• encouragement

    Finding Contentment in the Tough Decisions

    By Vanessa Rasanen I sat uncomfortably on the couch — or was it a loveseat? No matter. The man across from me listened as I rambled a bit, my eyes shifting off to the corner of the room and then to my feet and then back to him. I’ve never been comfortable with eye contact when I’m speaking, and ever since I had someone call me out on my rude way of looking around during a conversation I’m well-aware that I am doing this now. The man chuckles slightly when I finally stop. “You are very black and white in your thinking. You seem concerned with whether you’re doing the…

  • encouragement,  Motherhood

    Having Kids in a Broken and Scary World

    By Vanessa Rasanen Parenting is an awesomely hard gig somedays. Amidst the laughs and fun we have our share of messes and frustrations, tears and fights. But above all it’s the worry that wears me the most thin. If I claimed to never fear or worry about what life will bring for our children, it’d be a total lie. Then the news hits. Another atrocity. More heartache somewhere for someone. And I struggle to block it all out so I don’t completely fall apart and fail to be a wife and mom. Inevitably the question comes up… “Why have kids at all when the world is so awful?” And shamefully I admit it…