Each month, a member of the board will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme and the state of the church. The theme for November is Healing. This month’s post is offered by Shelley Buss.

Not so long ago, my daughter Haley was single handedly keeping band-aid companies afloat. I can’t tell you how many times I found bandage wrappers on the bathroom floor, under her bed, under my bed, in her closet… Finally I dropped the hammer and said “Haley Bird, unless there’s flowing blood, hands off”. No more Minion on the back of a hand that was slightly pinker after she banged it against the door. No more Queen Poppy on her toe after stubbing it on the chair.  She was independently self-soothing the best way she knew how when she felt pain. She grabbed a comfortable character, opened it all by herself, managed the stickiness, and applied her fix; a visible reminder that something underneath wasn’t right, but it also was no longer exposed or vulnerable. Continue reading →