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For Terese Luikens, a picture-perfect childhood it was not. Frequent moves. An emotionally absent mother and an alcoholic father. Suicide.

The sixth of seven children, Terese grew up in an unstable and chaotic household—invisible to her mom yet cherished by her alcoholic dad, who took his own life when Terese was thirteen years old.

This heartfelt memoir documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and love, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God.

Terese Luikens

Meet the Author

Writer Terese Luikens contributes articles for Mother Earth News, The Secret Place, Decision Magazine, The Upper Room, Hearts at Home, and the Epoch Times and publishes her own blog, Why Bother? A schoolteacher and a yoga instructor, Terese lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, with her husband and enjoys being mother to three grown sons and grandmother to her much-loved grandchildren.

Latest Blog Posts

Why Bother to be Transformed?

This picture goes with my post Why bother taking hopeful actions.
When my sons were little tykes, they loved playing with transformers, a type of robot toy. The transformer could be a car, then when you wanted it to be a robot, you could transform it by moving a few parts around. It was an amazing toy that captured their attention and their imaginations. Well Formed…

Why Bother Choosing our Risks?

brown gift box with pink ribbon
I’ve known myself for quite some time and overtime, I get to know myself even more. I  know for sure that no matter how old I get, taking risks is still scary for me. I’d rather know for certain, the outcome of any choice I make. I want a guarantee that my choice will lead…

Why Bother to Enjoy What We’ve Been Given?

2 kids
To enjoy means to find pleasure, take delight or find satisfaction from, in, or with someone or something. Sometimes that is easy to do, while at other times it is not. Take Stock After God created the heavens and the earth, light and darkness, land and water, sun and moon, galaxies and stars, plants and…