Our Stories

It's been 12 days since my When Story launched into the world. It was a powerful experience that required a lot of deep work, preparation, and emotional intensity, and yet, I'm so glad I did it.

Something extraordinary happens when you let out that gunk you've been hiding and pushing away.  

It's freeing.

It's empowering.

It's edifying.

It's healing.

But it's also painful.

Telling painful stories, even those with redemptive endings, still hurts.

Not just me, but others.

And that's one of the reasons I was afraid to speak.

I didn't want to hurt anyone.

I didn't want anyone to feel bad.

The story I shared wasn't just my story but also part of my sister's story.

My sister, Chris. Christine. Chrissy (her name changed depending on the mood or the need the situation called for).

My sister, whom I love so very much.

It has been 394 days since she passed away unexpectedly.

Today is her birthday. She would have been 62.

Oh, I would have teased her about that.  

I was afraid to tell the story I shared because I didn't want to hurt her or those I love.

I didn't want to make anyone feel bad.

If Chris had been on that stage with me, she would undoubtedly have had a different interpretation of what had happened.

She would have interrupted and corrected me, and you would have been able to watch our loving yet challenging dynamic while we cried and laughed, until having to excuse ourselves for a bathroom break.

I loved laughing with my sister.

I miss laughing with her.

No one could make me laugh harder.

I am sure she was with me in spirit that day and is with me now.

The story for me was one of rescue, redemption, and release.

It was about seeing how the devil twisted my experiences to make me feel alone, unworthy, and unlovable.

It was about seeing myself and others from God's perspective and allowing His love and healing to take me from the pit of despair onto a healing journey.

Healing for me, my sister Chris, my mother, and my grandmother.

Generational healing.

Take that, Satan.

Our stories are our own, and they are that of our perception, which isn't always based on just the facts.

Emotions and the whispers of the devil's lies mash up with truths, and the result can be, well, complicated to say the least.

My sister's story is as complicated as mine, but more deeply rooted in some of the pain I still have to fight my way out of.

The pain of neglect, abandonment, abuse, and the battle we all face between the pull of good and evil within.

My sister fought her way out of so much.  

She loved so deeply and wanted nothing more than to have deep relationships with those she cared for.

She cared for everyone.

Even when she hurt you, she cared. Deeply.

She had an undeniable energy.

She was a force.

You couldn't stop her if you tried.

Intense.

Loving.

A wild bird, longing to be loved and tamed, yet yearning to fly free.

And now, she is free.

She is safe, healed, and restored.

Her story is not over. It is still unfolding.

And she still cares deeply about me and all of those she loves.

If this experience has taught me anything, it's that life is uncertain and you just never know how it's gonna go.

So don't let your story go untold.

Don't let it end before you get to the good part.

Don't let resentment, unforgiveness, and the whispers of lies distort the fact that God's love is here to offer healing and restoration.

Even if it's not the way you imagined.

Love you, my big Seester.

Happy Birthday.  

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.