Leah Stirewalt

Out of Deep Waters

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I’m not Carmen Sandiego, but where in the world have I been?

August 15, 2019 by Leah Stirewalt 1 Comment

adventuresWhile I wish I could say I’ve been traveling to some of the amazing places Carmen Sandiego used to frequent all over the world, my adventures over the last few months have been far less geographic, in nature, and much more organic.

Adventure seems to be the common denominator in my life these days, and in all truth, for several years now. Being the thrill-seeker I am, I wish I could say I’ve been sky diving over Hawaii, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins in Key West, and rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. But, to share those tales would simply be the start of my first fiction novel. My life adventures have been nothing short of prominent, but far more mundane to the average human.

I’ve had several wonderful things take place as of recently and some not so much. As I, once again, transition back to writing in this little oasis for my soul, let me briefly catch you up. The nerdy list-maker that I am will do so in just that way…

Leah’s First Half of 2019’s List of Life “Adventures”:

  1. We celebrated birthdays #22 (Anna), #8 (Ben), #5 (Austyn), and #11 (Josiah) all in the first half of the year.
  2. We remembered the second anniversary of Joel’s homegoing in February.
  3. I wrecked my minivan in February, and it’s drivable again thanks to the love of some amazing friends.
  4. We enjoyed Easter with the grands and their amazing parents (my bonus kiddos) and then extended the Easter celebration further by traveling to my mother-in-law’s home on Easter Sunday and spent it with my extended family.
  5. A straight-line wind storm tore through our property one night and destroyed the trampoline and swing set (minor in the grand scheme of things but still adventurous nonetheless).
  6. Austyn graduated from preschool! My baby heads to Kindergarten later this month.
  7. The “Great Flood of 2019” hit our county in early June and did unbelievable damage to many in our area. We had basement flooding and lots of yard damage, including losing ALL the mulch.
  8. Anna graduated from college in May and just began her career as a teacher earlier this month, teaching first grade!
  9. We celebrated Anna’s graduation with a long-planned-for trip to Disneyworld! Just the two of us.
  10. I experienced a new (and unprecedented for me) level of emotional stress that I’m currently learning how navigate more intentionally.
  11. I had my children home with me all summer, all day, everyday, for the first time EVER. That’s been a learning experience for me!
  12. We hosted one of my dearest friends and two of her daughters for a week in July. Lots of swimming and outdoor fun took place!
  13. I began doing contract social media management and editing for Mandy Roberson Media, and I absolutely LOVE working again…especially doing work that fuels me!
  14. We began attending a new church back in May and have really enjoyed connecting with this fantastic multi-cultural body of believers. And, most importantly…
  15. Josiah (my 11-year-old) gave his heart to Jesus and surrendered to His Lordship over his life. His amazing life adventure truly just began!

Those are just a few snippets of what’s been going on in my little world and what has kept me distracted from writing lately. As you can read, some of my recent life adventures have been wonderfully amazing but some of have been harder to endure. Either way…I march on (sometimes my march looks more like a crawl, if truth be told).

I have so many new posts already in the works, so I hope the days of long hiatuses from ODW are over. I also have a few other exciting things in the works here on the site, and I hope to unveil those sometime later this year. Thanks for continuing to read – even when the words have been few! Be blessed friends!

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A New Season. A New Design.

February 7, 2019 by Leah Stirewalt 8 Comments

a new season

Howdy strangers! Well…you’ve not been the stranger around here. I have to claim that title unfortunately. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate a blog hiatus of this timespan. In short, I’ve been in a bit of a funk. Not a great one, at that. And yet…a NEW season is here (more on that in a minute), and with it comes a new site design as well. I hope you like it! I’m still a bit giddy over the new look, if I do say so myself.

Back to that funky season comment…

It’s been hard y’all. Oh. So. Hard. I’ve been tired, anxious, depressed, angry (at times), worn-to-the-bone thin, and a host of other adjectives I’d just prefer to leave unmentioned. My widow journey, this go-around, has been drastically different than my first adventure down Grief Road. Now, don’t get me wrong, there have been many beautiful moments in this nearly 24-month navigation, but unfortunately the ugly has outweighed the beautiful (or so it has often felt). I’ve had so much healing to do and have gone about it all wrong this time.

While there’s no right way to “do grief”, I know from my first-hand experience, there are better ways to walk this journey, and I’ve honestly struggled to get there. I could write a post every single day for the rest of this year and probably not tackle all the hiccups, mess ups, and hang ups I’ve encountered over the last two years. Even so, I plan to share some of this crazy journey, as God allows. I’ve been longing to write again for so long. Truly, I have. But, God hasn’t let me.

For reasons only completely known to Him, I’ve had to walk this hard journey (albeit differently this time) in this way for a greater purpose beyond what even I can see right now. He continues to teach me, to pick me up when I fall (and, I’ve had many scraped knees lately), to cover me with endless patience, and to love me at my most unlovable times. I keep telling Him I’m not worth all this trouble He seemingly goes to in order to keep me under the shadow of His wings, but He keeps whispering, or rather shouting at times…Oh, but you are, my daughter!

As He keeps reminding me of the promises I already know and have allowed to sink into a deep abyss within me, the muck and mire attached to me continues to fall off. In short, I’m coming out of the funk. Not that I’ve already arrived. Not even close. In truth, I won’t truly “have arrived” until I’m finally Home on that glorious future day, but I know His plans and purposes for me on this earth have not changed. And so, with that…

I’m writing here again. How often? I don’t know yet. I’ve learned not to make promises to myself I’ll fail to keep, only adding to the angst. This I do know…I have a lot welled up in my heart that needs to come out, and He’s opened the door for me to start doing so again in this little oasis. If you’ve found yourself in a desert season recently, I encourage you to come join me as I continue to seek refreshment in this new season, with Abba quenching the thirst of my soul.

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Meet Leah

Leah StirewaltI became "twice widowed" when my beloved prince, Joel, went to his Heavenly home after a brief and sudden illness on February 12, 2017. I’m in a place of shock and devastation, but I intend to use this format to journal my second widow journey, much like I did my first. It’s my open journal, my electronic oasis, and it’s often the place I find true healing as I allow myself to “come clean” with my feelings. Read More...

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