Welcome to Imperfectly Pollyanna, the podcast where an overthinking, faith-filled homeschool mom focuses on putting a positive spin on life's imperfections.
Hey there! Welcome to Imperfectly Pollyanna. I am your host, Courtney, and I am SO glad you are here!
Since a very young girl. I have loved the classic story of Pollyanna. An orphaned girl who believed that in every hardship, there is always something to be glad about. She goes to be raised by her aunt who, along with the rest of the town, is disheartened and basically lost in the stress of life. I remember one scene in the movie version where Pollyanna is speaking with the house staff about what could be good about Sunday. They found church to be intense with talks of hell, fire and brimstone which meant a lunch that ended in indigestion. After thinking for a moment, she says you can be glad Sunday only comes but once a week! And I love that.
Throughout my life, there has been such heartbreak. I have struggled with loss, deception, fear, mistakes, doubt, and feelings of not being good enough. There are a few things that I have yet to truly understand why they had to happen. Like as a teenager, when my best friend was killed in a car accident. Or when all 4 of my pregnancy losses happened. This past year we had an adoption failure. When things have seemed to not make sense, I’ve asked God “couldn’t I have learned this lesson without having to endure THAT much PAIN?!” Then again, some lessons I’ve had to learn multiple times so maybe God has thought “well, why can’t you learn the first time?”
As a child, I always found myself finding something to be glad about in every situation. It was a natural thing to me, just as easy as breathing. As an adult, I see it as a coping mechanism. I’ve had people say “you are such a Pollyanna.” In my inner dialogue, I have felt that was a negative connotation. A weakness, you might say. However, this past year has shown me many things. One of them being that having the ability to find the good is a strength! It is how I have been created, so who am I to question God??
As a parent, I have often thought “I am surely failing my children.” The ideas we had before kids, including what school or activities would look like for them, were thrown out the window when reality hit. There have been moments I have sat in FEAR that I couldn’t be the mom my kids needed or deserved. When we chose the route of homeschooling, I thought “now I’ve surely lost my mind.” I have stressed over curriculum, extra activities, meeting expectations (of both myself and others), what they’re exposed to, and just about everything else you could imagine.
Throughout history, we can read how, while there WERE righteous people in the bible, most people used by God were the ones who were completely screwed up. As in, full hot mess express situations going on. Yet, in the middle of the disaster, God was able to bring about a beautiful example of redemption and goodness.
I am an overthinking, faith-filled homeschool mom finding fun and positivity through life’s imperfections. I am a medical professional. A certified health coach. I love music, singing, playing the piano, traveling with my family.
Yet, I’ve always felt I had to apologize for being me - talkative, dramatic, “Pollyanna” and so forth.
Like I said, I am an overthinker. I struggle with anxiety and past trauma. Yet, the things I have seen as weaknesses are the things God has been using. Being a real life “Pollyanna” and finding the good in all things doesn’t guarantee a perfect life nor am I happy all the time. However, when imperfections are used with a positive spin, that’s when life becomes a part of the “glad game.”
I believe that God can use anyone, anywhere, at any time and I am hoping this podcast finds its way to someone who may be struggling with her faith, homeschool, health or life. If that’s you, you’ve found a friend who understands and is glad you’re here. If you have someone in mind that might relate, I’d love if you shared this podcast with her.
I’m really excited to share what I’ve learned, share stories, thoughts and find out how I can help you. I’d love to connect so feel free to send me a quick hello over at courtney@imperfectlypollyanna.com! See you next time!
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Hey there! Welcome to Imperfectly Pollyanna. I am your host, Courtney, and I am SO glad you are here!
Since a very young girl. I have loved the classic story of Pollyanna. An orphaned girl who believed that in every hardship, there is always something to be glad about. She goes to be raised by her aunt who, along with the rest of the town, is disheartened and basically lost in the stress of life. I remember one scene in the movie version where Pollyanna is speaking with the house staff about what could be good about Sunday. They found church to be intense with talks of hell, fire, and brimstone which meant a lunch that ended in indigestion. After thinking for a moment, she says you can be glad Sunday only comes but once a week! And I love that.
Throughout my life, there has been such heartbreak. I have struggled with loss, deception, fear, mistakes, doubt, and feelings of not being good enough. There are a few things that I have yet to truly understand why they had to happen. Like as a teenager, when my best friend was killed in a car accident. Or when all 4 of my pregnancy losses happened. This past year we had an adoption failure. When things have seemed to not make sense, I’ve asked God “couldn’t I have learned this lesson without having to endure THAT much PAIN?!” Then again, some lessons I’ve had to learn multiple times so maybe God has thought “well, why can’t you learn the first time?” HAHA.
As a child, I always found myself finding something to be glad about in every situation. It was a natural thing to me, just as easy as breathing. As an adult, I see it as a coping mechanism. I’ve had people say “you are such a Pollyanna.” In my inner dialogue, I have felt that was a negative connotation. A weakness, you might say. However, this past year has shown me many things. One of them being that having the ability to find the good is a strength! It is how I have been created, so who am I to question God??
As a parent, I have often thought “I am surely failing my children.” The ideas we had before kids, including what school or activities would look like for them, were thrown out the window when reality hit. There have been moments I have sat in FEAR that I couldn’t be the mom my kids needed or deserved. When we chose the route of homeschooling, I thought “now I’ve surely lost my mind.” I have stressed over curriculum, extra activities, meeting expectations (of both myself and others), what they’re exposed to, and just about everything else you could imagine.
Throughout history, we can read how, while there WERE righteous people in the bible, most people used by God were the ones who were completely screwed up. As in, Full hot mess express situations going on. Yet, in the middle of the disaster, God was able to bring about a beautiful example of redemption and goodness.
I am an overthinking, faith-filled homeschool mom finding fun and positivity through life’s imperfections. I am a medical professional. A certified health coach. I love music, singing, playing the piano, traveling with my family.
Yet, I’ve always felt I had to apologize for being me - talkative, dramatic, “Pollyanna” and so forth.
Like I said, I am an overthinker. I struggle with anxiety and past trauma. Yet, the things I have seen as weaknesses are the things God has been using. Being a real life “Pollyanna” and finding the good in all things doesn’t guarantee a perfect life nor am I happy all the time. However, when imperfections are used with a positive spin, that’s when life becomes a part of the “glad game.”
I believe that God can use anyone, anywhere, at any time and I am hoping this podcast finds its way to someone who may be struggling with her faith, homeschool, health or life. If that’s you, you’ve found a friend who understands and is glad you’re here. If you have someone in mind that might relate, I’d love if you shared this podcast with her.
I’m really excited to share what I’ve learned, share stories, thoughts and find out how I can help you. I’d love to connect so feel free to send me a quick hello over at imperfectlypollyanna.com! See you next time!