Wintersβ Day In
Spilling the tea since 2006. Wanna cuppa?
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author and songwriter (and aspiring mermaid) Talena Winters.
The Season of Darkness and Light
Navigating the holidays can feel like standing in the tension between darkness and light. In this post, I reflect honestly on the irony of Decemberβhow twinkly lights, parties, and celebrations can magnify our grief, loneliness, and losses and invite you to find small, intentional ways to make the season merry and brightβfor yourself and for someone who needs your light.
Not There Yet: The Ten-Year Post I Didnβt Write
Ten years after losing my son, I thought I'd have something profound to say about healing and hope. But grief doesnβt follow schedulesβor meet deadlines. In this post, I share where I really am in the journey, how itβs shaping my creative work, and why thatβs okay.
Peaks and Valleys
When the blahs happen two weeks a month, itβs not just depressionβ¦ Also, update on my slow productivity mission, what I did this week in my business (hint: knitting pattern update), and some sad news about my grandmother.
Remembering Me
βDo you remember who I am?β Mom asks.
I donβt bother asking Grandma if she remembers me. She hasnβt recognized me as her granddaughter for years.
The Secret to Breaking Writerβs Block: Do It Anyway; Also, an update.
Whether itβs fitness, professional, emotional, or spiritual goalsβthe only way to reach them is to do the work, whether you feel like it or not. The same is true for Writerβs Block. And, since itβs been a while, there are updates on multiple topics in this post.
Mae Renfroe: Surrendered to God
Mae Renfroe lost her second-eldest son, Clayton, in a quadding accident in April of 2017 at the age of fourteen. Mae and I both hope you will be encouraged by her story.
New Leaf, New Pattern, and New Story
My mission to get my weight under control and the books that inspired me to do so, plus the release of the Just Plain Gloves Knitting Pattern and an announcement about some short fiction.
When the Mirror Lies
Over and over again, I have seen how what we believe to be true about ourselves, we make true about ourselves. And there's nothing that anyone else can say to change that self-image unless we want to change it.
The Healing Power of Community
Two years after losing our son, we are still completely humbled when we consider the massive wave of support we received when Munchkin died. I am convinced that the support of our community through that first difficult year had a good deal to do with the progress we made in our healing. Yes, the work of grief must be done on an individual basis. But knowing that we were never alone had a significant impact on how brave we were in approaching that work.
Book, Body, and Knitting Reset
This week, I have been resetting physically and mentally, including my current writing project. Plus, a quick knitting update.
Getting Unstuck
A day at a time, the log jam is loosening and the ideas are flowing. The sun is coming back, energy is returning, and I am pulling myself blinking from the retreat of hibernation. For my own mental and emotional health, this year needs to be less about driving myself and more about reducing commitments, taking care of myself, and finding my passion again. It needs to be about healing.
Photo Friday: Difficult Discoveries
"It's your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you." - Rumi