RockWall Cottage Chronicles #3

A newsy, sometimes amusing, usually interesting fly-on-the-RockWall view of my life as an author with updates from my Substack adventures.

The small cottage where I live and write has been affectionally named RockWall Cottage because of the rock wall that divides our side of the property from the side of the property where our friends, the owners of the cottage, live. (Learn More)

What Has Been Happening at RockWall Cottage?

Maybe it was the family campground where I spent much time as a child that made me think it would be fun to live in a house on the same property as my friends. If that is true, then my childhood dream came true. Our cottage is on the lower part of our friend’s property which is divided by the rock wall.

Were we all concerned that living so close would impact our friendship? Naturally, but it could not have turned out any better. I think we as Americans are far too infatuated with isolation. Healthy community is possible—if you choose wisely.

Our joint ventures includes twelve chickens. The chicken coop is in our backyard. Scott and I had zero knowledge about chickens but we are quick learners and the twelve young adult chickens graduated to the larger coop last week.

I did not know I would enjoy chickens this much. They are a very distracting source of amusement when I try to spend time writing on my back porch. There will be no eggs for several months, so I am gathering chicken stories instead.

We are in the process of naming the chickens. I decided that I needed pictures to consider how to tell them apart. Photo Shoot! Some of the twelve are very easy to tell apart, some are twins, five are indistinguishable at this point, and the rooster is quite obvious. He is our “there is a 10% chance they won’t all be hens” chicken.

When we opened the door at the top of the ramp to the big coop, there was great hesitation and curiosity. Here is the bravest of all the chickens deciding to go through the door. She came back out immediately and said, “I didn’t die.”

But by the end of the day, they were all running up and down the ramp with great chicken glee! They did not chicken out! It was another big day of accomplishments for the chickens of RockWall Cottage.

Highlights from Previous Weeks and What is Coming:

• It Was a Great Conversation: Our first paid subscriber Zoom Conversation was last Friday. One attendee said, “You've created a safe space to be vulnerable about difficult topics.” Yes, that is always my goal!

• The Second Month’s Content Begins this Week: We are beginning the second month of Trauma in the Pews 2.0 paid subscriber content. Everyone will receive a preview of the introduction to the month’s content. Remember, if the subscription is not something you can afford, you can ask to join! I don’t want the cost to stand in the way of you being part of the conversation and I appreciate all who can support me in this way.

• A Series that is Coming Soon: To honor the 45th anniversary of two trauma kids who found and cared for each other, Scott and I plan to launch a series of posts together. How did we make it to year 45? In great part because We Do Therapy. Stay tuned as we share the wisdom we have gained. (This series will be available to paid subscribers—we have paid for a lot of therapy!)

An Explanation of My Substack Content that May Seem a Bit Eclectic:

I had feedback from a subscriber last week that reminded me that people come to my writing from many different places and backgrounds. I took time to explain my work to her and thought it might be helpful to everyone.

I am an author whose body of work addresses all types of trauma. My original advocacy work was based on my first three books—the BRAVE Series—and specifically addresses childhood trauma and child sexual abuse (CSA). This is my personal story and I continue to write on these topics in the Brave Survivor section.

I often break up the trauma work with posts that emphasize living a life I enjoy after ten years of healing and all the varied ways that I helped myself heal. Thus, there are a few scattered posts about my life (these Chronicles for example), the Creative Thursday posts, Hotel Candelabra, and the Non-Religious Sunday Reflections that began a few weeks ago. I continue to work on making these seem more systematic knowing they are essential for my mental well-being. A steady diet of nothing but trauma work is too overwhelming! Sometimes I need rivers and chickens.

In my fourth book, Trauma in the Pews: The Impact on Faith and Spiritual Practices, I discuss trauma-sensitive spiritual practices which is the basis of the posts for Trauma in the Pews 2.0 and TITP 2.0 Community (Paid Subscriber Content).

Trauma in the Pews also includes a chapter in which I discuss all of the following types of trauma. Thus, I occasionally include posts on each topic—two of those were recent McMusings.

• Trauma of War (Addressed in McMusing: A Tribute to Veterans)

• Racial Trauma (Addressed in McMusing: Reflection on Juneteenth and the 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision)

• Religious Trauma (Addressed in the Religious Trauma Series)

I was grateful for the feedback that expressed concern that I was not staying focused on the healing of trauma—which is what they were searching for. I completely understand this and how it may seem that my McMusings go in other directions. Sometimes it verges on the political because policies and systems are embedded in the trauma that people experience. This was the case with the post on racial trauma.

It is impossible to discuss the wide range of trauma without addressing politics. When this happens—which it will because I believe it is important—it will always be shared as a McMusing. Please know that if you do not want to see that content, it is very easy to “unsubscribe to specific content.” I don’t want you to lose out on the content that is helpful because you do not wish to see all the content.

You Can Choose

You can choose what you want to receive from my Substack! I do not expect everyone to be interested in everything! My writing speaks to many different audiences. If you only want Brave Survivor emails (or other content), you can do that!

1. Click on the Unsubscribe button at the top of the email.

2. There will be a choice to go to my Substack Website—click on that.

3. All of the sections of my Substack are listed —you can choose! (If you leave the top one green, you will receive everything I send.)