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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 Doing the Small Things?

desk with a laptop and paper
Small Things I’ve always liked this quote by Vincent Van Gogh, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”  This quote reminds me that the small things I do day in and day out matter much more than the one big thing I accomplish once in a while. As a matter…

Why Bother Jimmying the Doorway of Our Past?

mountain cabin door
The Doorway of Our Past We like to say, “What is past is past,” or “That’s water under the bridge.” Yet, I think that, “Sometimes we have to jimmy the doorway of our past to understand our present,” is more apt when talking about days gone by. I get to teach adult swimming lessons. I…

Why Bother Believing: We Are Never Too Old to Learn?

kid and a elderly woman
Never too Old to Learn Today, my notable quote comes from my grandma, Bernadette Weber who was born in 1903 and lived to be 95 years old. In those 95 years of her life, I can recall a few notable things she said, but I chose to highlight, “We’re never too old to learn.”  Grandma…

Blog Categories

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Communication
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Relationships
Family
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Mental Health
Person Jogging
Health
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Faith