Let the Sun Shine In

Annah ElizabethLeave a Comment

I spent yesterday, sitting by the ocean’s edge, reading, thinking, and making notes. I thought about the questions Gary Chapman asks at the end of The 5 Love Languages chapters. “There would be fewer divorces if only people _______________” would work harder to compromise, to understand one another, and be willing to make the first move. “Has there ever been … Read More

Recycling Hope and Miracle

Annah ElizabethLeave a Comment

Last month I reunited with Miracle. I’ve spent many years pushing against her, resisting the mere mention of her name. Turns out I had been seeing her all wrong. You see, Miracle isn’t about some prize granted to a select few, Miracle is what happens when we bear witness to life’s marvelous events and amazing qualities. Miracle is what happens … Read More

Motherhood and a Week of Wondrous Moments

Annah Elizabeth2 Comments

“The story of a mother’s life: Trapped between a scream and a hug.” ~Cathy Guisewite  Twenty-three years ago, today, I lay broken in a hospital bed. Forty-eight hours after giving birth to my firstborn. My room was filled with brightly colored flowers, symbols of celebration and sadness. I wailed when I opened the Mother’s Day card a friend sent … Read More

What’s in a Miracle?

Annah ElizabethUncategorizedLeave a Comment

Photo via Sharlie’s Angels Miracle is such a tough word for those of us who have faced destruction and devastation. The miraculous is usually attributed to some variation of God’s Will, Plan, or Divine Intervention. In the wake of Gavin’s death and Warren’s subsequent affair, I hoped for a miracle of my own. Not your typical pleas for health, wealth, … Read More

To Boston, Bostonians, and a Bereaved World

Annah Elizabeth2 Comments

You don’t know me, but I love you. My arms are reaching out to wrap you in a warm, tight embrace. There are no words. No words that will help, and yet I am compelled to tell you that, absurd as it sounds, someday it will be okay, if you keep choosing healing, keep fitting the pieces of your own … Read More

Shoring Up Life’s Threads

Annah Elizabeth5 Comments

    “I’m glad to hear you are alright. Karen’s husband died last night so at least there is some good news. It’s been bad all morning.” That was the note returned to me after I texted a coworker to let her know how my surgery went last Friday. The message stayed with me, even through the grogginess of anesthesia … Read More

On Overcoming Loss and Suffering

Annah ElizabethLeave a Comment

  The holidays can be an especially difficult time for those who are coping with a past loss or are reeling with fresh grief.   My heart is heavy for all whose sadness is raw right now.And, yet, the knowledge that we all have the ability to achieve healing lifts me up.I hope this message brings some form of comfort to you, or … Read More

The 5 Ws of Thanks

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What can we give thanks for? Two weeks ago today, the unthinkable happened. A seven-month-old died. In her sleep. The young mother had put her down for a nap. And hours later the twenty-year-old was being whisked from one authority to another. “You would think they could have at least waited to question her. It’s like they think she did … Read More

The Space Between Luck and Misfortune

Annah Elizabeth2 Comments

Well, fellow Journeyers, I’ve done it! After more hours than I wish to recognize, I have finally pieced together my first video. The idea came to me when I discovered Washington, DC’s TEDxWomen and their theme for this year’s conference. The Space Between… I immediately thought of my piece Finding Four-Leaf-Clover-Kind-of-Luck in Shit. And The Space Between Luck and Misfortunewas … Read More