I love to laugh and smile and I love to make others laugh and smile too. I’ve even been known to play a practical joke or two. So it’s only fitting, that I was born on April Fool’s Day – a day where giggles are meant to be.
I come from a loving family of Finnish immigrants to Canada. A family dearly committed to each other and friends, to church and community; and most importantly, to God. And the lessons I learned as a child to always help others, were born from them.
Ever since I can remember, I liked being outdoors. I liked to cross-country ski and skate in the winter and to swim and windsurf in the summer. So it was pretty awesome to grow up on a lake at the family camp where endless hours spent swimming left a lengthy trail of beach towels on the line.
Like all teens growing up, I had drawn up the master plan for my life. I knew I wanted to go to university, have a business career, teach and travel. Maybe the opportunity even existed at some point to be a teacher and children’s author.
I always found the small creatures that scurry around the camp fascinating and the source of inspiration for these stories especially since I think the endless number of peanuts I’ve fed “Chippy” over the years will create a chipmunk the size of a raccoon someday.
It was just going to be.
With hard work and determination, I was able to complete most of my goals.
But nobody expects in the pursuit of their dreams, that things can go terribly wrong. Circumstances that can make you question who you are, your life’s purpose and direction.
In a very small car accident, I hit my head and my world unraveled around me. Rapidly words and phrases like PTSD, Complex PTSD and dissociative memory labelled the conditions that were now part of my life as the accident triggered my repressed memories of being sexually assaulted as a child. The
pain was devastating and personal defeat seemed near.
My family caught me – especially my parents and my sister. They stood with steadfast grace beside me. They listened to every story and watched every tear drop fall. They helped me breathe when it was too hard to breathe on my own and helped me stand, when it was time to get up.
Even my grandparents, who had long since passed away, seemed to be whispering in my ear to survive as I kept remembering the stories of how they endured when they first came to Canada. And lifelong friends, who shared in this journey with me, redefined the definition of family.
Ministers and counsellors were key players in the journey too.
But it was my faith in God and the reliance on Him that ultimately brought true healing to my heart when I laid my pain down at His feet.
If you would like to know more about my journey of faith and quest for well being, I would be more than happy to share it with you.
The Grace and Peace of God is meant to be shared.