by Merita Atherly Engen | Jul 14, 2023 | Points of Light
I was in my mid-twenties—a mom of two small girls and wife to a skilled but struggling contractor who built custom homes. We lived on a virtual shoestring. Nonetheless, my life stretched ahead in an optimistic array of expectations, hopes, dreams, reality, and a...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Apr 15, 2022 | Childhood Abuse and Trauma, Culture of Silence, Points of Light, Restoration from Abuse
“The tired-er you get, the faster you go,” Dad used to comment when she was eight. Now, at seventy-two, her steps halt as my sister wheels her suitcase down the hall to our lodging at the conference center. JerryAnn isn’t going fast today, but she is going....
by Merita Atherly Engen | Oct 26, 2021 | Points of Light
Rose-Marie knew love existed—true, romantic only-come-once kind of love. That sense of belonging. That perfect fit she had felt way back when. Even though it had never been defined from the long-ago past, the seed lay silent and still in her heart. Maybe it would...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Sep 21, 2021 | Breaking through Darkness, Childhood Abuse and Trauma, Identity Restored, Points of Light, Restoration from Abuse
Rose-Marie* stood at the sink washing dishes. By hand. One pan was so dirty it needed special treatment. Like her heart. She knew God loved her, but her ability to love and forgive seemed wretched. How did God’s way work for her? Or anyone? She twitched her head....
by Merita Atherly Engen | Sep 7, 2021 | Creative, Culture of Silence, Points of Light, Restoration from Abuse, Shining on God's Character
Compared to others, my family didn’t have much money, but one thing we shared with our community was the Culture of Silence. If something bad or questionable happened, it was all hush-hush or became part of the gossip mill in which I was seldom included. Hard...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Aug 24, 2021 | Breaking through Darkness, Childhood Abuse and Trauma, Points of Light, Restoration from Abuse
The seed lands in gravel. No one notices. No one cares about the life stored within. It’s on gravel, after all, atop hard-baked ground next to a plain, metal building. Alone. Without worth. Rain on the roof drips from the edge. Softens the seed. Life sprouts....
