Author: Paula Nilsen
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Grief and Starting Over
If you have experienced a loss of a loved one or a dear friend, allow A Light in Darkness: Stories of Grief and Loss to offer guidance and comfort. Perhaps you are struggling with grief and starting over after divorce has been difficult, upending your entire life. The first step to starting over is to grieve your… Read more
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A Year of Mondays | Stop a Moment and Enjoy Creation
When you can do little else, be delighted with creation. In this article, I write about my bout with COVID-19, and how I learned to stop a moment amid the chaos and just enjoy creation. Have you noticed it’s not easy to create or accomplish much with chaos as a steady diet? Small things get… Read more
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Healing from Divorce
One of the best ways I have found to overcome any difficulty is to acknowledge the pain and name the emotion. I would say aloud: “Oh, that’s what grief feels like” and “Ah, hello sadness.” When I was healing from divorce, my difficulty came when I met my old life. Grief hung over me like… Read more
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Prayers for Divorce Healing
Tonight I had no words to pray, so I read the prayers of Hannah and David. If you are in need of prayers for divorce healing, or any kind of healing, you will find strength in reading the following prayers. Hannah, remember Hannah from the Old Testament? She was accused of being drunk in the temple. In… Read more
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Christian Divorce Resources: Part 1
Christian Resources: Books on Healing from Divorce After my divorce, I became a voracious reader. I scoured the internet for books on healing—not only books on how to heal from divorce but books on human triumph of any kind. It is Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis who so graciously says in Choosing Hope, “Pain is pain and sadness… Read more
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How to Feel Happier: Three Habits to Adopt Today
Happiness is my thing. I feel a stirring when I read a quote about happiness or find a book on the subject (that I haven’t already read), or when I think about a particularly happy time in my life. Thinking about happiness boosts happiness. Read that last sentence once again but slower this time. (The… Read more
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5 Ways to Introduce Peace into Your Morning Routine
To find peace amid unrest, I follow the same rules I use for creating. Since I find the creative process extremely difficult and unnatural, I have rules set in place to help me create. When I begin writing, a million other activities vie for my attention (e.g., cleaning under the stove, shining the sinks, making… Read more
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Letting Go of Baggage after Major Change
It’s the New Year: Releasing Emotional Baggage Along the Mediterranean in southern Italy on New Year’s Eve, we learn to let go to make room for something new. We do well to clean house and rid ourselves of unnecessary weight and baggage. Letting Go: An Italian Custom A New Year’s Eve tradition in southern Italy speaks… Read more
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Moving Forward after Divorce: 3 Changes to Make Today
Moving forward after divorce requires determination and precision focus on the goal. Here I write (and speak) about releasing crippling thoughts and bad moods that have taken root. Give it a try: replace negative thoughts with “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely…” (Philippians 4:8, NIV).… Read more
