My story
I’m sharing my heart, rawness, and what is working for me — hoping it works for you too. We start small.
Reinvent yourself after 50? Heck Yes!!! In March 2026 I got laid off. The kind of blow that could’ve flattened me. Instead I got on my knees before HIM, then I got to work: I learned AI from scratch and built my own marketing agency, Mary Brand Experiences. I rose from the ashes like a Phoenix — a very tired, occasionally anxious Phoenix who still eats chocolate for dinner when the decision fatigue hits, but a Phoenix nonetheless.
I won’t sugarcoat it. I’ve walked through incredible battles — traumas that brought me to my knees. But that’s exactly where I found HIS peace: on my knees, pen in hand, journaling my way back to Him and to peace.
Two and a half years ago I started a journal. Something completely shifted. The more I wrote, the more my relationship with God grew — and the stronger I got. I used to think I had to wait for the anxiety to quiet down before I could hear God. Journaling taught me the exact opposite. My pups rebuilt with me — and this journal is what came out of those mornings.
What one morning with HIM can do
Unemployed, and an unexpected $1,300 vet bill. Labs for both pups, Bella with an ear infection, and anxiety through the roof at the clinic. It fed my anxiety, too — I was praying through it, I got home, BUT a panic attack hit hard. I crashed and slept it off, but I did my night journaling and surrendered my crappy day.
I woke up with worship songs in my head. I journaled, connected with God, and thanked Him. And I am NOT kidding — ZERO. Zero residue from yesterday. Gone! He has me — no question in my mind.
That’s what journaling does: it builds a strength that makes no sense. My Daily Date with God, every single morning. It’s life-changing.
