Nurture

What Happens When Family Admits You to a Psych Ward?

May 6, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Inspire Me Monday, Nurture, Self-Care + Mental
41 Comments

Psych: It’s Not Just a TV Show May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Three years ago, our family went through the trauma of discovering our daughter had bipolar disorder. Don’t get me wrong, the diagnosis didn’t traumatize us any more than a diabetes diagnosis might traumatize us. But the events leading up to Sarah’s diagnosis did traumatize us. Mostly because we couldn’t understand what was happening to our sweet, talented, friendly, compassionate daughter. You can read the entire story at…

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The Power of Encouragement to Change Relationships

April 29, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Inspire Me Monday, Nurture, Self-Care + Spiritual
25 Comments

The week’s edition of Self-Care Sunday focuses on spirituality (don’t confuse it with religion). Part of my spiritual walk involves growing in areas where I demonstrate weakness. I confess to not having a natural talent for encouraging others. I’ll share a lesson I learned about troubled relationships and encouragement. Trouble “Can I borrow your cell phone?” she asked me the first week of school when I stood outside on playground duty. “What grade are you in?” I asked. “Fourth. I…

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When I’m Stuck at a Genius Bar Miles From Home

April 26, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Nurture
15 Comments

Stuck at the Bar I’m stuck at a Genius Bar waiting for my scheduled 6:15 Genius to show up and magically solve my problems. He shows up at 6:50. I struggle to remain patient and civil when he informs me that he can’t fix my computer tonight. They don’t have batteries for my computer in stock. Replacing it takes time. I did not have time. A visit to the Apple store requires a 3 1/2 hour drive, a personal day…

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Tips and Tricks for Your Next Extreme Hike

April 22, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Inspire Me Monday, Nurture, Self-Care + Physical
25 Comments

This edition of Self-Care Sunday focuses on physical wholeness. One of my favorite things to do is set a goal for an extreme event so that I have a reason to get up and exercise every morning. I’ll share what I’ve learned about extreme hiking. Two Days After As I crawled to the bathroom on Tuesday morning, my husband’s words mocked me, “Are you sure you aren’t having a mid-life crisis?” My ankles and calves hurt so much, that crawling…

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How to Turn a Burden into Blessing

April 19, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Landscapes, Nurture, Photography
10 Comments

A Turn in the Trail The trail twists and makes another turn, I lift my eyes, hoping to see the narrow, wooden building perched on the edge of a cliff. Three-mile Resthouse seems further away than the sign had promised when I left Indian Garden. I leaned on my hiking poles, hoping to ease the load on my legs by doing some of the work with my arms. When the building came into view, I heaved a sigh of relief…

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Photography, the Other Art

April 15, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Animals, Birds, Landscapes, Nurture, Photography, Self-care + Academic/Artistic Wholeness
31 Comments

Not Everyone Can Draw Not every month has five Sundays, so I’ll take the opportunity to explore the other A in MAPS (you can find more about this series here). Last week, I shared how having a learning mindset helps us conquer things we thought we couldn’t do in our younger years. Today I’ll share some tips for upping your artistic quotient with photography. Next week, I’ll tell you about my latest physical challenge. Artistic expression baffles me at time.…

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How to Release Racism From Your Life

April 6, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Nurture
10 Comments

Release. Relinquish. Give up. A furor on the campus of a small Christian university has brought home, once again, the power of ignorance to hurt and shame others. The scenario? Five students with facial masks (apparently charcoal masks), had their photo snapped. The owner of the phone posted the photo on Snapchat and added the university’s logo filter and the hashtag #PrettyHurts as well as the word Wakanda. Racist or ignorant? Overt racism or an innocent moment wrongly interpreted by…

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Why You Should Know the Effects of Depression In Teens

April 1, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Inspire Me Monday, Nurture, Self-Care + Mental
11 Comments

  We highlight mental self-care the first Sunday of each month for Self-Care Sunday. Today, I’ve invited one of my students to share her opinion paper with you. Cherie Whitney wrote this as an assignment for her English class, and she has a powerful message about depression for parents and teachers. Why You Should Know the Effects of Depression In Teens by Cherie Whitney I think adults should know the effects of depression. Most adults seem to ignore that someone…

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What Happens When You Settle for a Theory Without Investigation?

March 30, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Nurture
22 Comments

Never Settle for a Lack of Knowledge The whole Flat Earth Theory started me thinking about how, throughout history, people have espoused theories without testing them for truth—and ended up hurting other people. Take the theory that North America only had a few people living on it in the 1400s and needed a new race to settle and tame the land. I learned that theory back in grade school, and nothing in my high school or college classes taught me…

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Five Routines to Deepen Your Spiritual Life

March 25, 2018
Anita Ojeda
Nurture, Self-Care + Spiritual
27 Comments

Routines Build Relationships Face it, without routines in relationships, the relationship would slowly dry up. Back in the days before Internet, when Pedro and I first started dating, we wrote to each other on a daily basis during the long summers we spent apart. Those letters represent a routine of communication that built our relationship. We didn’t write flowery poems or repeat the same sentiment over and over again. We just shared with each other how our day had gone,…

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