Meet Doris

By the decades

50s I grew up one of seven children—five boys and two girls. Migrated from Mennonite roots in Ohio to Minnesota then South Carolina. Reading was my favorite thing.

60s High school, college, marriage (1969).

70s Stay-at-home mom in survival mode. A medically fragile daughter and her healthy, active sister keep me hopping. Hubby works to support us all. I read for sanity and escape; historical novels are the best. I catch the writing bug.

80s We join Wycliffe Bible Translators as stateside support staff, assigned to the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, North Carolina. I am delighted to write PR pieces for WBT/JAARS.

90s PR for a counseling center, freelance for local newspapers, a stint as a newspaper reporter covering education and religion. Love writing SLICE OF LIFE newspaper columns/essays. At age 50, I enter a graduate program in counseling at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Academic writing definitely not my first choice.

2000s Private practice Courage Counseling Service in Waxhaw and Salisbury, North Carolina, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. Remote since 2020. Writing blog posts—on again, off again—on my counseling website.

I read professional literature to stay sharp in my field, spiritual books to nourish my Christian faith, and novels to relax. A Zoom-based Charlotte, North Carolina, weekly writers group with Maureen Ryan Griffin (wordplaynow.com) keeps my writing juices flowing.

2023 After 54 years of marriage, I am a widow.

2025 It’s time to retire from active counseling practice and focus on writing. I ask my IT guy/webmaster Daniel Brinneman (danielbrinneman.com) for advice on transitioning my website from counseling to writing. He suggests Substack, a site I have been exploring. Before I know it, I have a Substack account, and Daniel migrates 15 years of mostly mental-health-related blog posts to my Substack archives.

So here I am, planning to write SLICE OF LIFE essays on Substack and work on my dream—the origin story of the Mennonite and Amish faiths in novel form, set in 16^th century Europe.

I would love to have you join me on the journey by subscribing to SLICE OF LIFE.

For more on what I will be writing, read my About page.