Starting Over
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I’m Done Accepting Less Than Respect
There comes a point where clarity replaces tolerance. This is about refusing to be dismissed, rejecting disrespect, and finally deciding that anything less than honesty, consistency, and basic human decency is no longer acceptable.
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For My Sister: Love, Forgiveness, and What Remains
At the end of my sister’s life, forgiveness came quietly and without effort. Cancer has a way of stripping everything down to what matters most, love, family, and the time we think we have but don’t. After losing both my mother and my sister to cancer, I’m learning how grief…
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Aunty Christine, Minister of Mischief and Matrimony: How I Got Ordained and You Can Too
You may know me as Aunty Christine, your go-to gal for backyard shenanigans, and strong opinions served with a wink and a smile. But did you know I’m also a legally ordained minister? Yep. In 2018, I became a wedding officiant through the Universal Life Church (ULC), and it all…
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Dolly’s Thoughtful (and Slightly Gross) Gifts
If you’ve ever had a dog with a very generous heart (and a slightly wild streak), then you’ll understand the mix of emotions that comes with receiving a “gift” from them. I’m not talking about a squeaky toy or a shoe dragged out of the closet. Oh no. I’m talking…
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Starting Over at 47 – How Jenny Is Helping Me Take Back My Life
Starting over looks different for everyone. For some, it means a new job. For others, it’s letting go of old relationships, moving somewhere new, or even just waking up one morning and deciding, “I want better for myself.” For me, it’s all of that. And then some. I’ve been through…
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Starting Over at 47 – I Am Not Who I Was—And That’s a Good Thing
One of the hardest parts about starting over is realizing you’ve outgrown the person you used to be. Not because she wasn’t strong. Not because she wasn’t doing her best. But because you’re not her anymore—and honestly? That’s the point. People will try to remind you of who you used…
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Starting Over at 47 – Redefining Career Success on My Own Terms
If you had asked me ten years ago what success looked like in my career, I probably would have rattled off a checklist: steady paycheck, promotions, job security, respect, and maybe a fancy title that made people nod approvingly when I said it out loud. But now, at 47, the…
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Starting Over at 47: Learning to Trust Myself Again
Trust isn’t something that magically returns overnight. It’s something you slowly rebuild, moment by moment, especially after years of second-guessing yourself or feeling like your decisions were never fully your own. That’s the season I’m in—relearning how to trust me. Starting over at 47 has meant unpacking a lot of…
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Starting Over at 47 – Finding Joy in the Little Things Again
You know what I’ve realized lately? Starting over doesn’t always look like some grand reinvention. Sometimes, it looks like sitting on the back porch with a cup of coffee, watching the sun peek through the trees. It looks like laughing until I can’t breathe over a silly inside joke with…
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Starting Over at 47 – When They Can’t Handle Your Healing
Not everyone will cheer for you when you start to rise. That’s been one of the hardest and most heartbreaking lessons in this chapter of my life. As I’ve worked to rebuild, realign, and rediscover myself—some of the people I thought would be in my corner have either fallen silent…
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Starting over at 47 – The Day I Stopped Driving
Some days, starting over looks like falling in love again. Other days? It looks like putting down the car keys for good. It’s been over a year since I stopped driving, and believe me, I didn’t come to that decision lightly. I’ve always been the kind of person who loves…
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Starting Over at 47 (Almost 48) And Honestly? It Feels Empowering
If someone had told me I’d be starting over at 47, soon to be 48, I would’ve assumed they meant something like a new hairstyle or trying yoga again. Not a full-blown life reset. Yet here I am, in 2025, flipping the script on what this age is supposed to…