Holding Grief & Gratitude

Eighteen years ago, I stood at the beginning of a journey with no idea where it would lead.

I had just returned from celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary in Italy and had recently left a job that had become increasingly difficult. I was stepping out in faith to start KidsTalk Therapy as a solo practitioner, not knowing whether I would succeed or fail. Before I had even fully launched the practice, I crashed my bike on a group ride, suffered a major concussion, fractured my thumb, and found myself lying in an ER wondering what God was doing.

What I didn't realize at the time was that the greatest challenges ahead had little to do with starting a business.

In those early years, my heart drifted. I became consumed with work, driven by the demands of building a practice and carrying more than I was meant to carry. Discontentment grew. My relationship with God suffered. Eventually, my life unraveled in ways I never imagined possible. I experienced deep failure, broken relationships, a failed marriage, public humiliation, and a profound sense of separation from God.

There were moments when I genuinely believed I had moved beyond the reach of redemption.

Yet God was not finished with me.

Through His relentless grace, He pursued me when I was running from Him. Through the love and faithfulness of my husband Spencer, who gently drew me back toward church and Christian community, God began restoring what I thought was permanently broken. One day, broken and exhausted, I finally knelt before Him, sought His forgiveness, and began the long process of healing, reconciliation, and learning to receive the grace that had been available all along.

Looking back now, I realize that KidsTalk was never just a speech therapy practice.

It became one of God's tools for shaping me.

Over the past 18 years, since KidsTalk Therapy opened it’s doors, He used thousands of therapy sessions, countless conversations with parents, and the privilege of walking alongside children and families to cultivate compassion, humility, patience, and a deeper dependence on Him. Through this work, I learned to listen differently. I learned to carry the burdens of others. I learned that every family is fighting battles we cannot see. Most importantly, I learned that my identity was never meant to be found in what I do, but in whose I am.

As many of you know, June 26 will be my final day at KidsTalk Therapy.

There is genuine grief in closing this chapter. For 33 years, speech-language pathology has been a significant part of my life and calling. It has been an incredible privilege to help children find their voices and to walk with families through both challenges and victories.

At the same time, there is tremendous joy.

What began as volunteering at Trinity eventually grew into opportunities to serve in communications, administration, hospitality, events, and ministry leadership. Beginning in July, I will step fully into the role of Operations & Communications Director. While I never imagined doing anything other than speech therapy, I can now see how God has been preparing me for this season all along.

The skills may look different on the surface, but the heart behind them remains the same: helping people grow, connecting people to community, supporting ministry, solving problems, and serving others well.

So today I find myself holding both grief and gratitude.

Grief for a chapter that is ending.

Gratitude for the countless children, families, and experiences that have shaped me.

And excitement for what God has ahead.

If the last 33 years as a speech and language pathologist have taught me anything, it is that God's plans are often very different from our own—and infinitely better. He redeems failures. He restores what is broken. He uses even our hardest seasons to form us into the people He intends us to become.

KidsTalk was never just a business.

It was part of God's redemption story in my life.

And now, with a grateful heart, I'm trusting Him with the next chapter.

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11