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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 Thinking About Our Thinking?

dead end sign
Thinking is a lot of work. To think a thought through, from beginning to end, takes focused concentration, endurance, the ability to listen while at the same time, resisting the thoughts that distract us.  Thinking our thoughts through, as much as we can with the information we have at the time, builds an organized pattern…

Why Bother Living Peaceably With Others?

I know people who love dogs more than humans and I also know people who live off the grid in order to exclude themselves from other people as much as possible. I understand the complexities of getting along with other people, but when we exclude ourselves from the community of humanity, we miss the only…

Why Bother Being Amazed by Creation?

Calmness
Even though I grew up in the city, I was attracted to the sights and sounds of nature. In the first house we lived in, there was a large tree in the front yard that my brother taught me to climb. In the summer, it was the perfect place to hide. The branches were strong…

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