Hi! I’m Deb. I like to think of myself as a missionary of hope. I write about marriage, being a mom, and finding real hope for real life challenges.

A little bit about me: I’m an author, speaker and ICF certified life coach for women for are struggling with a difficult marriage. I co-authored Because I Said Forever: Embracing Hope in a Not-So-Perfect Marriage with Heather Kopp. In fact, I consider myself an “expert” on the subject of not-so-perfect marriage--mostly because I’ve been there and done that! I’ve written a book for children, Corey’s Dad Drinks Too Much, to help them cope with a parent’s drinking problem. I’ve also contributed to some  other books: The New Women’s Devotional Bible and Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace. I’ve written articles for a number of publications: Focus on the Family, Christian Parenting Today, Moody Magazine and others.

More behind-the-scenes info: I married my husband Randy when we were barely nineteen. I thought all we needed was love—and of course, all the possessions we could fit in our metallic blue VW bug! What I didn’t realize was how difficult it would be to live with adversity, disappointment and heartache. I never imagined our journey taking us into the depths of addiction with Randy battling alcoholism for almost 30 years before he experienced the miracle of sobriety.

I believe we teach more with our scars than with our victories. It’s our brokenness that gives us compassion and insight for others who are hurting. If that’s you, I’m so glad you’re here. That’s why I love to write–to tell about God’s faithfulness and that it’s possible to embrace a God-honoring life in the midst of what may appear to be hopeless circumstances. I am grateful beyond words for Randy and our almost 52 years of “not-so-perfect” marriage.

We have lived in a tiny town in rural Washington State for the past two decades. We’ve recently moved to the Seattle area to be closer to our family. We are parents of two amazing sons, a lovely daughter-in-law, a sweet 6- year old granddaughter and 3-year old grandson. We are most blessed!

Please stop by anytime. I’d love to hear from you. If I could, I’d invite you to pull up a chair on the front porch and we could chat over iced tea or coffee (preferably a mocha. Can you tell I’m from the Northwest?) I post articles weekly about finding real hope for real life. I’d love to have you join me on the journey. You can subscribe here.