Skip to main content

Trending Now: What everyone's reading.

A 3-Step Daily Reset for Safety, Fear Rewiring & Emotional Healing After Trauma

By The Artful Woman
After surviving a stroke and a catastrophic accident, I’ve had to rebuild not just my body—but my nervous system, my thoughts, and my sense of safety in the world. At the very least, I dedicate 10 minutes each morning to anchoring my body in safety. From there, I’ve developed a simple 3-step daily reset that helps me move through fear, regulate my thoughts, and gently rewire how I relate to uncertainty, pain, and hope. This is not about perfection. It’s about returning to yourself, over and over again, especially after trauma. 1. Morning Safety Anchor (2 minutes) I place my hand on my heart and breathe: inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6. I say: “In this moment, I am safe.” This helps ground my nervous system and even supports calming phantom pain when it shows up. 2. Midday Thought Flip (30 seconds at a time) When fear starts to spiral into “what if” scenarios, I pause. Instead of feeding the fear, I answer it gently: “And if it happens, I’ll handle it. What if it goes right inst...
Post a Comment

A Year of Forgiveness, Faith, and New Beginnings

Image
By The Artful Woman

 This year has been a profound journey of forgiveness, growth, and gratitude for me. One of the most significant moments was the return of my sister to my life. After my dad passed away, she made choices that deeply hurt me—changing the locks to his home, taking all his belongings, refusing to help with the funeral, and cutting me out of her life entirely. She even told me I was adopted, a cruel and unnecessary blow. The hurt and confusion from her actions were overwhelming, especially since she had always been my protector growing up against the challenges I faced with my middle sister and mother.

For years, I carried that pain. But through prayer, reflection, and God’s grace, I woke up one day and realized I no longer harbored resentment. My heart was ready to forgive. So, this Thanksgiving, I decided to host a meal in honor of what I call "The Prodigal Sister’s Return." It wasn’t just about reconnecting—it was about embracing the power of forgiveness and celebrating the gratitude I have for the blessings in my life.

I know what brought her back into my life—she went through some medical emergencies of her own that likely gave her a new perspective and made her realize the impact of her choices. Whatever the circumstances, I’m grateful she’s here now.

As we move toward Christmas, my heart swells with love for Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. The celebration of His birth reminds me of the ultimate act of forgiveness and love—His sacrifice for us. Without Him, I’d be so lost. He is my anchor, my hope, and my guide in all things.

New Year’s has become less of a celebration for me and more of a time for reflection. After my own near-death experience, I’ve chosen to live my second chance at life with purpose and intention. I prioritize eating well, exercising, and cultivating a positive and healthy mindset. A dear friend told me that I am constantly evolving—learning, growing, and pushing beyond my comfort zones. That’s where I’m at now: striving to help others while always working to be a better version of myself.

But if I’m being honest, the day I’m most looking forward to is Donald Trump’s inauguration. I’m so excited and proud to feel hopeful again as an American. These past years, it’s felt like survival was the only option. But now, it feels like everything I’ve been working toward will finally have meaning and purpose. I can’t wait to thrive again, to live boldly and prosper.

I’m grateful for this second chance at life, for the lessons I’ve learned, and for the opportunity to keep growing. I look forward to celebrating all the milestones ahead—with love, faith, and hope.

Happy Holidays!

                                                           My 59th Birthday 10-26-2024


Labels:
Location: Dana Point, CA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

It’s time for me to start telling my story.

By The Artful Woman
 It’s time for me to start telling my story. For a long time, I stayed quiet outside of a very small circle of close friends. I shared only enough to stay connected, but not enough to be fully seen. That wasn’t avoidance—it was protection. After my accident, my nervous system and my energy field simply could not take in more input from the outside world. As an empath, I had to retreat in order to survive and heal. But as my strength slowly returns, I feel that silence shifting. I was in a tragic accident on Ortega Highway that changed the entire course of my life. In an instant, everything I knew about my body, my independence, and my future was disrupted. Since then, I’ve been forced into a long and ongoing process of rebuilding—not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And I’m still in it. Even the simplest things that most people take for granted have become daily challenges. Basic mobility. Using the restroom safely and in time. Navigating transfers ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why I’m Still Here

By The Artful Woman
  Why I’m Still Here By Jean Marshall I’ve asked myself the question more times than I can count: Why am I still here? After a stroke that changed my life five years ago, I thought I had already learned resilience. I thought I had already been tested. But then came the accident — a beautiful September morning that shattered my body, altered my future, and once again forced me to start over from the ground up. There are days I still can’t fully understand it. One man’s poor decision, one wrong moment, and everything changed. My bones broke. My leg was lost. My body shut down. My life — the one I’d built with so much effort — came to a stop. But somehow, my heart didn’t. They tell me it took over twenty doctors and nurses to keep me alive that day. I was in an induced coma, held together by machines, prayers, and the hands of strangers. There were moments I thought I was dying — I even said my last prayers. But each time I surrendered, something unseen pulled me back. Something...
Post a Comment
Read more

Help Me Stay Housed While Recovering From a Life-Changing Accident

By The Artful Woman
  Help Me Stay Housed While Recovering From a Life-Changing Accident On September 6th, my life changed in an instant when a driver crossed into my lane on Ortega Highway and hit me head-on. My car was thrown into the air and I nearly lost my life. My vehicle was completely totaled. I spent four months in the hospital. The first part was in a trauma unit where I was placed in an induced coma and underwent multiple life-saving surgeries. I was then transferred to an acute care facility where I required critical support, including IVs, a tracheostomy, a feeding tube, and dialysis. My injuries included: Loss of my right leg Six broken ribs and two vertebrae Broken pelvis, right arm, and wrist Multiple fractures in my left leg Kidney and heart failure from trauma Many of my injuries required surgical repair with metal hardware that I am still healing from After returning home, my focus has been recovery. I’ve faced infections, complications, and delayed healing that hav...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Surviving Twice Taught Me About Purpose—And What It Didn’t

By The Artful Woman
  Questioning the idea that survival comes with a purpose to fulfill I’ve survived two life-altering events, and what I’ve learned about purpose isn’t what people expect. They say, “God kept your alive for a reason,” or “God still has a purpose for you.” And I need to be honest about how that lands for me. It doesn’t feel comforting. It feels like pressure. Like surviving something traumatic automatically comes with an assignment—something I’m supposed to figure out later, some hidden meaning I’m expected to uncover. And in my case, this hasn’t been said just once. It’s been said twice. Once after my stroke in 2020. And now again after a near-death accident on September 6th 2025 that changed my life forever. So it starts to create a pattern I can’t ignore—that my survival is always being tied to some purpose I haven’t “fulfilled” yet. And that raises a real question for me: Why does it sound like I have to go through something catastrophic in order for my life to be cons...
Post a Comment
Read more