Hello!
My name is Crystal. Welcome to my blog.
I have enjoyed writing since I was a kid but have never really thought about writing in a more disciplined or forward-facing way. I love to journal and write to process with the Lord. I have always loved writing letters and cards to my friends, and I dabble with writing professionally in my work as a child life specialist and play therapist. But this is a big step…
If you have wandered onto my site, you probably have a couple questions:
Who am I?
Well, I am a lot of things. Logistically, I am 39. I’m a Christian, I am a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, cool aunt, and God-mom. I am single, childless, and a friend to many. I am a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and Registered Play Therapist (RPT). I am also a bit of a smarty pants and like credentials way too much.
I am 5’2 and ¾. I have dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and my skin is white in the winter and tan in the summer. I have freckles that spot my nose, and while most people call that skin damage, it is one of my favorite features because it means I have been kissed by the sun. And the sun is my favorite. Along with anything involving water.
I grew up in small-town west Texas and love a balance of city life mixed with an escape out to the country from time to time. I am emotional to the nth degree, love my friends more than I can say and have fallen more in love with Jesus since the time I was 15.
I love daisies, the colors yellow and red, and Moscato wine. I am a yogi, competitive game player, and if I have 2 margaritas, I may rap to Lose Yourself by Eminem. I am an extrovert (ENFP), enneagram 2-wing 3, and quality time and words of affirmation are my fav love languages. I love chick flicks, but someone dies in all my favorite movies. And I make profoundly eclectic playlists. If you become my friend, I will make you one for your birthday, along with a photo collage.
What am I going to write about?
I struggled with identifying just one thing I wanted this blog to be about. I am a girl of variety, and with that, I want to write about a lot of different things. The themes you will see in my writing, however, include:
- Jesus—He is my anchor and keeps me going, so I hope to share what He is teaching me and pray it encourages you.
- Singleness—cue, All the Single Ladies…living single is not how I pictured my life. Scripture calls it a gift, so I will as well. But it is a gift I was unprepared for. I will not stop asking God for a spouse—that sounds fun. But I also don’t want to waste my life and want God to help me live joyfully, faithfully, and FULLY wherever He has me and whatever He has for me.
- Childlessness—living life without children of my own has been one of my biggest areas of grief. Again, I felt unprepared. When I was 5, I have a distinct memory of someone asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said, “A choreographer like Paula Abdul OR a mom.” My choreographer career stalled out with being 1st lieutenant for my high school dance team, so I banked on mom. The Lord has gifted me many littles to love, but not one I have gotten to live with 24/7. While it may seem like a depressing topic, I know I am not the only one who is childless in one category or another. I hope if you are, you will find my writing cathartic, validating AND hopeful.
- ALL MY LITTLES—While I have not gotten a child of my own, I have gotten to work with thousands of kiddos in my work. It is a joy. I have lots of fun stories. And some sad ones, but all of them are laced with the images of children who have taught me a ton, and I hope they will teach you too.
- Friendship—Where I may not have a ring on my left hand, I have been given the BEST friends. Seriously, the best. My stories will echo of a deep intimacy with friends that have made my life full and bright and fun. It has been an adventure, and if I call you friend, YOU are the biggest joy of my life.
- My work—my job (s) are weird. Nobody ever knows what they are, and the work itself is beautifully rewarding and heart-wrenching. When clinicians do share about our work, we are often met with blank stares, horrified faces, and awkward compliments like “you must have a heart of gold,” followed by a quick change of subject. I hope this blog will serve for a place to hold the stories we often do not share and will be a great place of feeling known and understood for those of you who work in a helping profession.
Why share this?
Honestly, I am still figuring that out. I took a writing course at my church this year and prior to our graduation, one of the teaching pastors who is also a writer shared about why he writes. He shared:
- It is a gift—and gifts are to be cultivated
- It is discipleship—a way of teaching what you have learned
So, I will share in the hopes that God can do more with it than I think is feasible. Knowing that one of the deepest desires of the human heart is to feel known and loved, I pray this writing helps you feel more seen. Wherever you are—whatever you do, I pray this writing resonates with you and your story in such a way that you feel seen and loved. God has magical ways of doing that and I pray He will do that here.
Why Sincerely, Crystal
I have always loved letter writing. My first pen-pal was my great Aunt Evelyn. We would write to each other back and forth and she would comment on my penmanship, which I thought was so funny. But I love giving and receiving little notes—postcards, random sticky notes, or a card just because, make my heart smile.
Sincerely—this is how I typically sign my letters. Occasionally, I will do xoxo or love always, but most consistently, it is sincerely. And I love the meaning of that word: in a genuine way. If I am nothing else in my writing, I hope to be genuine.
I hope that each piece feels a little like receiving a personalized letter from me. I love when I read the epistles in scripture, the affection the writers have for those they are addressing is almost palpable. It is a sweet reminder from our God how valuable human relationships are—they are a key ingredient of endurance to the life of faith. And I would venture to guess that no humans live life fully unless they have a herd of people they call their own. So, as I sit down to write to you, I will envision you receiving the letter following a fun coffee chat or happy hour where we swapped stories, laughed and probably cried (or at least I did).
So, friend, thank you for listening. Thank you for taking time out of your day to stare at a screen for 5-8 minutes and read what randomness popped into my head and heart. I pray it encourages you in big and small ways. And I pray you get a clearer picture of our God through it.
Sincerely,
Crystal
Sincerely, Crystal 