Affirm Grasp

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.  Psalm 147:5 The smell of cinnamon rolls and anticipation filled the air. Christmas morning. Stockings stuffed, music blaring, parents exhausted and wide-eyed children eager to see what is under the tree. Family traditions. Growing up, Christmas morning meant waiting until everyone was awake to open presents. The youngest of four, I had the job of "subtly" waking the rest of the family. However, at eight years old, on this particular snowy Christmas morning, everything changed. No excitement from me. Under the covers I hid. Just a few weeks earlier Mom had asked me to write out my wish list for Santa. I passionately shared how much I longed to play music and my desperation for a piano. Afraid to disappoint, she explained a piano was too heavy for Santa to deliver on his sleigh, but I didn't buy it. There had to be another reason. Somehow I sensed, even at eight years old, the aroma of financia...

Writing a book is a big project. Writing, editing, researching, and then writing and editing again. You have to have passion for your subject and you have to have courage to face potential rejection. After all, not everyone is going to be passionate about what you have to say.  So before I get into my project any deeper, I wanted to remind myself and YOU, that there are good reasons to write a book.  TOP 10 REASONS TO WRITE A BOOK 10.) You enjoy writing and you enjoy editing Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy the creative part of coming up with an idea and watching it come to fruition? Do you love words and coming up with different ways to say the same thing? Editing is cleansing and allows us to think before we write and think before we speak. 9.) To grow spiritually Writing a book encourages us to dive into scriptures more, to read other books, to connect with other authors and expand applications of spiritual insights 8.) You are pas...

If Susan Hoekstra’s name was typed into the MSU search engine, it would reveal she is a graduate adviser for the College of Music. What it wouldn't say about Hoekstra is that she is also a wife, mother, musician and sexual abuse survivor. Hoekstra wrote the song “Wings” in honor of the 332 individuals who survived sexual abuse at the hands of ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. “It’s really for the victims and I hope somehow they get it, or even the victim’s families," Hoekstra said. "I wanted to capture as much as I could the tenderness, the somberness, empathy and a little inspiration. That’s a hard line to find.” Hoekstra’s roots When news about Nassar first broke on MSU's campus, Hoekstra said she felt waves of emotions.    As a survivor of sexual abuse herself, the reports about Nassar's abuse hit close to home. “I think when this all came out, it triggered a lot for me and because I have been a victim of sexua...

Rollercoasters.  Not a fan. I guess when I was in my tweens I would’ve characterized these rides as exciting, thrilling, stimulating. Something changed. No more interest in them until I became a Mom. Secretly, I secretly wished my daughters wouldn’t enjoy them but at the same time glad their Dad would offer to take them on the scandalous rides. I would watch, praying for physical safety and that the experience wouldn’t emotionally scar them for life. Thankfully it didn’t. Today. I have no use for amusement rides. Yet I think the real reason I’m not interested anymore is because my life feels like a roller coaster ride. Uncertainties, twists and turns and new situations to adjust to. Sometimes I think I personally hold the world’s record for the amount of roller coaster rides I’ve been on. The data is clear.   Moved 23 times, saw husbands through 14 job changes, held 29 different jobs over the years.   Been through divorce, survived physical and sexual a...