My name is Rachel.
Laughing is my favorite thing. I strive to laugh at as much of life as possible, guided through awkwardness by my strong genetic and broken sense of humor. I understand many people see this as a coping mechanism, and I do make many inappropriate remarks and laugh during really terrible moments to help balance out my super-power of unnatural hyper-empathy. This one time at band church camp my counselor sent home a negative report to my parents about my inability to take anything seriously. But she probably wouldn’t laugh till she cried at the colorectal surgeon song.
I like people, and I like stories. Everyone has a story, and all stories should be shared. Strangers fascinate me, and I love creating characters out of people I see in public or hear about from friends. I ask questions and explore peoples’ minds and ideas. I like helping others find their way through their own story, and I have found surprising healing and wholeness through telling mine. This is how we learn and grow: by listening to others, truly listening and entering into their stories; by communicating our own piece of the story as tangled and muddled as it is.
I’m a realist, and I can’t see the forest for the trees (I’m impossibly short-sighted). I can’t imagine my future, let alone plan for it. I’m a perfectionist and a hard worker. I’m determined to do well at everything I try, though that means I don’t try things like basketball (too short and non-competitive) or calligraphy (too impatient).
I have a husband who is too good for me and two beautiful children who make me crazy. I love them all so much it hurts, but I tend to share more about how they all make me nuts because that’s more humorous. Please know that I adore them beyond what words could express.
Blesséd: /bles.id/
- *Bringing happiness, pleasure, or contentment; holy; worthy of worship; held in veneration; revered. Blessed are the peacemakers . . . .
- *A euphemistic word for damned, used in mild oaths. Take that blessed cat out!
Why “All These Blesséd Things”? Because of the dichotomy in those definitions. All my life is an amazing gift, but I am often too broken to see that. The overlap between the beauty and the suffering is way too ironic. Also, I may have mental health issues.
