“I’m not finding a heartbeat.” The five words I am now certain every expecting parent finds tosses their joys, their hopes, and their excitement as effortlessly as one flipping a coin. Those five words existed between expecting a heartbeat, and experiencing heartbreak. It didn’t make sense to me. My body was still acting like IContinue reading “The Space Between a Heartbeat and Heartbreak”
Category Archives: Relational Experiences
Self Reflection Workbook: Fires and Burnout
This workbook is for a four-week look at fires and burnout in our lives. This is an opportunity for self-reflection, gaining new skill sets, and analyzing the things in our lives that may be consuming too much time, relationships, our health, or our careers. This printable four week study guide is packed with exercises toContinue reading “Self Reflection Workbook: Fires and Burnout”
Fostering the Road to Nowhere (A Short Story)
Authors Note: Dear Reader, Atypical to the Crutchprints blog, this post contains a short story which will take the average reader about 25 minutes to consume. It is well worth your time, I assure you. This fiction is meant to highlight the difficulties and lapses that exist within the parameters of the existing American fosterContinue reading “Fostering the Road to Nowhere (A Short Story)”
The Kindness Circle
My Dad was sitting across the table from me with a cup of coffee, smiling. At 60 years old, his white hair and wrinkles still didn’t hide the spark of youth lingering behind his eyes. “You know, when I was a little kid, I made this wooden cross in Oxford with some church thing. IContinue reading “The Kindness Circle”
You Can’t Be Your Own Hero
I’ve recently had a first. At my age, I didn’t feel there were too many more firsts that I could experience so I was pleasantly surprised. We were watching a movie about a woman that was an amputee and hero in WWII, and I felt convicted. Wow, I thought, If she could do all ofContinue reading “You Can’t Be Your Own Hero”
Mindfulness and Trauma
Most recently, I attended the online Trauma Skills Summit hosted by SoundsTrue. It featured ten days of amazing skills, practices, and guides for those that have experienced or support those with trauma. There was one lecture that stood out to me and I wanted to share the information with my friends here at Crutchprints. ElizabethContinue reading “Mindfulness and Trauma”
Your Last 24
Featured in the Chester County Press and on my recent book review of Kendall Keeler’s debut I was blessed to have a conversation with the author himself. Kendall agreed to sit down with all of us here on Crutchprints in the Sand and talk a little more about the first book in his Legacy JournalContinue reading “Your Last 24”
To Unmask = Sin and Poor Witnessing? I think not.
During this time of Covid-19, I’ve read many things by well-meaning Christians that seem to imply certain behaviors carry the weight of sin behind them. Specifically, I am speaking of compliance or noncompliance to governmental/business guidelines of social distancing, wearing masks, etc. I’ve read articles in newspapers, emails, and viewed social media postings that accuseContinue reading “To Unmask = Sin and Poor Witnessing? I think not.”
Reframing: Social Interaction is a Need
As I scroll through social media posts and hear stories of various emotional responses to the Covid-19 Quarantine, I have been surprised to be confronted with an aspect of isolation I had not considered. It never occurred to me that limiting social contact would have a profound effect on so many. Even with the presenceContinue reading “Reframing: Social Interaction is a Need”
The Case for a Classic Ending
“A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.” Mark Twain In our current popular culture of music, literature, and even film, there is a demand for satisfaction and I daresay there seems to be unspoken demands for only happy endings. Movies seem to have all loose ends tiedContinue reading “The Case for a Classic Ending”
Crutchprints in the Sand 