RockWall Cottage Chronicles #9

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?

Yesterday was my grandson’s 20th birthday and we held the celebration in the backyard of the cottage. We worked hard to get the yard ready for the celebration!

And the chickens decided to pose for the picture. I probably had ten Zoom or phone conversations last week. It is becoming standard fare for Elvis, the rooster, to make himself heard. “Is that your rooster?” Well, yes, it is. I have accepted that this is a perfect life for developing an eccentric author persona. (Not sure I wanted that, but here we are.) Thankfully, he did not crow during a podcast recording!

Chicken Still Life

News, Highlights from Previous Weeks, What’s Coming, and Other Stuff

• Guest Podcast Available: What a wonderful conversation with my new Australian friend, Jacqui Cousins, ACMHN, AHPRA & PACFA (Mental Health Counsellor & Educator) “In this two-part episode, author and trauma-informed advocate Janyne McConnaughey, Ph.D. shares her lived experience and recovery from of religious trauma. Janyne shares her insights into the impact of childhood sexual abuse on religious trauma, and together we discuss what churches can do to reduce risk of religious harm.” You can access the podcast here (the second part will be available on Tuesday).

• A Zoom Celebration: Next week will complete Part II of the paid subscriber Trauma in the Pews 2.0 series. The Spiritual Practice of Celebration will be the week’s focus so it seems appropriate to have a Zoom Celebration. Paid Subscribers, watch for the link. As usual, it will be the last Friday of the month at 3:00 Pacific Time.

• September Surprises: Just when you think you know what to expect from day to day here on my Substack, I will be changing things up a bit. After teaching for fifty years, I naturally feel the need to start fresh at the beginning of a school year. To shift gears, I will take a break the first week of September as the Trauma in the Pews Section II series concludes. The rest of the month will be designed around weekly topics before I settle into a routine again. There is good stuff coming!

• The We Do Therapy Series: Beginning in late September, we plan to discuss the following topics/parts of our story. Don’t hold me to this—my writing is always a work in progress! We also plan to have video conversations and at least one Zoom Gathering. (This will be paid subscriber content.)

  • The Engagement: When Trauma Attracts Trauma

  • The Wedding: Glimpses of Baggage on a Picture-Perfect Day

  • The Honeymoon: Dueling PTSD Re-Enactments and Reactions

  • The Marriage: How Co-Dependency Helps and Harms

  • The Healing Journey: Not Taking the Messiness of Healing Personally

  • Hiding in the Church: How the Patriarchy Harmed Us Both

  • Church Teachings: How Toxic Theology Harmed Kept Us From Healing

  • Therapy Lessons #1: Arguments as Trigger Wars

  • Therapy Lesson #2: Recognizing an Off-Roading Event

  • Therapy Lesson #3: When No One Understands Boundaries

  • Therapy Lesson #4: Packing and Unpacking our Cigarettes (i.e. Baggage)

  • Therapy Lesson #5: Holding Tightly to the Good Memories