Light Restored

A day no mother wants to be a part of but it is not lost on me that so many mothers are grieving losses of children, hopes, dreams, and so much more today.
Grief doesn’t get easier with time, or even other children, but it continues to wax and wane in seasons. The one comfort I choose to focus on is that one day, we won’t be mourning and grieving those lost babies, instead be reunited with them in glory with our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ.
Wishing all the grieving mothers out there some comfort and peace today.

https://lightrestored.com/2024/04/24/christianity-trauma/

New post is out!

Christianity & Trauma When you hear the word trauma what do you think about? This is something that is hard for some to grasp. Trauma by definition is an emotional response to an event like an accident, a crime, natural…

All the baking has been going on here lately ❤️🍞 it’s been quite rewarding since weather still isn’t ready for outdoor gardening. Not going to lie though I’m a bit worried about how to keep a starter and plants outside alive at once 😆 at least it’s a good mood booster to create bread or flowers 😊💗

Spending the weekend serving marriages all over New England here in Maine! It’s an honor to be a part of a team that puts the Lord first and seeks to glorify him!

It’s the little things that add up to big things! Hubby got me proper bread baking loaf pans and a bread slicer for our anniversary ❤️ and I used a new recipe I found and wow! Fresh GF bread that tastes amazing and has lift.
Learning how to bake GF sourdough this winter certainly gave the creative in me an outlet while I couldn’t garden and I’m thrilled. No more buying chemical filled frozen bread for us!!! 🍞 I was diagnosed celiac disease about 15 years ago and I’m sad I waited this long to make my own bread but thankful I am now. My whole family loves it too which is a bonus as most of the kids react negatively to gluten.

Latest blog post is out! Talking about depression and some of my thoughts of how to bring in the Bible to battle it!

https://lightrestored.com/2024/04/04/christianity-depression/

10 years! Happy anniversary to my handsome husband ❤️
I am so thankful for all of it, the laughter, the tears, the hard times, the losses and the joys. I there could not have been a better partner for me than you. “No one has ever seen God if we love one another God abide in us and his love is perfected in us” 1 John 4:12. God is still and will be working in us and I love you more each year. I do love the story the Lord is weaving and writing in our family. It is so beautiful to see how each chapter is going to unfold. I love you and I’ve loved being your wife for 10 whole years. Happy anniversary.

Snow day in April 😍❄️
Truthfully we have 2 choices here, to be mad and let it get to us, or to bend like the tree there and just wait patiently for it to pass.
Our thoughts affect us so much!

Today we rejoice that He could not be bound by death!!! He is our hope! 🙌🏽

Lord thank you for humbling yourself so much as you left your mighty throne in heaven to be our savior. We will never truly comprehend your humility and love for us that drove you to die. Today as we reflect on your sacrifice I pray we will never forget how much it cost you. I pray for a heart of gratitude. Lord thank you for being such a comfort when we need it, knowing that you were a man who knew sorrows so heavy, that you are truly the best one to take our sorrows to.

Lord as we reflect on this Thursday the holiness and meekness you extended as a way to teach and illustrate how to try and love others. Lord I pray for the meekness that you had. Lord you also washed the feet of the one who would betray you! Truly illustrating to us just how forgiving you are. We cannot fathom the amount of faith and strength you demonstrated that evening. I’m so thankful to know a savior who could humble himself like this for me. Thank you Jesus!

A year ago today… a very traumatic end to our very tiny baby’s life. I can’t believe it’s been a year and then at the same time it feels like it hasn’t been that long. It’s hard to imagine at times what it would be like holding her, she would be 6 months old by now, that fun baby time of lots of laughs and coos. Miscarriage is hard, it robs so much at once, and feels like a loss that you have silently because it’s not talked about. It gets forgotten swiftly by the outside world. The one thing we do take comfort in is that the Lord knows ❤️ and that is enough. It has to be.

”I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.“
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Nature. Many find nature to be therapeutic and relaxing, I think we often take this abundant resource for granted! Simply sitting outside 10-15 min per day can help us to increase our mood. Focusing on the simple beauty of moss on a tree, really looking at things in finer detail also helps to distract the mind from racing anxious thoughts.
Do you find nature relaxing?

🌿

Doodle 😍❤️

After a long work day it might seem strange but I love baking a loaf of fresh sourdough for the family to have for tomorrow ❤️ something to create and give me time to pause and reflect. Also lets my creative side come out as I try new strategies and tweak the recipe.
Being a therapist is such an honor, to journey through ashes and find beauty in healing. Isaiah 61:3 sums it up so well.

New blog post is up! I’m starting a new series, taking some mental health topics and integrating my thoughts on how as Christians we can support others and see what scripture offers as we work through them! Check it out:
https://lightrestored.com/2024/03/05/christianity-anxiety/

My desk ❤️
Working on some writing blog posts for a new series! So thankful for time in the Word and being able to incorporate it into what I do for work with some of my clients. Being a clinical therapist was important so I could make therapy affordable with licensing and insurance paneling. But the work I find most rewarding is being able to share the hope we have in Christ, and helping join those 2 worlds of Biblical and clinical therapy together ❤️

Random introduction post. I realized I haven’t introduced myself in a bit here in this space, so here it goes!
I’m Colleen, the therapist behind the vision the Lord gave me years ago, of Light Restored. The beauty of that verse in John 1:5, captures my heart for how the Lord sees us in our mental struggles, that no matter how dark things get, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has NOT overcome it. My goal is to create a space where women and married couples can receive quality mental health care and support while also being spiritually fed. I have been married for 10 years to my best friend and we have a beautiful blended family of 8 children here in our arms and 6 we wait to hug in heaven. I love hiking in the mountains, running, following a plant based food plan, and being in the Word.
I am currently licensed in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and would love to chat more if you’re interested in taking the next step in your journey, it’s an honor to be a therapist.

Celebrate your friends ❤️
Trying to be more present and intentional for people close to me and I made a gift basket for a dear friends birthday. Home made bagels (yes I am obsessed with making sourdough now🤣), a plant I grew from a cutting and amazing homemade soap made by the talented if you’re local she is making some great soaps and would love to sell you some!

Marriage event alert!!!
Coming up here in Maine. One perk of moving to Maine was getting to be closer to the Family Life WTR team, my husband and I enjoy getting to serve alongside some amazing people!
March 23 we are helping them put on a one day marriage event! If you are interested in attending signup is online, or you can send me a message!

Finally got outside today 😍❄️ it’s been a depressing winter, lots of factors into it for me personally but I’m working through it all. I was reminded of one of the best scriptures for when I’m feeling discouraged, Jesus offers encouragement ❤️💙

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”“
‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I’m reminded that because of that promise, I won’t remain in darkness for long, no matter how badly I’m feeling.

Home office ❤️
Thankful for a cozy space to call my own, that allows me to work in a quiet space and give clients privacy. Virtual therapy is beginning to be more widely accepted thankfully! Of course we value being in person, but the amount of reach is greater for mental health is we can access therapists throughout the state! I see clients all over Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. My favorite part of my job? Being able to connect the world of psychology and biblical healing for women who have experienced trauma and trials, and couples hoping to improve their marriage or prepare for marriage.
I have a few openings coming up in the next few weeks, if you know anyone looking for therapy!

I have heard a lot of these words lately: I’m unmotivated, I’m exhausted, I can’t wake up early, I’m struggling to feel joy, I’m feeling isolated, I’m tired of being cold….
And my response has been similar to most: it’s winter, it’s been dreary, give yourself some grace, a lot of people feel this way right now, you’re not alone.
Each time it helps, it helps to hear you aren’t alone in your pain, you aren’t alone in your feelings, and more importantly that there’s a light coming. Winter will end. I saw this picture today and it encouraged me, I hope it will encourage you too ❤️
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5

2 years ago we welcomed you into our arms. I can’t believe we almost didn’t have you. I can’t believe I almost missed out on being your mom.
”Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.“
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
It took a lot of faith to walk through birth trauma and continue to trust that God wasn’t done.
Happy birthday my special little girl, we love you! 💗

Sometimes a heart has been hardened and we have to relinquish it over to the Lord. Going through the Bible chronologically this year has been interesting and I find myself currently in Exodus wondering how Moses was praying during those plagues. Was he asking God to soften paroahs heart? Was he asking God for pharaoh to wake up and listen to end the trauma of those plagues? Or was he asking God for strength to endure it all?
I am sure it was so many of those things and more, but as I find myself wrestling with these topics weekly, I wish I had some of those prayers of Moses during that time. His song is so lovely after the exodus, so we can rest in that. And perhaps just simply surrendering all the desires we do hold for others over is the first step.

Sometimes you just have to bundle up and head to play in the snow 😍❄️❄️

Wintering Check In!! New blog post is up, talking about some thoughts on getting through the winter blues and some tips!
What do you find is helping?

https://lightrestored.com/2024/01/12/wintering-check-in/

Wintering check in!!!

https://lightrestored.com/2024/01/12/wintering-check-in/

Today we celebrated 12 years of being a couple. I always pause and celebrate each year because really it was a big deal, and in a world that tries to keep us living in stress and unappreciation for our spouse, we have to keep choosing to celebrate. To celebrate those moments that were so special, and to continue to cherish each other, even in the hard ❤️
So happy 12 years Damian, you truly took a scared, discarded, lost woman, and led her into a life she could never ever have imagined. The Lord has blessed us greatly, and stuck with us always. I love you and I’ll continue to choose you every single day ❤️

The world is a heavy place friends.
If you are one of those people who hears someone else’s story and instantly feels their emotions with them, somedays can easily overwhelm. Being sensitive to others is a gift, it allows us to be helpers, to see others in ways that not many can. But it’s important to have good boundaries and to rely on the One who brings us his peace.