Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Month: December 2018 (page 2 of 15)

The joy of living room

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  136  (February 28, 2008) In her blog, Nancie, my friend from long ago, talks about the joy CH Spurgeon’s wife, Susannah Thompson, found in her ministry. A semi-invalid, confined to her home, she found something she could do to benefit others – something that benefited herself as well. Please check out her […]

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Comment on – wounded healer (2018)

As I’m traveling through these memories of how facilitating Living Room was for me, I’m impressed with how important helping others was for me as I battled frequent depression. Being the wounded healer Nouwen talks about helped me facilitate Living Room with few interruptions for nine years. You might have noticed in previous posts how […]

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Being a wounded healer

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  135  (February 23, 2008) Catholic theologian Henri Nouwen believed that our wounds can be a source of healing for others. Not only do they help us become compassionate, but they humble us. As we work toward healing in our own lives, we can help bring healing to others. I’m finding that so […]

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Comments on abandonment (2018)

In my previous post I talked about the feelings of abandonment I occasionally felt:  My worst moments are occasional feelings of abandonment. I usually experience these at night. I have a sense of doom, a chilly emptiness. There is nothing to hold on to. No hugs are tight enough to take away my sense of […]

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Abandonment issues

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  134  (February 21, 2008) This is a piece I wrote for my new book, A Firm Place to Stand. …God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) My worst moments are occasional feelings of abandonment. I usually experience these at night. I have a sense […]

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A sadness wrapped in love

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  133  (February 19, 2008) When I was looking after Mom I looked often at this picture which hung on her wall. I had photographed these cosmos flowers a few years ago in the rain and the water droplets make me think of tears. It’s kind of a sad picture, but it’s beautiful […]

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Comments on grief (2018)

I need to interrupt my Living Room story to tell you about something I’ve learned in recent years. Through therapy I learned that a couple of friends who had been very kind had become like parents to me – giving me the kind of love my parents had not provided when I was young. I […]

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Blogging to heal

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  132  (February 17, 2008) Ohh, do I ever need to blog – to share with you some of the stuff I’m going through! I coped fine with everything until the day after the funeral. Then I found out that my best friend will be away for the months of March and April. […]

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End of a long life

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  131  (February 9, 2008) My husband and I spent most of the past three weeks close by his mother’s side. I found out what it’s like to live in a care facility, spending many nights sleeping in a cot in her room and eating there. Tabor Home was a good place to […]

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Mom dying and living room on TV

LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  130  (January 27, 2008) I want to thank all of you who have been thinking about us and praying for us and for my mother-in-law. Life is complex for me right now, and yet I feel God’s presence in a very clear way. We’ve spent the past few days at home, traveling […]

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