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Q&A with Katerina: “Even if you feel alone, God will always be by your side.”
Today I get to introduce you to Katerina, who is a dancer and teacher, as well as a college student working towards a bachelors degree in psychology.
Last year she started a blog called Beauty in the Pain to share her journey with the neuromuscular disease CMT and encourage those who struggle with chronic pain.
I’m so glad she reached out for an interview because I’ve been so blessed to read how she is adapting her passion for dance and seeing God’s faithfulness in the midst of chronic illness.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Katerina on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
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Q&A with Lauren Watt: “I’ve had to learn to find contentment in my difficult circumstances.”
I’m thrilled I get to introduce you to Lauren Watt, an artist and blogger who is going to share some of her story and how she finds contentment in chronic illness.
Lauren is the youngest interviewee I’ve featured on the blog so far, and she writes with wisdom and clarity about her chronic illness journey, which began when she was just 14.
I’ve really enjoyed reading her blog after we connected online, and I hope you’ll check out her artwork and blog on her website, Lauren’s Easel.
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Flexibility is Key—Creating with Chronic Illness
Happy New Year friends! I’ve been thinking about the importance of flexibility with chronic illness, especially when it comes to taking care of my health and making time for my creative pursuits.
January seems like the perfect month to share some updates, as well as what I’ve found helpful on my health journey recently. I hope these reflections are helpful for you too!
I’m thrilled to be participating in A Chronic Voice’s link up again this month. This link up is a way for chronically ill bloggers to connect by writing posts based on the same prompts. I love the creative challenge offered by the prompts and seeing what others write!
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Q&A with Carole Griffitts: “Our passion is to help people know they can thrive” with invisible disability
I’m excited to introduce you to author and blogger Carole Griffitts, who just coauthored a book about chronic illness and invisible disability with her husband Joe. Their book Sunbreaks in Unending Storms, based on their story and the stories of three other families, shares encouragement and information about living with invisible disabilities.
I so appreciate when sisters in Christ with more life experience than me are willing to share their hard-earned wisdom. Carole has lived with chronic health conditions for more than 40 years, and she and her husband have been married for (almost!) 55 years. “Connected Carole” also runs the blog Navigating the Storms for people living with invisible disability, their families, and their caregivers.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Carole on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
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My Interview on Unpolished Ponderings
I’m excited to share more of my chronic illness journey and what inspires me creatively in a guest post I was invited to participate in!
Fellow chronic illness blogger Olivia Wolfertz interviewed me over on her blog, Unpolished Ponderings.
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Blogging Without A Picture Perfect Life
There’s so much pressure online to have a picture perfect life and to have every moment Instagramable, that it can be very daunting to think of starting or maintaining a blog. Do you need to have everything put together and looking immaculate in order to share your story online? I’m here to remind myself and others that the answer is “no.” Here are my tips for blogging without a picture perfect life, and how I’m letting go of perfectionism as a chronic illness writer.
I am a perfectionist, or at least someone who’s trying to be less of a perfectionist. My preference would be to wait to share my writing or photography or crafting until I’ve gotten it polished and as close to perfect as possible. But I live with multiple chronic illnesses that greatly limit my energy and ability to accomplish even routine tasks, so even publishing one post on my blog is a challenge. -
Q&A with Olivia Wolfertz: “I would encourage someone going through a chronic illness to see themselves as valuable and brave even despite their limits.”
Olivia Wolfertz runs the blog Unpolished Ponderings, where she shares her love of Jesus and creativity, plus a hopeful outlook on life with chronic illness. I feel so blessed that this Invisible Illness, Visible Worth interview project continues to let me connect with kindred spirits who love stories, creating, and writing!
Olivia created her blogging platform a few years ago as a way to document and cope with her illnesses, including Lyme disease. It’s grown into an outlet where she loves to share what she’s been making lately and what’s encouraging her.
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Ups And Downs: Summer, Chronic Illness, and a New Normal
Hello friends, I’m so excited to be able to join A Chronic Voice’s link up this month. Summer is finally here, but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a vacation from chronic illness. So I’m going to share what I’ve found helpful and how I’m coping with the new normal.
This link up is a way for chronic illness bloggers to connect by writing posts based on the same prompts. I found it so helpful last month to use the prompts as a jumping off point to not only write a blog post, but also to do some journaling for myself to process everything going on in the world and my own life.
This month, I’m using the prompts to share a little bit about what I’ve been up to lately creatively, what I’ve been struggling with healthwise, and how I’m continuing to adjust to the new normal.
The prompts for this month are Bothering, Demanding, Telecommunicating, Tolerating, and Nourishing.
