Relearning the Basics: What Brief Dementia Taught Me About the Mind
After her brain hemorrhage, Cheryl experienced what she calls “brief dementia,” including the loss of the concept of time and […]
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Healing Is Not a Straight Line: Why Recovery Feels Like Failure Sometimes
The expectation that recovery moves forward steadily is one of the cruelest myths about trauma. Cheryl reflects on the days
What You Cannot See: Living With an Invisible Disability
Arachnoiditis does not show up on your face or in the way you walk through a room. Chronic pain and
The Dark Side of Survival: When Gratitude and Despair Live in the Same Room
Surviving a near-death experience does not automatically feel like a gift. Cheryl writes honestly about the spiritual despair that followed
A Wounded Shepherd: Leading a Congregation While Falling Apart
Pastors are expected to hold space for the grief and crisis of others. What happens when the pastor is the
The Miracle of Minutes: What Attentive Care Actually Looks Like
In medicine, the difference between survival and catastrophe can come down to a single moment of attention. Reverend Cheryl Rieder