Written in the Margins
Hi, I’m Kristin. If we haven’t met - either in person or virtually through social media - then it’s nice to meet you!
To tell you a little bit about myself… I’m saved by grace, an air force pilot wife, mama to Hannah, fur-mama to Rosie, physician assistant, award-winning author, and cross-stitcher.
That’s the fast-facts about me, but really, we’re all so much more than a few lines of who we’re married to, who we parent (human or furry), and what our profession is.
We all have quirks and little things that make each of us incredibly unique and special. Personally, I sometimes wish I could have an IV of coffee each morning, but then I’d miss the warmth of a cup in my hand and the taste of my favorite roast, New Mexico Pinon (one of the hidden gems from our time in the Land of Enchantment), even though an IV of caffeine would probably be more efficient. I’m left-handed, but am ambidextrous in the operating room, which was a challenge to learn but a very rewarding skill to have. A wonderful day to me would be a morning of hiking with my husband, daughter, and pup, with having time to read and cross stitch in the evening. I have a hard time picking “favorites”, but my favorite candy is always the same: milk chocolate raisinets.
What are some things that make you, you?
But even with all of our differences and quirks, we all have one resounding thing in common:
We’re all loved by the Holy and Mighty King: Jesus Christ, who is my Lord and Savior. He’s saved my life and changed it in more ways than one, and I am forever grateful for that.
It’s not easy being a Christ-follower - it never has been, and never will be. We are often called to go against the societal grain, to live outside of our comfort zones, show kindness in situations where we normally wouldn’t, be generous when it’s hard, give love and grace to those who don’t return it… All for His Glory.
Take this life and let it be, all for You and for Your Glory. I often listened to this song by the artist Fee when I was pregnant with my daughter, Hannah. I would often pray the lyrics over her as she kicked and turned within me: Dear Lord, take this little life and use this baby for Your Glory. Help me model what that looks like.
It’s a prayer that I still pray. May all that I do, be for Your Glory. I’m certainly not perfect at it, and there are a lot of areas that need improvement. But I’m trying.
For awhile now, I’ve felt a nudge within my heart to not only to write more, but to share it. All of which initially (and still does) terrify me. I’ve written two children’s books, and it was scary enough sharing those with the world: what if others thought my writing was horrible? What if I never sold the books that I worked so hard on?
But now, to share more about my faith, my story, my inner thoughts, and everything in between… It’s downright terrifying. I certainly don’t feel qualified to do this. I have a degree to practice medicine; I don’t have any formal training in writing or literature. My writing is all over the place literally and figuratively… It’s written in spurts in Google Docs, Word Documents, and scattered throughout my to-do-list app that keeps lengthening no matter how much I try to shorten it. Up until a month ago, I didn’t even know I could write in Google Docs. My sister introduced me to that feature, and now I have two partially written manuscripts tucked away in there.
I’ve learned a very important lesson throughout my faith journey: wherever God calls me, wherever He wants me, there is no where I would rather be. Even if it’s hard, even if it hurts, even if I don’t understand it at the time… Because I’ve seen what He can do. He’s worked miracles in my life that I never would have dreamed of, and I can trace those moments back to the times that I said “yes” to His nudging. I can also see the pain and heartache from the times that I fought it.
I don’t know where this writing journey will take me. I’m taking it one step at a time, with a whole lot of prayer, faith, and grace. My days are long and busy taking caring of our home and family, but I don’t want to ever be too busy to say yes to God’s nudging. So this is where I’ll be sharing my stories, most of which will be Written in the Margins of my daily life - early mornings, late evenings, during nap time, and often, during walks along the beach path, pushing my toddler in the stroller. Fun fact: it’s really hard to type on a cell phone while pushing a stroller.
I hope you’ll follow along this writing journey of mine. Like I said, I’m not sure where it will take me, but I often find that the road less traveled is more enjoyable if you have some company.
