shared briefly over the past few years that I have really been struggling.  I have wrote a lot of journal pages and wasted a lot of time scrolling on social media trying to figure out how to heal from the hurt.

​My husband and I have dedicated our Saturday mornings to coffee and "discussion".  My husband and I met on a missions program where we toured across Canada speaking in high schools.  When you are travelling all the time stuffed inside mini vans you learn a lot about each other really quickly.  After the tour we both went home to our different Provinces, thousands of kilometers apart.  Our long distance phone bills were outrageous and many emails were exchanged.  Our only form of building our relationship was with communication.  At the time I resented it, but now I really appreciate that time because it built our relationship firmly on our ability to communicate well with each other and to express our thoughts and emotions through our words - there was no Facetime - it was a receiver, attached to a cord, that attached to the phone on the wall.  Yes I am that old.  I still remember the party line we shared with two of our neighbours.  Don't judge. 

Anyway, back to our Saturday morning coffee - we have always been able to communicate well but we weren't always making the time for it.  Now we do.  I have been doing a lot of journaling and reading and self exploration over the past year.  I was tired of struggling and it was time to move forward.  I wasn't sure how but I took the first step on the journey.  Last Saturday I was sharing with Dustin about what I have learned about myself over the past few months, about the people who have come into my life at the perfect time and how I am feeling lighter.  I told him that I feel like sharing about what I am learning with others but I don't feel like I have the answers yet.  Dustin then told me to start sharing.  He said normal people don't share publicly about their struggles as much as I do (I think that was a compliment 😁), that many struggle through things alone.  He gave me example after example of times I have stepped forward to share, and how it has helped others.  We talked about a time in high school english class that my class was asked to write a page about ourselves.  I was so honest in that page that I ended up in weeks of appointments in the student counselling centre.  😂  Dustin then told me that I was most likely the only one to write how I honestly felt, most would have written either what they felt like should write or what the teacher was expecting of them.  I chose to be honest in my writing and that has never changed because it is who I am.  My book became another example of that.

In my journaling workshops I ask people to write in their journal about who they are in the dark.  Who are you when you are sitting in your room in the dark, with the door closed and your phone is in another room.  No one is around, no one can see you - who are you?

The last few years have been a struggle for me.  I do not have the answers but I know that my healing comes from me sharing and teaching.  The hurt that I experienced went deep.  It hurt to the core of my being.  When you are hurt by something that is tied so close to who you are, it shakes everything.

I experienced a hurt that I still haven't been able to define.  I was trying to figure out how to deal with it and I didn't even know the words to search on google.

It has been largely described as "being hurt by the church", or when "Christians attack their own". 

It has been a long time since I have made time to write.  I have been walking quite the journey over the past two years and I haven't taken the time to process it all. 

So, last night I made myself a cup of tea and sat with my journal - it has been a long time.  I turned to a blank page and it just sometimes that blank page just stares back at you - you have so much to write but you don't know where to begin or how to start. 

When I teach my journaling workshops I always ask the group to start with the date.  It is always a good place to start.

​So with the date in the top right corner, the words began to flow. 

​Finally after four pages I felt like I had made a good start.  There has been a lot going on and my heart needs a lot of healing.  I have always found writing to be a form of healing for me.  When I wrote my book it caused me to deal with a lot of issues from my past so that I was free to move forward in my life.  

With all that is going on with the COVID-19 I have been found myself coaching people again.  One of the main things that I tell people is that they need to start writing about this experience.  As we write it is incredible to see the awakenings and healing that can emerge.

I have always felt that my life experiences and character building exercises are for me to share.  As with my book and my journey over the past two years, I heal by writing and sharing.  And hopefully through my sharing I can help others on their journeys.

​Finally, keep the following in mind while you are journaling:

• It’s okay to write only a few words, and it’s okay to write several pages – just write at your own pace.
• Don’t worry so much about what to write about, just focus on taking the time to write and giving it your full attention.
• Don’t worry about how well you write – the important thing is to write down what makes sense to you and what comes naturally to you.
• Write as if no one else will read it – this will help you avoid “putting on a show” rather than writing authentically

Find a notebook and just start writing.  It's where you will find me - and I will be blogging more over the coming weeks as well.  I have a lot to work through - it's time to start the healing.

Hello friends - how are you doing?

Honestly, I want to know how you are.  Are you taking time to pause in your day, a chance to gather your focus?  Are you allowing the rush of life to set in again?  Are you setting time aside each week to write in your journal?  Send me an email and give me an update.

I want to share with you my new favourite app: - the OAK meditation app. 

The breathing exercises are a great way to start your day and I fall asleep to the relaxing sounds every night.  When I sit down to journal I use the unguided meditation and I set it for 30-45 minutes depending on how much time I have, I add my favourite background sound and I set the chimes.  I have an interval bell go every 5 minutes because my mind tends to wonder when I am writing in my journal, the chime brings me back to focus on my journal time.

There are so many times when our focus wonders and we loose track of what we are trying to accomplish.

We are each on a journey, we need to choose to enjoy each step, live with intention and make it beautiful.

Each day is a new day, with new opportunities to grow.  Have an amazing day!

How often we let life just "happen" to us.  Each day looks just like the last.

We have the opportunity to enjoy each day.  To find joy in our moments.  Does this sound like something attainable for other but not for you?

That's how I felt.  I would hear other women talking excitedly about their lives, while I was feeling warn down, tired and frumpy.  I would scroll through social media wondering how it could be possible to live like what I saw portrayed in the photos.  Mentally, I knew that the pictures were staged, but in my heart there was still a longing for something different than what I currently have.

I didn't know what that something different was.  It just felt like something needed to be changed.

How often I would sit and scroll through Pinterest, saving hundreds of pins of home ideas, how I would like my personal style to be, recipes for my family and secret ideas that I would like to see happen "some day."

​Then Pinterest showed me something that I needed to see: "Nothing changes if nothing changes."  Think on that for a moment.

How is "something" supposed to change, if nothing changes.  Why have I been waiting around for "something" to happen?  I know this, why am I circling in this holding pattern?

I needed to make change, here are a few things that I am working on in my new journey:

1. Putting my phone down.  Our phone's are a constant distraction and are adding input into our already overwhelmed thought processes.  Now I am scheduling time with my phone.  Difficult but very important.
2. Spending time being quiet.  I spend a lot of time trying to block out my thoughts because they are generally negative.  If I keep my mind busy with overthinking everything than I won't hear the negative.  With that choice I am now stressed out and anxious, which doesn't help anything.  Now I take a few moments each day to pause and take a few good breaths.  I have been using an app called Oak to help keep me accountable.  It is going well so far, I didn't need all that extra negativity overwhelming my thoughts.
3. Having a wellness plan.  This includes eating, exercise, water consumption and sleep routines.  I have been using the tools that are in my Fitbit to help my daily choices to move toward where I need to be in my health journey.
4. Holding books.  For so long I have been been reading eBooks and listening to audio books.  Which is good - I was still learning.  But there is something different with holding a paper copy, and highlighting and writing notes as I am learning.
5. Writing down my thoughts.  Working through the My Journey journal has been so beneficial.  I also have a bullet journal that I have been writing lots of notes in from what I have been learning from all the books that I am reading.  I also use a daily planner which has been helping me keep focused and plan my work load.  All my lists and appointments are laid out where I can see them and make a plan to get it all done.  This has increased my productivity incredibly.  

It has been encouraging to see that as I working through all these different aspects that I am seeing how they are all coming together.  By reading a book it keeps my hands busy so I am not picking up my phone.  I created a little reading nook in my room and it is a place where I can be quiet.  As I am learning I am writing down my thoughts in my bullet journal.

Then at the end of the week I can spend time working through the questions in the My Journey journal and I am seeing how my wellness journey is unfolding.  

I still have a long way to go, but I am thankful for this journey.  I feel like it is my journey - not one that I am trying to emulate from what I see on social media or my Pinterest boards.

Each of us have so much to offer to the world around us.  I feel like I have been caught up in a spiral of selfishness, I am ready to move forward to a place where I can be a benefit to those around me.  Thanks for sharing this journey with me.

How are you doing?  2020 has been an interesting year, wouldn't you agree?

I did something this year that I thought that I would never do.

I signed up for a group coaching membership.  Yep, I did.  The past few years have been difficult and I have really been struggling with trying to figure it all out.  So I had to try something.  And in my typical fashion I had to do something that was somewhat anonymous.  The group is big enough that you can attend and not be seen, but you get all of the teaching.  And this works perfectly for me, and I have been learning a lot.  I am so thankful that I put aside my preconceived ideals and make this investment in myself.  

What could have been a very difficult year - that continued to spiral downward, has become a year of healing that I am so thankful for.

​Are you taking time to invest in you?  It is really important that you do.  I carried some baggage around for far too long, and I wasn't taking care of my health - I just kind of let everything go.  This is not a good place to live your life.

Making active choices to live intentionally is where we all need to be.

I have made a variety of changes in my life and part of it includes the environment that I live in and how I start my day.  I am going to share a bit of that with you.

I have been following Yoga with Adriene on YouTube for years.  I am not a big fan of public displays of exercise, I like the comfort of my own home.  I start my diffuser with a relaxing scent, play some relaxing music (which for me is jazz), lay down my yoga mat and spend 30 minutes relaxing and stretching.  It is an amazing way to start my day. 

​Now that I am working from home I have more time in the mornings because I no longer have the commute.  Yoga helps clear my mind, stretches out the muscles that ache from the night (which seem to be increasing year by year) and gets me motivated to take on my day!

Yoga for Writers is a favourite of mine.  I like the stretching with a little bit of core.

Taking the time to invest in my mental wellness has so important.  

I created the My Journey journal years ago and it keeps evolving and become something that is a huge part of my life.  It is my weekly check in with myself and has become a place where I can see my journey unfold and give myself more grace in my journey.

If you are interested in checking it out for yourself all you have to do it CLICK HERE to download your free journal.

2020 is year that I will always remember and I am thankful that I used this time as a positive experience.  It is so easy to get sucked into a negative environment - and it happens.  But you don't have to stay there.  You get to choose, I really hope that you will join me as we choose to end 2020 well.