Some messages cannot be ignored. In this story about Betrayal Trauma, I reveal a secret about my writing and the mysterious source. Every January, I update the pages of my website. This year, I changed the first sentence on my front page Hi. to “Nothing… Read More »Betrayal Trauma
Parenting a child with a disability and an incurable disease involves daily mountains to climb, fear of the unknown for the future of your child, sorrow, fatigue, and endless medical appointments. This survival story, however, is about how to use the healing power of fun… Read More »Healing Power Of Fun And Laughter
Since I was eight years old, writing is my rescue from pain, sadness, and fear. I explain how traumatic my childhood was in Midwestern Backstory, Blended Abandonment, The Baptists, Paul’s Rules, Rescue From Less Than, Supper To Self-Protection, Generational Trauma Entrepreneur, High Functioning Alcoholism, The… Read More »Writing Is My Rescue
As I mentioned on my About My Life page, one of my life experiences included working as a caregiver for the elderly. For five years, I was employed by Comfort Keepers in Huntington Beach, California. This story uniquely shows how cats help elders. The Tootsievention… Read More »How Cats Help Elders
If you have read my blog stories from the beginning, you know I have been in survival mode since I was a kid. There is little freedom in never feeling seen, heard, guided, or encouraged. So, what’s a Tough Cookie to do? Writing to heal… Read More »Freedom
About two years after Mom passed away in her sleep, I turned to my Aunt Dolores in my desperation to meet my lingering sorrow and fears head-on. She lived in Florida and I was in Albuquerque. My aunt sent the letter that saved my life.… Read More »The Letter That Saved My Life
Camping therapy is available to all who seek freedom, connection, sanity, and happiness. It is the respite that also elevates our survival of the unknown and problem-solving skills. Since survival on all levels is the focus of my Tough Cookie tales, read on to find… Read More »Camping Therapy
Kismet In a previous post, Hot One In Classified, I wrote about a dice game called Kismet, a game of luck and taking a chance. This part of my family’s story leads me to the following: do you believe in kismet and synchronicity? Have you… Read More »Kismet And Synchronicity
This is Number Twenty-One of the Tough Cookie Survival Tips. In this post, I summarize essential takeaways from my childhood and early adulthood to use to keep moving forward. If you read my posts from the beginning to the most recent, you know the circumstances… Read More »How I Earned The Nickname Tough Cookie
This post features the relationship I had with my father. He was the dad I loved but never understood because of his hidden binge drinking. A movie about my birth family would be The Sad House of Blended Strangers, where none of us genuinely knew… Read More »The Dad I Loved But Never Understood