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For Terese Luikens, a picture-perfect childhood it was not. Frequent moves. An emotionally absent mother and an alcoholic father. Suicide.

The sixth of seven children, Terese grew up in an unstable and chaotic household—invisible to her mom yet cherished by her alcoholic dad, who took his own life when Terese was thirteen years old.

This heartfelt memoir documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and love, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God.

Terese Luikens

Meet the Author

Writer Terese Luikens contributes articles for Mother Earth News, The Secret Place, Decision Magazine, The Upper Room, Hearts at Home, and the Epoch Times and publishes her own blog, Why Bother? A schoolteacher and a yoga instructor, Terese lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, with her husband and enjoys being mother to three grown sons and grandmother to her much-loved grandchildren.

Latest Blog Posts

Why Bother Managing Opinions?

This is a picture representing the fear I had about what my siblings might think about my story
Everyone has an opinion about something and somebody. But, opinions are not a fact. Instead, an opinion is a speculation, a sentiment, impression, or assumption that seems probable, but cannot be demonstrated with fact.  Because everyone has their own judgment, notion or perception about everything and everybody, it is up to us to decide whose…

Why Bother Being Footloose and Fancy Free?

taking a risk
Young children have a sense of being footloose and fancy free. They know nothing of the dangers of life, know nothing about worry, and do not have a fear of things such as the natural force of gravity.            Unrestrained  Our youngest son was the one who refused the limits of…

Why Bother to Unburden Ourselves?

woman at the beach with a hat
I like keeping my life simple, uncomplicated and unencumbered. I don’t clutter my house with knick-knacks, I don’t keep ill-fitting clothes hanging in my closet, and I am selective to what I say “yes” to; what I really want to do, instead of what others think I ought to do.  My life has not always…

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