As I cried in my bathroom, I told God how sick I am of fighting against my body. I told Him how exhausted I am of trying to love myself only to fail. I told Him how I didn’t understand how I was good even in my overweightness. I told Him how frustrated I was that I didn’t feel comfortable dressing in the clothes I wanted to.

I got out of the shower and stared at myself in the mirror once more. Suddenly, God said:
“You are so, so much more than the clothes you wear. There is so much more to you than that.”

Understanding Disappointment in Light of Christ

The potential pain of disappointment should not smother the hope for those things that God places on our hearts.

Where There Is Love, There Is God

In times when I can’t find God, I need only search for love. ...Anytime I feel love, or don’t feel love at all, but choose love with my will, God is there in that moment.

Letters, Identity, NurtureCorynne StaresinicJanuary 2, 2019Autumn, Postpartum, Letting go, Expectations, Motherhood, Self-care, Well-being, ResolutionsComment

When You Look in the Mirror

Your identity is not found in your pants size, or the parts you deem imperfect, or in competition with other women, but in being fully known and loved as a daughter of God.

Letters, Identity, ReceiveCorynne StaresinicDecember 19, 2018Body image, Perfectionism, Self-care, Well-being, Beauty Comment

You Are Not the Sum of Your Success

For most of my life, I mistakenly thought that in order to please God, in order to be of any good, I must succeed at everything, and I bent all my energy to achieving my notion of perfection.

Letters, Identity, NurtureCorynne StaresinicDecember 14, 2018Perfectionism, Self-care, Well-being Comments

Who I Am When I’m Alone

There is tremendous power in learning to be at home with yourself.

The Importance of Taking Care of Ourselves

We must not forget that we are body and soul, and our bodies are a gift from God that we must not squander. It would be like if a friend gave you a beautiful plant for your birthday but you neglected it and let it wither.

Letters, IdentityCorynne StaresinicNovember 23, 2018Self-care, Well-being Comment

Every Person Carries a Hidden Story

A few years ago, on a fairly ordinary, cloudy Thursday afternoon, I went to the dentist. The dental hygienist was pleasant enough, and asked the fairly ordinary and benign question, ‘How’s your day going?’ as she rummaged through her supplies. I replied, ‘It’s been alright.’ She nodded without looking up. And in that moment I was flooded with a loneliness I’d never known before.

That morning I had gotten civilly divorced…”

Celebrating the Beauty of Women as a Photographer

It’s easy to receive and believe this false idea of what beauty is. But with a camera in hand, I’ve learned that God doesn’t make mistakes.

You Were Created Exactly as Intended

Dear Sister, 'There’s nothing wrong with you. You are God’s beloved daughter.' The words hit me like a brick in my chest. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Caring for Myself as God Does

I am 32 and single again after an over-2-year long relationship which ended last May. Throughout all my adult years, I made marriage and having kids my idol. I had this feeling that the lack of my own family made me a worse woman.

Archive of Letters to Catholic Women