Home of the Darkwater Author
It's been a while since I blogged anything but a sermon. I want to break this silence, and as I thought about what to write about, it occurred to me that some of you shared that you appreciated my openness and honesty about the experiences I'd had at Alternatives, the partial hospitalization program I attended … Continue reading Catching the Backslide
So, I've recently discerned one of the things that continually upsets me in daily life, that causes me both anxiety and depression. It's a major trigger for me, and that's a shame, because it's almost unavoidable in everyday life. The really interesting thing about this trigger, for me, is that I have finally found something … Continue reading One of My Biggest Triggers
Sometimes I find out just how angry people are. Sometimes I make the mistake of reading the comments. Facebook posts these days are so frequently about wearing masks, or about churches being open, or about opening businesses, or about keeping them closed. Even reading just those posts can sometimes remind me of the anger, but … Continue reading Sometimes Despair
This is one in a series of posts I’m calling “Snapshots of my Depression.” These are memories of times in my life when my mental illness manifested itself in one way or another. In my twenties, I spent five years as the full-time Director of Education/Pastoral Assistant of a Lutheran church. Fresh out of seminary, … Continue reading Snapshots of my Depression #14: Locked In
Okay. This is the last of the 2008 poems I'm going to share. And I'm not going to try to defend or explain this one. I don't think it's finished. (And it never will be!) But it's definitely bizarre. I love it. Broke I broke my computer I slathered it with bile I ripped out … Continue reading Broke (poem, 2008)
It's hard to hear all the anger It's hard to live with the strife It's hard to learn that conflict and hatred Are the backdrop for living this life It's hard to talk with each other It's so hard to listen and hear It's hard when the very thought of someone Can paint your emotions with … Continue reading It’s Hard (Poem)
This is one in a series of posts I’m calling “Snapshots of my Depression.” These are memories of times in my life when my mental illness manifested itself in one way or another. It's been a while since I posted one of these "Snapshots." I thought maybe it was time to dust off this series, … Continue reading Snapshots of My Depression #12: Not the Best Man
Is it normal to feel frightened, actually scared, by all the campaign signs this election? Is it normal to feel frightened of going to work on election day, because my workplace is a polling place? Because I am scared. I'm scared of talking about whom I'm supporting, unless the other person brings it up first. I'm … Continue reading Scared of this election
So, this shooting in Orlando has ticked off every box. I mean, sheesh. We've got people talking about Muslims and terrorism. We've got people talking about LGBTQ rights. We've got people talking about gun control. We've got people talking about racism. My Facebook feed has gone cuckoo bananas. Memes and sarcasm and emotional tirades and … Continue reading Who are we becoming?
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