When Sickness Helps Us Get Out of the Way
Happening Soon: Join Allie from Ladygroove for a special ceremony on Monday, September 30th at 1 PM CST to embrace self-love and body positivity. Let’s honor our bodies together! For more details see below.
*Please note this is for paid subscribers.
Hello, beautiful souls,
I'm writing to you from bed today, feeling pretty under the weather but with an overflowing heart. I've just come off a whirlwind of an incredible week. Last week, I drove to Oxford, MS, to celebrate my half-brother David’s new book A Little Crazy. We recorded a few podcasts together and held a joint event at Square Books, where we shared our stories—the wild, winding paths that led us to each other and the work we do now. Ever since we connected five years ago, we’ve talked about collaborating, as our work overlaps in so many ways. The event was everything we dreamed of and beyond—raw, vulnerable, hopeful, and deeply tender. We've both set the intention to use our pain, struggles, and healing journeys to reflect hope and redemption for others. We want people to leave feeling how much healing is available to them, no matter what they’ve lived through or are facing. Standing up there with him felt like breathing, with the gentle guidance of our dad lighting the way.
Thursday morning, though, I woke up feeling pretty sick, and panic set in because Jedidiah Jenkins and I were about to host our Mind-Body Writing and Embodiment workshop that weekend. As I drove home, I felt worse with each mile. I broke down in tears that night, telling Eric, "How can I show up for all these beautiful souls when I feel this awful?" My nose wouldn’t stop running, my head was pounding, I was coughing, and to top it off, my moon cycle had begun, intensifying my usual physical pain. I felt like a complete wreck. Before bed, I whispered a prayer: “God, I don’t know how I’m going to get through these next few days feeling this way. Please, work through me—let my voice, my heart, my eyes be your love. I can’t do this alone, and I’m scared.”
And here’s the crazy part—each morning, I’d wake up feeling rough, but the moment I arrived at the workshop, it was as if something greater than myself took over. I was able to fully show up with my whole heart. The minute we got back to the car afterward, I’d feel like I’d been hit by a truck, and Eric would run me a bath and tuck me into bed. This pattern went on for three days straight. It truly felt like a miracle that I could show up the way I wanted to. And I realized something important—I often forget that it’s not about me finding the perfect words to touch others’ hearts. This experience reminded me to step aside and let God, love, or whatever you choose to call it, work through me.
Co-hosting with Jed is pure magic, a dream come true. We were surrounded by the most magical humans. They came with open, curious hearts, poured their souls onto the page, and formed deep, meaningful connections. They allowed themselves to be seen and heard. We laughed, we cried, we danced, we dug deep, un-learned, and remembered our own power and worth. I am in absolute awe of every soul that attended. The stories they shared touched my heart in ways I’ll carry with me forever.
Today, I’m in recovery mode. I’ll be spending lots of time in nature and getting much-needed rest over the next few days, filled with deep gratitude—for this life, for my amazing body that carried me through the weekend, for every soul I had the honor to meet, for divine love flowing through me, for my precious family in Oxford, for those who drove eight hours to hear David and me speak, for my dear Eric, who was my rock and did a thousand things behind the scenes, for our wonderful volunteers, and for Jed, whose gifts to this world are beyond measure. I am humbled and deeply honored in ways that words can barely capture.
Thank you for being here, for reading this, for sharing this journey with me. You are a gift, and I am so grateful to be in this space with you.
All my love,
Ruthie
P.S. Please remember to share the body blessing and the event with Hillary on Thursday!
Keep reading for:
Love’s Invitation Monthly Event: Body Blessing
Invitation of Pain In-Person Event
Love’s Invitation Monthly Event: Body Blessing
Allie is a photographer and creator of Ladygroove, where she combines body positivity with artful photography. After overcoming disordered eating and complex PTSD, she developed Ladygroove to help people reconnect with their bodies through a liberating photoshoot experience.
In 2022, she introduced Body Blessing, a pre-shoot ceremony to honor and bring peace to the physical and emotional parts of ourselves. Now back in the States after 14 months of travel, Allie is excited to offer this peace-filled practice to YOU. Join Allie and Ruthie for this month’s event on Monday, September 30th at 1 PM CST to explore simple, nurturing practices that deepen self-love, bringing only themselves and, if desired, some body oil for a clothed meditation.
This event is exclusively for paid subscribers ($6/month). If you're not yet a paid subscriber, you can subscribe below. Once you've subscribed, return to this post to register for the event. If you're already a paid subscriber, you'll find the registration link at the bottom of this newsletter.
The Invitation of Pain In-Person Event
When we experience pain, we are instructed to medicalize our pain to make it go away. We learn to see our bodies as the enemy and forget the identity outside of the pain. But we can learn to experience and understand pain differently, even coming to see pain as the route back home to who we really are. In this way, the pain becomes the invitation back to our bodily selves - reminding us how to love ourselves more fully, teaching us that we can heal regardless of whether the pain goes away or not.
Explore a new perspective on pain with Ruthie Lindsey and Hillary McBride. On November 16th, 2024, this event in Nashville offers a chance to rethink how you relate to pain and discover new pathways to wellness. Connecting with ourselves through our bodies is valuable, and experiencing this together in person can enhance that connection to another level. We hope you’ll join us for this meaningful experience. Click the link below to learn more about this event and purchase your ticket.