Surviving Narcissistic Abuse, Healed by Story, Awakened by Love
If this title seems unnerving, don’t worry, no one can do all ten at once. We don’t have to change the whole world—the idea is to spread some kindness in our own little corner of the world, but first let me tell a story about why I choose to fight for the equality of all …
Continue reading "Ten Ways to Talk About the Things That Matter"
If you’ve not yet awakened to the fact that the United States has changed in the last few months, it’s gonna be an even ruder awakening in time. It saddens me and many to see threats to the things we love about America from PBS and our National Park Lands, to censoring the media and …
Continue reading "Wake Up Wednesday–Let’s NOT Make America Hate Again"
My Grandma, Veronica (Mellish) Ellis was a writer. No one really knew this outside of the family because she was never published. She just filled out diary after diary, year after year. Who knows how long she had been keeping a faithful diary, but I know she told me once that she wrote something in …
It's Flying Monkey Friday! The day we remind ourselves that we do not have to be manipulated by Flying Monkeys as we head into the weekend. Today's topic is family stories. How many of us have been told NOT to share our stories? How many secrets lurk in the family closet--causing shame and pain in the …
Continue reading "Flying Monkey Friday–Sharing Our Family Stories"
Sadie had been in relationship after relationship in which she felt stifled. She just wanted to be loved for herself and stop swimming laps to please the people she was dating. She decided to make a list of the things she felt were important to her. It was a good list and it included certain …
Sometimes a childhood friend can be an informed witness to our past. In a world where the narcissist wants to control us and flying monkeys often betray us, it's important to remember that the title of family can extend to those who are willing to show up in our lives. Never underestimate the power of love between …
Wake up calls are not always negative, sometimes they can be positive. Beth wrote me last week to describe how she had grown up being criticized, false accused and often verbally attacked by her family members. It took leaving home and going away to college for her to realize she wasn't the problem after all. …
Continue reading "Wake Up Wednesday–Moving Beyond the Dysfunctional Family Circus"
One of the biggest reasons we write memoir is to tell our stories, but these stories also teach us about ourselves and our family histories. A good memoir not only tells a story, but describes the journey the author has been on which might include their own faults as well as the people who abused …
Continue reading "Memoir Monday–Skip the Rant and Make it a Story"
If you’ve ever been in a relationship with a flying monkey or a narcissist, you’ve probably received some hate-mail, but just in case you haven’t, allow me to tell you what it's like so you can be prepared when it happens. It might start out with some of your least favorite things and a long list …
Today’s blog is not a pretty picture blog because I am going to share some of the ugly reality about writing a memoir and dealing with angry relatives. If this is not your mug of mocha, please excuse this and know I will try to write about blue skies and fluffy koalas in the future, …
