by Deryn | Feb 23, 2023 | LANDSCAPES OF LIFE, LEARNING JOURNEYS, Real Life, Social History, SOCIAL JUSTICE, TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
I recently had to study for my Civics Test to become a naturalized citizen of the US. The history and foundation of the nation were based on the premise of freedom. Two of these freedoms were freedom of expression and thought. These are fundamental human rights... 
by Deryn | Jan 25, 2023 | LANDSCAPES OF LIFE, LEARNING JOURNEYS, Real Life, Seasons of Life, Social History, SOCIAL JUSTICE
My last blog was on being incarcerated, so it is only fitting that this year I focus on freedom. What does it really mean to be free? The United States Constitution is based on freedoms, so I thought I would explore what some of these mean over the course of this... 
by Deryn | Nov 23, 2022 | LANDSCAPES OF LIFE, LEARNING JOURNEYS, Nature, Seasons of Life, SOCIAL JUSTICE, Spiritual, TRANSFORMATION, Transitions, Travel
Blouberg Beach – Unsplash Charle Fourie I am coming to the end of this Series on Margins, which has been the theme for the year. I wanted to give a voice to those who have found themselves sidelined and pushed to the margins, mostly through circumstances and... 
by Deryn | Oct 13, 2022 | Divorce, LANDSCAPES OF LIFE, LEARNING JOURNEYS, Real Life, SOCIAL JUSTICE, Spiritual, SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL WOUNDING, TRANSFORMATION, TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
Hi Malinda, thank you so much for being vulnerable to sharing your journey with bipolar disorder. Mental health in the Church has been a subject that is rarely discussed or mishandled. I would love you to share your experiences with my readers, so they can get a... 
by Deryn | Sep 21, 2022 | Grief, LANDSCAPES OF LIFE, LEARNING JOURNEYS, Real Life, Seasons of Life, Social History, Transitions, Travel
-These past two weeks have seen the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the great pageantry that only the British can do well to honor her life. I have watched with interest as the week of mourning passed, the lying-in-state, through the Service at Westminster, the ride... 
by Deryn | Sep 1, 2022 | LANDSCAPES OF LIFE, LEARNING JOURNEYS, Real Life, Seasons of Life, Social History, SOCIAL JUSTICE, Spiritual, Travel
This past month I had the privilege of visiting the new Pueblo Cultural Center and Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the village in Taos. I was most impressed with the pottery and artifacts of ‘the storyteller,’ so I just had to share this with...