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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 Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing?

Terese Luikens' Grandmother
Priorities I’ve been called many things, and some of the things that I’ve been called, I don’t agree with. But, when someone calls me organized, I agree with them. I am organized. Setting my day in order and keeping it orderly, just comes naturally for me. But it comes naturally only because someone showed me…

Why Bother Realizing the Value of Family Likenesses?

kids in a bed
Admitting Family Likenesses In my memoir, A Heart’s Journey to Forgiveness, I make the point that my preferred parent was Dad. In comparison to Mom, I believed Dad was a lot more compassionate, tenderhearted and genuine. He was easier for me to love than Mom. Just recently though, I’ve begun to cherish those character qualities…

Why Bother Noticing Our Inward Orientation?

compass
Directionally Challenged One year, while on summer vacation, I got terribly lost. It was a daunting experience. At first, I was afraid. Then when I found my way back to my family, I was embarrassed. For a whole day, I’d caused anxiety in my husband, sons, sisters and nephews. Anxiety is nothing you expect to…

Blog Categories

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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