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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 Being Grateful for the Healing Power of Forgiveness?

Healing Power of Forgiveness I’m convinced that something we all have in common is that we’ve all experienced, to some degree or another, the emotional pain of betrayal, abandonment or rejection.  I know from experience that the emotional pain we feel from past woundings or present disappointments greatly affects how competently or incompetently we govern…

Why Bother Being Grateful for Those Who Inspire Us?

A heart's journey to forgiveness book by Terese Luikens
Those Who Inspire Us Inspiration is necessary for creativity and creativity is necessary to live our ordinary lives in an extraordinary way. Who inspires us? Who motivates us to do something we only think about doing? It might be someone we notice, someone we’ve met, someone close to us or someone we’ve read about. We…

Why Bother Being Grateful for Being Grateful?

selective focus photography of woman holding yellow petaled flowers
Being Grateful for Being Grateful Can our gratitude grow? I think so. The more we find to be grateful for the more grateful we are. The more grateful we are the more grateful we become. Being grateful is like a muscle, the more we exercise it, the more it grows. Our gratitude can become something…

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Communication
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Relationships
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Mental Health
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Health
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Faith