Jewels from the Dark

About me

Hello and welcome to my blog! My goal in writing this blog is to help people (including myself) who may find themselves in the midst of darkness and who are looking for jewels from the dark. There is much the dark moments in life can teach us, if we will learn to embrace it and adjust the way we see. I am learning to walk in the dark, as Barbara Brown Taylor¹ puts it and my family motto is ‘we move ever forward.’ So onward we go!

I have spent the majority of my adult life in service-oriented professions – first in Emergency Medical Services and then in Law Enforcement. I was injured on the job as a cop and was medically retired after 10 years of service. My injury slowly took the functionality of my left hand after some rare complications, to the point that I joined the ranks of upper limb amputees in June of 2023. The amputation brought the reality of better function, which has slowly allowed me to live life well again. No matter what, I refuse to live a small life. It has been a dark road, but I move ever forward.

I now spend my professional life balancing between very different professions. As a curriculum designer, I develop training for the next generation of law enforcement officers as they begin their career in the police academy. I have also spent time developing a new framework for policing I named Jus Protego, which brings a trauma-informed approach to doing the job and works to support a tripartite officer who is at once a warrior, guardian, and peacebuilder.

I am also a therapist focusing on grief, trauma, and loss.* My favorite therapeutic modalities are rooted in existentialism. I use a blend of narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and meaning therapy in my own life and in my work with clients. My goal is to walk with people in the midst of crisis and chaos, helping them find their way forward from darkness into light.

However, there is life in the dark – that is where new life comes from. Barbara Brown Taylor says, ‘New life starts in the dark. Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.’²

Coraggio!