I Should Have Been Born A Boy

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
I recall being seven years old and identifying with my father: I always wanted to be with him and like him. As I was drawn to masculine activities, I always felt that I should have been born a boy, not a girl. My father unintentionally nurtured this behavior by providing all kind...

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Afraid of Men and Boys

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
I grew up in a Christian home. I heard a lot of truth from the Bible, both at home and in church. We were pretty much there whenever the doors were open. In my experience, truth was not met with love in equal measure—or much measure at all. As a result, it didn’t feel...

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Speaking Grace and Forgiveness

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
As a daughter of a 1952 Olympic athlete, I grew up knowing that the boys in my household had a destiny, and the girls got to cheer them on. That’s what girls did: cheer the boys on. I did that cheerleading with all my heart and brought it into my marriage. My husband was a...

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How Do I Embrace Life When I Feel Hopeless?

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
“It is where personal power seems most defeated that we are given the most profound opportunities to act in true faith.” Gerald May, Addiction and Grace Not long after completing my first Living Waters program, I discovered I was HIV positive. The shock of my diagnos...

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Choosing Hope Over Disappointment

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
The trees rushed by, a hazy blur outside the car window. As my mother drove, she conveyed important news to my sister and I: my father was gone and would not be coming home. Why was he leaving? Did I do something to make him leave? What does this mean? I experienced so many thoug...

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Restoration to Awkward Places

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
Restoring My Name My given name at birth was Debra; I was probably named after the perky actress Debbie Reynolds and I remember really loathing my name. While Reynolds is five feet tall (if that) I’m six feet and have been since I was twelve. I was perceived as a young adu...

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