Not a week that goes by that I don’t remind my son to be kind to his sister and play with her. When he looks at her, he sees an annoying two-year-old girl who steals his toys and
ruins all his fun. For him, she is simply too hard to love. While few of us can relate to the irritation of dealing with a two-year-old sister, many of us can relate to the experience of living with a difficult family member. Continue reading
Tag Archive | life
Are you Adult-ing?
There are some things that have started to happen with my friends and I which has made us consider the possibility that we are getting finer with time. Does any of these sound familiar? If so, you may also be uhm…adulting. Continue reading
Here’s why they Never Replied to your Job Application
Yup….I Lost It…or Did I?
I lost an hour today. Checked my purse, the closet, my junk drawer the computer bag….yep it’s gone. This is nothing new. I can’t tell you how it happens, it just does. It’s not like when you lose your keys, you can ultimately find them. Finding a lost hour can be more time consuming than just accepting that it’s gone. Today there was a legitimate reason, the clocks were all moved ahead because of Daylight Savings Time. Continue reading
3 Psalms for When You Worry About Your Children’s Future
I’ve only been a mom for four years—but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about my children’s future. I constantly wonder what the next decade, or even the next year, will hold for them. What profession will they pursue? Will they be able to sustain themselves financially? Will they make good decisions? Will they find the right spouse? Continue reading
9 Seconds! Make a call – Save a Life
There was very little conversation being had in church about Domestic Violence. We talked about dating, marriage, tithing, stewardship and spiritual gifts. Pause –if you read the pervious 2 sentences at a normal pace, that was about 9 seconds. As I was saying…There was a ministry for everything from the church van to the community concerns (Candle Night out) but no one was talking about the black eye the Sunday School teacher often had. (9seconds). We were told ‘you are fearfully and wonderfully made’ but our young men and women weren’t reaffirmed in their self esteem in our Sunday School or Youth Group to know what that means. (9 seconds) We sang Jesus loves me, but when it came to it – did we know how that love had different meanings in each home? (9 seconds). Domestic violence comes in many forms (physical, emotional, sexual, financial, elder abuse) and over 10 years ago a 501c3 (9 seconds) organization-Preciouslyfe was formed to boldly have a faith based conversation about it. (9 seconds) Preciouslyfe (Now My Tattered Brim) continues to work, speak, encourage and pray for change, education and awareness of abuse. (9 seconds)
Be aware and have the conversations. The first National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, released on December 14, 2011, reveals the alarming magnitude of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence in America. In the time it took to read the first paragraph of this post- according the US Justice Department – about 7 people were victims of domestic violence. Do the math. 7 people a minute. 60 minutes. 420 victims an hour.

Among states, Pennsylvania tied for 15th place for women, and ranked 25th place for men, in the lifetime prevalence of rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner. This is why we need your help.
Happy Freakin’ Holidays
As the years go by I’ve learned the Holiday trio (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year) can be depressing. Stress, illness, addiction, financial woes and other challenges don’t go away because it’s the holiday season. Meanwhile the holidays heighten the expectation that we should be kind (if not oozing the Norman Rockwell painting-ish kinda love) to all around us. Continue reading
This Caused 3 Women to Die Today
Many people don’t know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month – even though 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and an average of 3 women die every day at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. My Tattered Brim (Preciouslyfe) is a 501c3 organization dedicated to supporting survivors of Domestic Violence by helping to answer the question ‘I’m out of my abusive environment-now what?’. We provide support, education, life skills training and assistance in the navigation of resources of other Domestic Violence agencies we partner with as survivors rebuild their lives. Continue reading
I’ll be My Own Number One
There are days when you wake up and have to be like David and encourage yourself. Not
because you don’t have an awesome other half that listens to you whine, encourages and holds you up when you are feeling down and deflated. No matter how you try to shake it you see evidence of the irritation(s) everywhere you look. Each sign making the tear in the irk fabric larger and larger until its a deep, dark, empty hole. Continue reading
I Speak A New Language – porque soy más del 40!!
I work for an organization where some of my colleagues speak many languages. It is an enviable ability that has had me wish I really paid attention when Senior Fazinni was teaching my Spanish class, at least to recall more than a few phrases. The one that I still remember and used most – ¿puedo ir al baño so I could find a study hall to socialize in. I’m ashamed but confession is good for the soul. Hola NAHS clase de 89!! Continue reading
The search has been going on for what feels like eons and you finally have found a role that seems like the perfect fit! You grab your resume writing tip sheet and get busy. You’ve filled out an application, tweaked your resume and cover letter. You checked your masterpieces twice, and officially submitted them all for the job that was made for you. However, there could still be an error that could cost you the job lurking on the application, between the superlatives of your resume, cover letter, or the casual email inquiring about the position. Wondering what, exactly, these errors are and where they pop up in the application process?