Who am I? That is a question I’ve asked myself many times, and each time it conjures up images of the characters from The Breakfast Club (Anthony Michael Hall with a pen stuck up his nose).  Who am I?  It’s a loaded question, but since I’ve invited you into this space, I will do my best to paint the picture.

If you were to just meet me, you would quickly learn that I am a wife, mother to two daughters (20 and 17), a daughter, a sister, and a friend.  You would know that I have a dog who wants nothing more in life than to befriend our cat…who wants nothing more than to be left alone.  You would know that I love a good laugh, strong black coffee, dry red wine, mindless TV, deep conversations with friends and novels with unexpected twists.  You might even learn that I have always wanted to learn how to knit and grill (but I’ve never actually done either), I love to travel…by car or plane, and that I even succumbed to the scissors during the stay at home order and gave myself my very own COVID cut (which I thought turned out well until my daughter pointed out that I looked like an “old, blonde Dora the Explorer!)  But that’s all just stuff on the surface.

If we were to talk a little longer, you would likely learn that I am a Stephen Minister at my church and that I find great joy and purpose in supporting and encouraging others through difficult times.  I might also choose to share some of my parenting challenges and missteps. 

And if you were to dig really deep, I would share with you that, like many people, I have been on a faith journey throughout my life.  And that my journey took a turn in 1998 when I was 27 years old, newly married, and starting my adult life…that was when my sister was killed by someone intending to burglarize her home.  She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

In an instant, everything changed…my faith, my relationship with God, my relationships with others, my sense of identity, my sense of purpose and my priorities.  I struggled long and hard with grief, fear, anger, and insecurity.  Since then, the path of my journey, like everyone else’s, has been long and windy, full of high mountains, low valleys and everything in between.  I’ve stumbled over rocks, bumped into boulders, gotten lost in the wilderness and broken through the trees to witness indescribable beauty and joy.  It has been hard life-work, but the journey so far has reaped far more blessings than sorrow. 

I have learned the importance of staying connected to God through study, worship, prayer and community.  I have learned the value of truly investing in relationships and connecting with others through vulnerability (a quality I am still working on each and every day).  I have learned that there is nothing more valuable than the unconditional love and support of true, authentic friendship and love.  I have learned that there is a time to talk and a time to listen…and that every word I put out into the world has weight.  I have learned that both tears and laughter are immense sources of healing and that there is absolutely a time and a place for both…and that laughter through tears is the best feeling of all.  I have felt the beauty of what it feels like to be truly known…by God and others.  I have felt the thrill of those “aha” moments when something just clicks and I learn something new. And I have found strength and purpose in using my experiences and stories to help others find hope and healing.  And through it all, my faith has grown deeper than I could ever imagine. 

So, who am I? 

I am a person who, through the grace of God, has come a very long way and is looking forward to the long windy path set before me.  And I look forward to continuing the journey down the unknown path with you.