Lodestar grew out of my journey—the long painful seasons of heart break I survived, the restoration I continue to experience, and the Lord’s faithfulness through it all. Every step forward bears witness to His grace.

Throughout four decades in the workforce, including my work as a litigation paralegal, I developed careful listening, perseverance, preparation, and advocacy. Yet alongside that professional experience, I endured years of career conflict and workplace adversity. Working in a field centered on justice, I went through the pain of being unheard, undervalued, slandered, defamed and mistreated in the workplace for doing right, for performing in excellence and integrity.

Being in corporate America has, at times, meant walking into rooms where assumptions about me arrived before I ever spoke—where microaggressions and stereotypical opinions from my counterparts overshadowed my character, my competence, and my humanity. I offered kindness and care, yet too often was met with resistance, hostility, bullying and even volatile behavior from people who had never taken the time to know me. With no safe place to turn and no support in the office, I carried pain quietly and asked God, “Why am I being treated this way when I have done my best to treat others with respect?” I held on to the truth that I was seen by God and He did not ask me to call mistreatment acceptable or prove my faith by silently enduring harm. His love reminded me that my dignity was never theirs to grant or take away.

My struggles did not end when I left the workplace. Abuse, rejection, and betrayal reached into the most personal parts of my life—places where I had longed to feel safe, valued, and loved. There were seasons when I carried pain no one could see, feeling deeply alone and misunderstood. Still, I kept showing up, even when I was weary from surviving and wondering when I would finally know safety, belonging, and peace. Through it all, God sustained me. When my own strength felt spent, His grace carried me forward.

Every pillar in my life collapsed, I had no allies, no open doors, no comfort, no support, no structural stability and at my lowest completely devoid of an earthly safety net. At times I felt like the Apostle Paul when he was on trial, he said that absolutely no one stood with him, but he immediately followed up with saying "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength." The Lord has truly been my rock, my fortress, my savior, my counselor, my confidant, my peace. He held me up, sustained me and encouraged my spirit. I have learned and continue to learn to rely and depend solely on God step by step and day by day.

I am deeply grateful and thankful that through every season of my life, God has proven Himself faithful. He never left me, forsaken me or abandoned me. God has undergirded me with His strength when I faced overwhelming pressures and crisis of life.

I do not understand everything that happened in my life, but I know the Lord brought me through. He sustained me when I was weary, helped me rise after setbacks, and gave me the strength to begin again. Even amid unanswered questions, His goodness remains a steady anchor.