THE RISE AGAIN BLOG

I want to start a new club. Who wants to join? Everyone? Great!!!!! It’s called The Brave and Brokenhearted Club. Think you belong in it? Here are the qualifications for admission: A) You are human. B) You’ve had your heart broken. C) You are still living and breathing and walking around on a planet with your broken heart, knowing it could be smashed into pieces again anytime. You are still daring to be in relationship with other human beings who may get sick, or struggle, or

Girls cry, we get labeled drama queens, over-dramatic, over sensitive. Boys cry, they’re not tough enough. They’re weak. They’re “pussies.” I’ve gotten to be pretty good at hiding my true feelings. I’ve learned the world usually just wants a triumph story with a happy ending. That if you’re grieving or suffering, depressed or just simply FEELING the whole gamut of life…many people will make you feel like a “downer.” I almost always feel the need to put a positive spin on my p

It’s been a hard week here. It started out with calling 911 on Sunday because the baby was choking on something she picked up off the floor. It took a visit to the ER and several panicky hours to figure out she had a small piece of thick plastic lodged in her throat that the Doctor was finally able to remove. On top of that, several of my closest friends have been dealing with life-threatening illnesses for themselves or their kiddos, so basically my heart has been walking ar

As many of you know, I’ve been working on several books over the last few years. The one that has taken up camp in my heart most recently is the one I ALMOST lost this week then miraculously found! Now it’s even more special to share with you because it’s 52,000 words (so far!) of MIRACLE! My working title for it is The Bold Grey. It’s my story of fierce WARRIOR living through the last 2 years. Yes, I am finally going to share what’s happened since I went “dark” 21 months ago

Sometimes I get scared to keep sharing my story, because there are people who see me continually speaking to death and pain, who perceive that to mean that I’m stuck in the grief, not moving on, not living joyfully, dwelling on the past. And it’s perceptions like that, that made me feel like a lecherous Grim Reaper Girl for years. What these people don’t understand is that these 20+ tragic deaths & 4 years of inconceivable loss were my gift. Yes, I said that 20 people dying i

I’m sure you can imagine how hard it was to choose to open up and unfold after 4 years of relentless tragedy. But, this famous quote by Anais Nin became my hope & my goal, for myself and others: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” So, three months ago, I decided to start BELIEVING BIG, taking risks on my dreams, & waking up to do something that TERRIFIED me once a week! Haha! My first big SCARY dream was

Do you have a vision for your life, or are you just going through the motions? What happens when the snowball of your life hits unimaginable obstacles – can you keep it on course? We all need a vision. A vision is not just a dream or a wish – it is an inner calling that comes from knowing and fulfilling your true purpose on this Earth. It is an inner expression of joy, creativity, and connection with others. A vision sustains you through the bumps on the road. It’s the reason

It is written… I think I just finished the first chapter of my new book! After abandoning three years worth of a 600-800 page book that turned out to be mostly a healing tool for myself, I’m finally writing the book I know I’m meant to share with the world. I know it may take time to come to full fruition, but whether it takes a month or a year, or 10, it feels like I’m finally following my calling. I was truly inspired this week, yet again, by Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday – a b

Terri St. Cloud/www.BoneSighArts.com I read this on the first page of a chapter titled, “Cultivating a Resilient Spirit: Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness” in the book, “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Dr. Brene Brown this morning, and I cried. I cried, and then I cried some more. #lifeafterloss #lifeafterdeath #faith #spirituality #thoughts #pain #life #Beautyinpain #family

© Ashwin82 | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images Bad things happen to good people. I think we’ve all figured that one out by now, right?! So, bad things are going to happen to you. Or, like me, LOTS of bad things might happen to you, over and over, with rare pause between crescendos of pain, and you may wake up one day and think, “Wow, really, is this life? Isn’t there something more than this to life?” I’ve been asking myself that question quite frequently as of late

Anita Moorjani literally died and came back from the afterlife and was instantly cured of the cancer that had ravaged her body for four long years. Doctors could not explain what had happened when every test result came back showing absolutely no signs of cancer just hours after they had witnessed her organs shutting down completely. While she was in a coma, tiptoeing the line of life and death, she experienced an intense sense of freedom and clarity, love and joy that she co

My Grandma passed away yesterday. 😦 The last week or so watching her go as been pretty painful – one of the most painful losses I’ve had to witness yet, even in all the death I’ve experienced these last few years. This is the third grandparent I’ve lost in 8 months. Wow. That made it hit home for me. It really has been quite a thing. I told myself the other day, “Wow, I must have some really wonderful friends and family – God seems to want ’em all back!” I had a really horri