People who know me now probably think I’m a pretty normal mom. But it took several incarnations (the all-in-one-lifetime variety) to get me here.
Mine was not a carefree childhood, but one marked by divorce, poverty, neglect and even a foster home. Wanting to rise above it all, I pursued a good education, eventually becoming a Montessori teacher.
But the holes in my heart led me into a lot of destructive behavior - drugs, divorce, and neglect of my first two daughters - Samantha Sunshine (born in Washington DC in 1969) and Jasmine Moondance (San Francisco in in 1975). Through it all, I was also a passionate radical left leader - in the antiwar, feminist, and abortion rights movements.
Not everyone who’s made so many mistakes is blessed with a second chance. I was, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
In 1980, I overcame my addictions with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there that in 1982 I met my husband and best friend, Tripp, and together we began a spiritual search that led us in 1987 to become followers of Jesus.
That would have been the last path I would have chosen, because I’d judged Christians harshly all my life. But I discovered being a Christian wasn’t about following Christians - it’s about following Christ.
