Musings on life, parenting, Jesus, and more...

I am so disenchanted with our US healthcare system. I had to switch insurance back in January and I’ve been paying $480 a month for a health insurance plan that I haven’t been able to use it all, because I haven’t been able to get in with a primary care doctor to talk about my concerns, and none of them are so urgent that I feel like I need to go to an urgent care or emergency room over. So I have just been left to my own devices, to do my own research and try to figure out things on my own. I am thankful that my plan is a high deductible plan that qualifies for a health savings account so I was able to put $4150 (pre-tax) into my health savings account at the beginning of the year when I started the plan, and I’ve been able to use that money on things like a gym membership, vitamins, and supplements, and even some tech related items like a heart rate monitor and smart scale. The reason I qualified to make those purchases with my health savings account is because I’m obese, according t...

I know there’s a lot of heavy stuff going on in our world right now. Our country is divided, and even though I support our president and believe that he will do good in our country, there are also lots of things happening that I don’t agree with, and I sometimes struggle to feel “proud to be an American” .  I know there are people who dedicate their lives to justice and pointing out the things that are wrong in our country and in our world. I am not one of those people, to be honest, and throughout the course of my 46 years I have learned that for my own mental health and sanity, I need to focus on the good. It doesn’t mean I turn a blind eye or pretend there aren’t bad things happening, it just means that I choose to find the good that’s out there, and put my focus and energy into that as much as possible. Today I want to share how excited I am to see a generation of people dedicated to healing their trauma and creating a better future for the generations that come after us. I’ve ...

My sister and I have never been close. I think she would agree. As kids, I wasn’t very nice to her and I’m still to this day not sure why. I mean, there’s normal sibling rivalry, I get that. I have two teenage girls of my own. But growing up, I almost felt like my parents pitted us against each other on purpose, and I definitely felt like the “bad kid” while my little sister could do no wrong, so I think that just created a lot of bitterness towards her from the start. As my parents relationship deteriorated, so did my behavior and I remember doing really mean things to my sister. She remembers me dipping her toothbrush in the toilet, and not telling her until after she had used it, and I remember holding her down and dripping lugies towards her face, sometimes dropping them (accidentally of course). I’m embarrassed to admit it but that’s the type of sister that I was. I have apologized over the years and she has forgiven me, but I still think it has affected our ability to be friends....