“healthy” isn’t the same for everyone

Trigger warning for talking about weight loss/gain. In the fall of 2017, when I was 19 years old, I lost a lot of weight. I was on a medication for chronic migraine that was working well at first, but did come with a lot of side effects — including weight loss. I didn’t mind the

when rest is difficult

I am neurodivergent, disabled, and chronically ill. Based on the Myers-Briggs and Enneagram personality typing tools, I’m an INFJ and 9w1. I grew up in conservative white evangelical Christianity. And I want to take about rest today, as it has been necessary but hard lately. Those things may not seem very related or intertwined; but

A Poem for Holy Week

if the pain the grief the ache the loss the longing  associated with death  like on Friday and Saturday  feel far more present and real than the hope the joy the beauty  the goodness of life and resurrection  like on Sunday  you are not alone you are loved may you one day find love  grace

Ten Years

Being chronically ill impacts every area of life. It has touched my productivity levels and involvement in school, in jobs, in volunteer work, in churchgoing, in family gatherings, just to name a few things. There are a lot of feelings wrapped up in this day & this month for me. There were definitely times I

Progress

I had a neurologist appointment this week. I’ve come to expect, through almost ten years of being chronically ill, that doctor appointments can come with their own emotions. Relief and validation when after countless appointments and tests, an answer is found. Exhaustion and disappointment when “we can’t find anything wrong with you”. Sadness when a

Some Things I Wrote This Week

It’s not uncommon for me to draw from things I and others write on social media to include in my blog or to spur some more thoughts on. So, today, I’ll share some things I’ve shared on social media over the past week.   tw/cw/cn – pet death [about Snowflake, my 14-year-old cat who was

Life As A Sick Person

One of the conversations I regularly take part in, both in online and offline interactions, is about chronic illness and disability. A recent tweet I saw sparked the thoughts for this blog post – it was a person asking how phrases like “you let the pain win too much” affect various disabled/chronically ill people, especially

A Short Poem About Faith And Pain

My faith feels weary I am weak and tired You give rest, yet I am still depleted Empty I just need You here There is no end in sight But You are within reach And what my faith – Weak, weary, though it may be – Needs is You, more than An end To pain

Seven Pounds of Love: Saying Goodbye to Snowflake

TW/CW/CN – death, grief   https://danieljonce.com/blog/imaginary-future I read this article last week, after the anniversary of Rachel Held Evans’ death. Little did I know that just a few days later, I would need these words more than ever. “What an odd thing to write about on this, the first anniversary of Rachel’s death. What an

A Mother’s Day Prayer

The featured image is from artist Mari Andrew. You can follow her on various social media platforms at @bymariandrew.    For those who find Mother’s Day painful for any reason(s):  May we find grace and peace and hope, in the midst of the pain and sorrow.  For those who have strained parent-child relationships, For those