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Have Hope; Will Travel

with Katie Axelson

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Why I Hate Grace

I smiled as I washed my hands and saw a small child’s scribbles on the church bulletin sitting on the bathroom…
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Have Hope; Will Travel

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Thank You, Lord, for another year of life. About

Thank You, Lord, for another year of life.

About a decade ago, one of my classmates tweeted that the morning of her birthday.

She died in class that day.

It was her last tweet.

Birthdays are a celebration of another year of life.

And a reminder that all of today is not promised.

Life doesn’t owe me another birthday. It doesn’t owe me cake, blessings, and all the wonderful things wished upon me today.

It doesn’t owe me fun plans or great memories.

It’s just another birthday. An insignificant one (32). Another reminder that life has not dealt me the cards I wanted in my hand.

It’s another birthday! Another breath, another year of life, another trip around the sun! Another blessing!

It’s a gift worth thanking Jesus for!

Thank You, Lord, for another year of life!

I spent today counting my blessings. Even the ones like “I’m glad I can afford clothes, even if none of these fit.”

I’m glad I for vacation pay and a day off.

I’m glad for confetti poppers at book club, for the ability to sleep in, for no commitments today.

(Sorry not sorry for the fitting room selfie. I liked the message of the shirt even if I didn’t care for the fit)

We were intending to play tennis. Except the park

We were intending to play tennis. Except the park only had pickle ball courts.

I had two choices:
1️⃣ Go home sad and disappointed.
2️⃣ Learn a new sport.

Everyone knew it was my first time.

No one went easy on me.

They seemed surprised when I held my own in a volley-rally (I do my best work at the net).

I was surprised when I missed shots I was confident on (the racket’s shorter).

Teams changed and I had a new partner.

“Sorry you’re partnered with the loser,” I said. Meaning “I’ve never played before so you’re going to have to carry the team, sorry.”

She smiled. “Not the loser. The beginner.”

We didn’t come home with a W.

But I did come home with a new reminder that what we call ourselves out loud gets addressed by those around us (if it doesn’t, you may need to examine the people you have in your life).

What we call ourselves in our heads is no more acceptable.

I would still play tennis over pickle ball any day.

But as the sun set on a 90° Minnesota July day, I learned a new sport. And I had fun.

Enjoy last week’s podcast episode because I’m never telling that story without this one again.

Hearing these words broke my heart. For an hour I

Hearing these words broke my heart.

For an hour I told this classroom full of English students about my country, my culture, and my language.

I wanted to be able to tell them about my Jesus.

The student who named herself Loser changed my life. I wish I would have changed her name.

Hear the whole story at KatieAxelson.com.

Let’s play two truths and a lie: 1️⃣ I once

Let’s play two truths and a lie:
1️⃣ I once kicked my @isasurfing coach in the face
2️⃣ I picked up surfing quickly and am quite good at it
3️⃣ I once got run over by a surfer

Here’s what I will tell you is true: I absolutely love surfing!

The bottom picture sits on desk as a reminder (Since, you know, there aren’t a lot of surfing opportunities here in the land of 10,000 lakes):

You can struggle with something and still enjoy it.

You can totally stink at something and have fun.

Sometimes the effort of trying is actually more rewarding than the success.

For the correct answer (and the full story of how I got run over 😉) see Have Hope; Will Travel podcast episode {46}

Go with me on this: what if, just what if your sca

Go with me on this: what if, just what if your scars could help someone else find healing?

It starts with you changing the narrative of your own story and finding healing yourself.

Join me on Have Hope; Will Travel episode {46} as we explore what that could look like.

Find the episode and transcript at KatieAxelson.com.

It’s really easy for me to look at this photo an

It’s really easy for me to look at this photo and start picking it apart.

Like what’s going on with my chin? And why is my head tilted that way?

But I’m not calling out my mistakes and shortcomings anymore (stopped yesterday).

I wouldn’t put up with it from someone else so I won’t put up with it from myself.

New game. New name.

Join me on Have Hope; Will Travel episode {46} as we talk about what this actually looks like.

Find the episode and transcript at KatieAxelson.com.

My team said I came to life in a new way as soon a

My team said I came to life in a new way as soon as our plane landed in Cuba.

I don’t know how this country I had never visited before felt like home.

The people. The food. The coffee. The testimonies.

None of them appropriate to post on the internet today.

Before we left, G-d told me to keep an eye on Havana. That it would be a city of peace and beauty. A powerhouse.

Do me a favor and extend your hand over this beautiful island.

The Facebooks of my friends went dark a few days ago. At this point, I don’t know if they’re even alive.

Pray for Haiti. Pray for South Africa. I know people who are citizens of each of these countries. This isn’t the other side of the world. It’s people I know by name.

Pray for the other parts of the world whose corruption and injustice aren’t making the news this week. These are our brothers and sisters.

This matters. And right now the best we can do is pray.

The entire gate area stood at the window and two b

The entire gate area stood at the window and two bus loads of people stood on the tarmac to watch

A casket draped in a flag lowered from the cargo door.

Two elderly individuals were escorted forward.

“Those must be the parents,” the gate area whispered to one another.

The soldier returning home was given the proper welcome and the passengers began deplaning.

They joined us at the window.

“He died in 1941.”

“They just identified his body.”

This soldier being brought home before me died December 7, 1941.

Pearl Harbor.

The individuals escorted forward potentially his siblings—some of whom may not have even been born yet when he died.

Two brothers were on the same ship. One on duty, one off. One survived. The other did not—though his family did not know that for 3 months.

Nor did they have a body for 80 years.

Welcome home, Navy Fireman 1st Class Neal K. Todd!

Thank you for your service to our country. Thank you for giving the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you for being part of history—and allowing us to do the same.

Let me start off by carefully saying: sometimes me

Let me start off by carefully saying: sometimes medication is the right choice--for a season or forever.

This week on Have Hope; Will Travel we're talking with Alissa Clayton of @NonPharmPharmD about finding the happy medium between medications and natural products.

These are some of her suggestions for natural mental health options. Yes, we talk about which essential oils including unpacking CBD oil.

The episode goes into a lot more detail. Find it on your favorite podcasting app or transcript at KatieAxelson.com.

What are some of the things you've found the help your mental wellbeing? Share in the comments.

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