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Farmview Drive
Growing up, I only recall two houses that we lived in. The first was attached to the back of a grocery store and it wasn’t very big. I don’t have many memories of that house but I do remember being scared every time the cops would knock on our door and notify us that the […]
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BU: The Necklace
When I look at my life as a whole, I like to highlight moments in time that remind me that my life has truly been Beautifully Unbroken (BU); this is one of those stories. Last July, my daughter, who is a missionary at an orphanage, returned home for what should have been two months. For […]
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Pressure Perfect
Perfectionist. All one needs to do is read that word and there are immediate thoughts that begin to formulate. Thoughts of how we, ourselves strive for perfectionism; or the face of someone we know pops into our heads because they represent to us what a perfectionist is. I have lived the better part of my […]
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YCMTSU: Domino Effect
Have you ever had those days when one thing goes wrong, and that gets followed by several other things? It is like the universe was trying to say something and could have found a better way to say it! The events I lay out below all happened within a THREE-day period! You literally cannot make […]
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Fear-Based Courage
Fear is an internal battle that we can fight for our whole lives. We may not even be aware of its presence or influence and so it quietly dictates our decisions. But when we choose to look in the eye of fear and face off with it, we can overcome so much more than we […]
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YCMTSU: Surgery Day
A few years ago, while I was at work, I climbed up one of those rolling step ladders to get a piece of equipment. I turned around to descend the steps when my shoe slipped on the edge of the top step and I went all the way down! Unfortunately, my left leg went down […]
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EVIA: The Ultimate Price
Disclaimer: This is a serious story of domestic violence and does not end well. To prevent the identity of “Evia” or her family being exposed, many of the details and the characters in this story have been changed. None of the names are real and the circumstances have been adjusted to maintain discretion. At its […]
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BU: Airplane Redemption
The Beautifully Unbroken (BU) series I am weaving into my blog because, amidst our struggles, I believe it is important to remember the good things that have happened in life. Along my journey, I have not had many mentors and, in fact, have only had two of them. The first one I met back when […]
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Chameleon
In, To Be or Not To Be, I wrote about the confidence I walk with now. Yet, it was a constant battle to sincerely believe in myself; at times it felt like it was an endless and wearisome dirt road. Along the journey, self-doubt was my constant companion and self-worth relentlessly eluded me. My only […]
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YCMTSU: Home Depot
I think one of my favorite quotes comes from Ron on Parks and Rec when he visited Home Depot (HD). An eager employee approaches him and says, “Hey, is there a project you are working on?” Ron looks him directly in the eye and responds, “I know more than you.” This is literally how I […]
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Caution: Inevitable Explosion Ahead
I think we all know people who could easily be described as peacemakers. Usually, they are the quiet ones in the conversation who mostly listen, but they don’t say much. They aren’t necessarily limited to being a certain type of personality, as it is more of a characteristic that they project. We often view these […]
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YCMTSU: The Most Expensive Car
When I was at my last job, I would sometimes go out for lunch. One day, when I returned, someone had parked in my normal spot. No biggie, I just parked on the opposite side, which was on a slight hill. As per usual, I put my car in park and pulled up the emergency […]
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Dance Through the Fire
God does not give us more than we can handle because it is not Him giving us our troubles.
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YCMTSU: The Tale of Four Holes
My childhood was literally a dice roll on whether I was going to make it to adulthood. So many crazy things happened and, when I look back, it amazes me that I made it out in one piece! This is the tale of the four holes…in my head!!! In the Hispanic culture, going to see […]
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YCMTSU: Potato’s and Migraines
I have had so many things happen in my life that sometimes, I just shake my head in disbelief because you can’t make this $h!t up (YCMTSU)! One story that stands out for me happened when I was somewhere around 12-years-old. Up until I was 30, I struggled with migraine headaches to the point where […]
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Pass the Baton
I have been part of the church institution for over three decades. It is not a perfect institution, but it plays an important role in the Christian environment. I served in leadership most of those thirty years and, for over 20 years, served closely with different pastors. I have to be honest, I do not […]
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YCMTSU: Roller Coaster Week
People who are close to me know that the craziest things happen to me all the time. Like surreal stuff and on a regular basis. Since childhood, I was always referred to as accident-prone and that was an understatement! If something could happen to me, it did. If something could be run into, I ran […]
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Silent Prison
One of the most misunderstood and overlooked forms of abuse is emotional abuse. It is easily covered up, easily overlooked, and easily dismissed. Psychology Today defines emotional abuse as: “A pattern of behavior in which the perpetrator insults, humiliates, and generally instills fear in an individual in order to control them. The individual’s reality may become […]
Beautifully Unbroken
From victim, to survivor, to thriver
Beautifully Unbroken 