Creating Rhythms of Joy Seeking While Grieving
Seeking joy while grieving.
Since being diagnosed with Complex PTSD, I have begun practicing awareness of dissociation. Honestly, this has been some of the toughest work I have ever done. Feeling the grief and discomfort of living with chronic illness, witnessing the injustices around the world, healing from trauma, and advocating for disability rights has been extremely uncomfortable. Experiencing grief while doing everyday life has been hard.
And yet, in the midst of all of this, I hear God telling me to seek out joy. Not in a spiritual bypass kind of way.
But as a reminder that joy and whimsy are what sustain us during grief.
It’s noticing the first blooms of spring while healing from trauma.
It’s the small moments of delight that fresh air from open windows brings while experiencing a chronic illness flare-up.
It is living in constant tension between joy and grief. When I remember that God is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), I know it is safe to feel and process my feelings while seeking joy.
Writing Update
As we’ve been sending my book proposal around, there have been inquiries asking for more devotionals. I’ve been busy writing and revising and am hoping to share some good news soon!
Speaking at Disability and The Church Conference 2026
I can’t tell you how much it filled my cup to learn about the great things people are doing for disability ministries around the world! DATC2026 is an experience I will never forget. I was blessed with the opportunity to give a presentation on Releasing Shame Around Disability and Ways to Create and Nurture Inclusive Church Environments for Autistic Adults.
Podcast Update
Over the past year, there has been more Bible teaching and neurodivergent encouragement on my podcast, so it seemed like a natural shift to change the name from The Faith Filled Mom Podcast to The Neurodivergent Bible Teaching Podcast. I’m excited about this change and hope you’ll tune in for Bible teaching, neurodivergent encouragement, and more things I’m doing to honor the brain God has given me. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, or Podbean. Here are recent episodes:
Creating and Nurturing Church Environments for Autistic Adults
Pathological Demand Avoidance and Studying the Bible
A Neurodivergent Product I Love
I have mild sleep apnea and have started using a CPAP machine. When it was time to find a chin strap to go with my machine, I felt overwhelmed. I tried multiple chin straps with scratchy material, which made me itch. I finally found the one chin strap with sensory-friendly material. It’s helped me adjust to the CPAP machine so much! If you know of a neurodivergent using a CPAP machine, share this with them!
I pray you feel encouraged to create your own rhythm of joy seeking in this season.
