About Me



 My name is Katherine. I am a writer, blogger, podcaster, and mental health advocate. I also have a background in providing emotional support for military service-members and their families.  In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to and teaching music, watching sports, and spending time with friends and family. I also deeply love the beautiful state of Alaska, which I am proud to call home.

 What gives my message meaning is that I am a normal individual like anyone else, who has found myself, at times, struggling to find hope...to see Grace for what it is. Ultimately, to see through to God.

 Up until my senior year of High School, I had enjoyed a pretty peaceful life. I studied hard, loved being with family and friends, and went to church every week. I spent time exploring my home state of Alaska, taking advantage of the fishing, camping, and hiking every summer. It was great...

 Then, things changed. Life took an unexpected turn and this, the outworking of God's plan, shaped me into the person I am today and is the reason for my sharing so openly about my journey: From the fall of my Senior year until the summer I turned twenty-two, my world was rocked by the loss of a Marine I knew who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country in Iraq, a two-year health crisis that nearly took my dad's life three times, the death of my step-grandfather, the near death of a childhood friend in a car accident and, later, the passing of my grandmother following a brief battle with cancer. Any one of these situations would have been hard to process, but to go through four years of such life-altering transitions and challenges, at times, left me feeling as though I had no hope left.

 Over time, as I began to slowly work through the emotions and the disillusionment that was left in the wake of such pain, I began to sense the touch of God's grace. And my broken heart started to open. As the years have passed, healing has come into my life. I honestly never thought I could ever be grateful for the way my life-story has been written. At times, I wanted to rip out certain chapters and pretend that they never existed. And yet, I find myself thankful...appreciative for what I've gone through, and surprised at how far I've come. Sometimes, I still struggle to accept my journey, but I am now at peace knowing that redemption is a reality. That hope can exist, even in the darkest of times.

Life has still had its share of challenges since I first embarked on this journey to Grace. I've gone through more unexpected health scares with my dad, more friends have died...including one that I was extremely close to, and I've continued to battle with the emotional affects from all I've been through - learning how to befriend my struggles with depression, anxiety, and Complex Post Traumatic Stress. For a long time, I thought that surrendering to God could somehow make all these difficulties less frequent and that life would gradually become easier. Instead, I've discovered only further proof that Grace won't necessarily remove you from suffering, but it will always be present and active in your suffering, pointing you to a God who never leaves and fiercely loves, regardless of the circumstances. 

 It is my prayer that the thoughts and observations that I share on this blog will help to make these realities come true in your own life and that you may experience for yourself the Grace, the God, that so lovingly healed, and continues to sustain, this broken soul and made it come alive.

Comments

  1. Thank you that was beautiful. Amen my sister in Christ.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. Keep living in grace everyday. God bless you.

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  2. This may sound airy fairy, but the Lord gave me your name in a dream. I had no idea who you were. I googled, and found you. I have had not only childhood trauma, but the last seven years especially have been difficult. Right up to the present time... It just never seems to end. I am 66 years old, and it seems God has been stripping me of everything... Or allowing Job-like situations. Forgiveness, yes. Just when I thought I had it down, someone else comes along... The last one was a hairdresser who literally ripped hair out and burned my hair off!! Seems unreal, but here I am with a pulsating scalp, and thin areas on my head... Now having to buzz cut it all off. Vanity. Seems God is literally stripping His children of what needs to go, and walking us through some pretty dark places. Sorrow and tears never leave. "Why me, Father?" And I slip further away from that love I felt in the early days after Jesus called me out of darkness... I don't know when or if it will stop, but what I DO KNOW is that He gave me your name in a dream. Thank you for being obedient. It is making a difference.

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    1. Hi there. Thank you so much for your heartfelt message - I am truly humbled. God works in mysterious ways sometimes and the fact that He led you to this blog in such an incredible way is proof! My heart feels for you in every way. Although I don't know your name or anything about you, I know what it's like to suffer hard and long. The seeming endless hits that keep on coming has been the story of my life for the past 13 years. I've asked the same questions, battled the same fears. You are not alone on the path and I am here to walk it with you. If you need to talk to me privately, you can email me at the contact info given here on the blog under "Contact Me." You're also welcome to subscribe via email to my weekly posts and also my weekly podcast. Info on both are given on the home page of the blog here. You have my sympathy, love, and prayers during this difficult season and I know that God has a beautiful plan for you, even though it's hard to see that right now. Keep trusting His hold on you and doing your best to bravely face the dark. The sunrise, however distant, still awaits.

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