Healing the Future

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 heard it called many things over the years: family dysfunction, abuse, neglect, generational sin, even demon possession. Whatever label you give it, research has shown that abuse has a tendency to repeat itself. 


“Hurt people, hurt people.”


It’s an expression I remember my mom saying about me often when I was going through my rebellious adolescent years.  The irony of that is that while she was referring to me and my behavior being hurtful to her and others, it wasn’t until adulthood and years of therapy of my own that I realized that she hurt me because she also was hurt and traumatized in her past.


The difference between her and I is that I have taken the time to address my trauma and face it head on. It was uncomfortable, unpleasant, it hurt, and I wanted to run from it and numb it and find excuses not to have to think about it anymore. But the thing is, that doesn’t really solve anything. The hurt just comes out in different ways, and for me it was anger, depression, and self sabotage.


If I wouldn’t have taken the time to heal, I would have passed on some of that same hurt to my children, and the cycle would’ve continued.


I’m so thankful that counseling and therapy has begun to lose its stigma. Going to therapy doesn’t mean you’re broken or there’s something wrong with you, it simply means that you, on your own, don’t have the tools and knowledge to find healing. Brain health and research has come a long way, even since I attended college in the early 2000s with a major in psychology.


Dr. Caroline Leif is one of my favorite authors and doctors who has done extensive research in the area of brain plasticity, and believes that just because we were once a certain way or we experienced trauma or abuse in the past, it doesn’t have to define us for the rest of our lives. However, that trauma does create lasting impressions in our mind, and it shapes our behavior and our interpretation of the world.


I just finished reading a book written by someone who attended the same church as I did back when I got married in 2007. I knew her from afar, had heard a little about her life, mostly that her father had suffered from mental illness and committed suicide a few years earlier and her mom had, at the time, recently remarried. I think she was just finishing high school at the time I came to the church.


While I didn’t ever have a chance to get to know her, I am still so incredibly proud of her for being brave enough to tell her story. She is a gifted writer and I believe her story of healing will touch the lives of many people. I love that she had the courage to find healing and truth, to explore the world outside of her small Oregon hometown, to get an education and pursue a career of helping others, and that she’s willing to share her experiences with the world.


Healing isn’t just about breaking the cycle of pain—it’s about planting seeds of hope, love, and understanding for the future. When we choose to confront our past and work through our hurts, we create space for a different kind of legacy, one that empowers rather than wounds. I am grateful for the brave individuals—past, present, and future—who choose the difficult, beautiful path of self-reflection and growth. Their courage not only transforms their own lives but ripples outward, shaping a kinder and more compassionate world for generations to come.

Anna Cannard, thank you for sharing your story. I could relate to many of the feelings you’ve experienced over the years and I so admire your bravery and dedication to helping others find the healing and joy that you have been able to experience.


I highly recommend this book, The Many Sides of Me: One woman's journey to anyone who has experienced their own trauma, or anyone who wants to better understand the lives of those who have. It is a moving story of resiliency, hope, and unwavering dedication to personal healing and growth. Thank you again Anna for allowing the world to see the many sides of you. You are a beautiful human being, inside and out and I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses this book (and maybe future books? You are a very talented writer!) to touch lives and change futures. The world is a better place because of you.