September is PCOS Awareness Month, and I’m encouraged by the increase in information and awareness being shared about this disorder. Whether you have PCOS, or whether you are a loved one supporting a woman with PCOS, thank you for taking the time to educate yourself today. I was diagnosed with PCOS on a snowy March day in 2013. And in those five years, I’ve found myself under the covers in tears, curled up in physical, mental, and spiritual torment. I’ve been poked and prodded more times by doctors in these few years than most women will in an entire lifetime. I’ve listened to ignorant comments and accepted meaningless advice. I’ve felt the eyes of judgement. I’ve wanted to confine myself … [Read more...]
One Year of Veganism: What I’ve Learned & How My Life Has Changed
I owe my conversion to veganism to two things: prayer and laziness. And I'm grateful that the Lord responds to both! I curled up one day on my couch, scanning through Netflix for my next binge. The documentary "What the Health" popped up as a suggestion, and I clicked "play." Everything changed after that. For the first time, my eyes were opened to the danger I was putting my body in by entrusting the government and big corporations with my health. Since being diagnosed with PCOS and struggling through infertility, I was relentlessly asking the Lord for guidance. My prayers were not specifically about getting pregnant, but rather, I prayed for my health. Thoughts of additional … [Read more...]
When You See the Storm Coming
I opened the weather app on my phone. There was no denying that the storm was coming. I refreshed the screen minute by minute, hour by hour for updates. The radar showed a real-time movement of green, yellow, and red coming our way. The lightning emoji declared certainty that the entire day would be filled with rain. I was weary from relentless Midwest summer storms. I desired to see and feel the sunshine, to get out of my house and breathe fresh air. Our Rudy had just been diagnosed with canine lymphoma, and I couldn't tolerate the storms any longer. My heart was heavy and the grief was thick. The combination of literal and metaphorical storms became all-consuming. I pleaded with the … [Read more...]
Truths for Your Identity
Every human being longs for identity and purpose. We strive to mark ourselves with influential words, prominent job titles, and power terms. Our identity directs the roles we take, those we surround ourselves with, and the decisions we make. Sometimes I struggle with my identity, who I am, and what my purpose is. When this happens, it's clear that I have forgotten the truths of who Jesus says I am. Or, more honestly, it's not that I've forgotten -- those truths often do not seem "enough" for me in a world of Girl Bosses, those living the Mom Life, and Wanderlusters. I initially wrote this for the protection and nourishment of my soul. And these truths of my identity in Christ apply to … [Read more...]