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It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

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I think there is a strange expectation that if your life is good, you should always feel good. If you have beautiful things, people you love, a home you’ve built, children you’re proud of, and a life you once prayed for, then you should be able to handle whatever comes next with a smile. So I’ve been smiling. I’ve been saying I’m okay. I’ve been making jokes about my daughter moving out. I’ve acted excited. I’ve talked about her new place, her new chapter, her independence. And I  am  excited for her. I really am. But I’m also not okay. And I think it’s important to say that out loud. Yesterday, my daughter got her keys to her very first place. And I broke down. I cried for her. I cried for me. I cried because this is what we spend all those years preparing them for. We raise them to become independent. We teach them to make decisions, take care of themselves, and build lives of their own. And then one day, they actually do it. Like really, the nerve of them to go out and be t...
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When Someone Judges You Based on a False Perception

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Words are powerful. They can breathe life into someone who is struggling, offer hope to a weary heart, or remind a person they are seen and valued. But words also have another kind of power—the power to leave wounds that no one else can see. Recently, I experienced that firsthand. I had a conversation with someone, and later I learned that the conversation had been repeated in a way that wasn't true to what was actually said. The conversation happened, but the meaning behind my words had been changed. Assumptions filled in the gaps, and those assumptions became the reason this person chose to treat me differently. Normally, I could let something like that go. People misunderstand each other. It happens. But then I heard something that stopped me in my tracks. I was told that an employee didn't feel comfortable around me because she said I had told her, as well as others, that I got into trouble at my previous employer for bullying. That wasn't just inaccurate. It challenged...
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