Out with the Old, In with the New

I've been working at getting my new blog up and running! It's nearly ready, and I'm SO excited!

If you are on FaceBook, I would really appreciate if you would pop over to my blogging page and "Like" it. I'm hoping and praying to bring you encouragement and blessing through both that page and the blog. I'd really appreciate if you shared it with your friends as well!

Also, my new blog is there, just don't quite have all the tweaking finished yet. You're welcome to pop on in and let me know what you think! Also, there's a place for you to put your email address to get each blog post emailed directly to you. I will NOT send you anything else, and you'll be sure not to miss anything! (I may eventually do a newsletter, but you'll have to opt in for that separately... we'll see if I can find the energy to do something like that!)

C'mon over and meet me there! Not much there yet, but soon it will be a bit more lively!

And, sadly, this is likely to be the last post for this blog. It's rather bittersweet to say goodbye... but sometimes old things must be set aside for the better things.

Writer's Conference!

A week ago tonight I was in the vehicle heading home from beautiful Michigan, and an amazing writer's conference. I had a wonderful time there, meeting friends in real life for the first time who have meant a lot to me over the years in their own different ways. There wasn't nearly enough time to squeeze in all the visiting I wanted to do!

I learned a lot about the different available avenues of getting written work out there to be read, including the publishing process and social media. I learned some of the mechanics of writing and editing. I heard a LOT of inspiring speakers, reminding us that our measure of success is being obedient to God's voice, not in the number of books with our name on the front cover, or how many hits a blog post gets. We are writing for His glory.

I traveled with a dear, dear friend, and our time together was gloriously sweet and refreshing... what both of us needed, I believe! I was so encouraged and blessed spending time with this woman who has such a passionate heart for God, and for God's daughters. (If you need contact info for a motivational speaker, let me know!)

What does the aftermath of this conference mean for me? It means a lot of soul searching, facing up to a schedule overload, and the movement to a bigger and better (hopefully!) blog platform. It might be quiet around here for awhile until I can get some things organized and set up, as I only have so much time in my day and the kids get most of it. So, keep on the lookout for further updates and the announcement of the new blog, coming soon!

Water, Water, Everywhere

After my last post was a bit heavy, thought I'd lighten things up with what we've been doing lately! Most of all, just listening to it rain. It's been SO wet here, everything is soggy and muddy. I am so grateful we finally have some decent grass, so at least the mud isn't quite as close to the house. The poor horses and cows, though... October in Wisconsin is kind of miserable!


We've been working off and on at putting a front porch on our house, which included refinishing my grandma's old picnic table. I'm thrilled! I think I might actually eventually learn to like this house after all. (Just in case you're wondering, no, I haven't liked our house. I like the location and the property, but not the house. I think mostly because I was burned out from remodeling our previous house and not ready to face another huge project, and this one has been a whopper.) The most delightful part of our new porch is that we are putting a small second story balcony above part of it, which will be accessed from the master bedroom. I'm dreaming of being able to do my writing with a big westward view next summer!

The last two days have been very humid and warm, resulting in the yearly plague of Asian beetles and Boxelder bugs. Just stepping outside the door can feel like an aerobic exercise trying to keep them from going into the house and out of all convenient crevices on one's person. Thankfully it usually only lasts a short time, and we'll soon be back to normal exits and entrances.

The baby of the family finally moved out of her toddler bed into her own room and big girl bed. Not quite sure how ready I was for this progress (I won't confess how long I've been putting it off!), but she is thrilled. So thrilled, in fact, that she runs to put her jammies on as soon as supper is over, then comes to kiss us all goodnight before snuggling in... for about 10 minutes, until the sounds of the rest of us going about our evening are too enticing and she has to get up to check out what's up. The toddler bed and changing table/dresser have been sold, and all the clothes she's outgrown have found new homes. Sigh. But I'm super duper glad to be done with potty training and, for the most part, interrupted nights.

Overall, we've stayed pretty healthy and happy lately! Way too busy for our own good, I think, but that comes with the season as we frantically try to get everything we need to buttoned up before winter shows up... racing between raindrops.

A Facebook Meme Rant

Lately I've been seeing this meme posted and shared across FaceBook land. It hit me wrong the first time I saw it, but I'm really good at scrolling on by and not starting drama. The second time I saw it I started to reply, but then chose not to because I'd be writing an epistle. But I kept seeing it, and my heart breaks every time.

First of all, for those who call themselves Christians (and everyone I've seen post this would say they are a Christian I believe), is there any time when we "should" be scared? Terrified, even? Where is our trust in God? There are SO many verses about not being afraid, but believing. Even in bad situations. Even when Christians are being persecuted and killed. God has a greater plan, and evil cannot win in the end.

I am the mother of sons. I am also the mother of daughters. I have been studying and researching trauma and abuse recently, mostly spiritual abuse but it seems quite intertwined with sexual abuse. And what I've been learning has been heartrending. Especially in true life stories, told to me by friends who have lived it.

Statistics show that less than 5% of reported sexual abuse is false. Less than 5%. That's a staggeringly low number. That means 95+% of the time when someone, male or female, says they were abused, they are right.

In contrast, many victims of sexual abuse will never find the courage to say anything about it. Why? Because they won't be believed. They don't have hard evidence. They are traumatized and dissociate, hiding those memories so far back they don't even seem to exist any more. They feel ashamed. They don't know it was wrong, even though it made them feel dirty/yucky/guilty. They feel guilty. They wonder if they asked for it, if they were somehow at fault. In our culture, in our day and age, those are very valid feelings and concerns.

Get this. Only about 30% of sexual abuse is actually reported. That means 70% isn't reported. One of the biggest reasons? The victim fears he or she won't be believed. When only 5% of reports are false... this meme is in actuality very far from reality.

My biggest concern with it? Is that it assumes the son is right, and is always going to be right. Let's face it, our children don't always make the right choices. To predetermine that my son is going to be in the right no matter what is choosing to be blind to the possibility he might be in the wrong. If something comes up, don't automatically assume that it's an unfounded smear campaign. It might be. But chances are, it isn't. Don't just assume that because someone, and sexual abusers can be male or female, seems to be doing everything right, that they are safe. So many victims have been silenced because their abuser was the "godliest man in church" or a church leader... and no one would believe their story if they did find the courage to tell.

Be careful. Tread softly. Walk in truth and compassion. Listen deeply. Care. There is hope, restoration, and healing for victims... and the repentant offender.

(This is not a political article. I understand the controversy raging right now in politics and I am not in a position to comment on that. My goal here is to help those who are true victims gain the confidence that they will be heard and not drug through the mud because they had the courage to speak out, and to gain a compassionate ear for them to speak to.)

(Percentage info taken from https://www.nsopw.gov/(X(1)S(hrrztxcs5nbyiq5wrxfvvnvr))/en-US/Education/FactsStatistics?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 )