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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 Broadening Our Perspective?

Satisfied Life
Our perspective is how we evaluate an event according to our point of view. Perspectives can be diverse, multifaceted and any combination of secular, religious, non biblical, biblical, scientific and or spiritual. But whatever circumstance I find myself in, as much as possible, I want to align my point of view with truths and principles…

Why Bother Noticing When We Do Wrong?

man on top o a mountain
My parents were Catholics and Catholic parents, according to the Cannon Law,  are expected to raise their children as Catholics. Therefore, each of my six siblings and I were baptized as infants, then made our first confession, and first communion before the age of ten. Later on during our adolescent years, we were confirmed, making…

Why Bother Getting to Know God for Ourselves?

forest road with light rays through the trees
Oftentimes when people find out that I am a yoga instructor, they say, “Oh I could never do yoga, I’m just not flexible enough.” But, they don’t understand. If they practiced yoga they would become more flexible. Shying away from stretching and lengthening one’s body through a regular yoga practice only keeps our condition the…

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Communication
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Relationships
Family
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Mental Health
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Health
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Faith