Positively (Im)perfect

I am #1in10, and I'm on a mission to spread awareness on proper treatment of endometriosis so other women, I pray, can avoid suffering for the same life-altering span (18 years) as me. Endometriosis is a likely-genetic disease where tissue similar to that of the endometrial tissue in the uterus (which either nourishes a newly-formed baby or is shed through menstruation if conception doesn't occur) grows outside of the uterus; usually in the abdominal cavity, often on other organs within the abdomen, and sometimes rare locations such as the lungs, throat, or even in the brain. This displaced endometriosis tissue responds to hormone fluctuations as well as produces its own estrogen , and causes widespread and progressive acute pain, fatigue, and infertility among many other symptoms.   This is not a small problem. Approximately 10% of women worldwide endure endometriosis (akin to the number of women with diabetes), yet for the majority of women suffering from endometri

I. HATE. WAITINGGGG!” I actually yelled this aloud the other day in a painfully weak moment {thankfully no one else was around to witness my crazy}. Despite all the reflections on Advent and waiting, despite getting my world rocked that morning by my friend Mave's incredible Blessed is She devotion about God’s timing , and feeling utter peace in my soul—proclaiming to the world that “Jesus is in the waiting!”—only hours later I was once again cursing the wait and having an internal tantrum that would put a threenager to shame. Because human nature is a fickle and powerful thing. I’m in this weird space where there simply aren’t enough hours in the day and I desperately need more time, yet I’m also just aching to skip ahead to certain days that my heart has been hanging onto—almost as if life itself depended upon it—days that, in my mind, will bring happiness, hope, and maybe even healing. But I realized something today—it all finds its roots in my desire for control. I’ve set

Design by Erik A few weeks ago, my friend Amanda contacted me and asked if I would be willing to help with a little project. She told me about a little boy named Finnegan. He's in kindergarten and has been battling malignant brain tumors since the age of two. He was doing better, but they recently discovered a new tumor in his brain. He is currently receiving bi-weekly chemo treatments. Treatment isn't easy for anyone, but it's especially hard when you're a five-year-old little trooper. And while modern medicine is a powerful thing, we know that it's just as important to have an even more powerful network of love and support during treatment and beyond. So Amanda came up with a beautiful idea to rally that support and show Finnegan how important and loved he is. She asked as many people from as many states (and countries!) as possible to commit to being "Prayer Warriors" for Finnegan. She sent a paper dove to anyone who agreed, on which

While I'm calling this December Awareness, I'm painfully aware that I failed miserably to share some very worthy causes during the month of November, and in the mean time, December is almost over. But the great thing about awareness and support is that they don't have to be restricted to a single month in order to help someone. So I'm breaking my own rules and still sharing some amazing stories and helpful links, as well as following up on October's causes. .......................................... Before getting into that, though, I'd like to highlight a theme I've noticed when researching all of these different causes. It's easy to support a cure, a solution, or whatever heroic-seeming road will help banish the suffering. But it's much much harder (at least for me), to come face to face with a world that is already full of suffering, with people who are already affected by the tough stuff, and not shy away from it. I talk about this to

My trip to the grocery store last week confirmed that it’s that time of year again: just as the leaves change color, so also the labels and tags on the shelves begin to turn pink. Advertisements and ribbons and fundraisers are everywhere; and looking through rose-colored glasses alerts us to what we might have missed in staring past the calendar: it is October. It is Awareness Month. Unless you live under a rock, you don’t have to ask what the pink ribbons and tags mean. In many ways, I think that’s an incredibly good thing. There are so many reasons to be aware. There are so many causes that need our support. There are SO many people who need our help once we are finally aware of their daily reality. But October is so much more than National Breast Cancer Awareness month. More than 20 other causes vie for attention and awareness this month, including two that directly impact and define our family. This month is also Selective Mutism Awareness Month; it is also Pregnancy an