Ann C.K. Nickell

I've been reflecting on my story a lot lately. The hard parts especially. Because I don't think I'd be building what I am right now without all of it.

I spent years in an emotionally abusive marriage. He used my faith against me, which leaves a different type of scar. We moved around for his job, and every time I thought I'd finally found a church home, we'd uproot again.

I kept trying to hold onto God through all of it. Some seasons I did better than others.

When I finally got out, I started over. I was rebuilding my life, chasing some life-long dreams, leaning into my faith again, and then I almost died.

An allergic reaction to an antibiotic that escalated fast. The doctors were talking about amputation. Skin graft surgery. Permanent nerve damage. At one point the prognosis was just...grim.

That's not what happened.

In three days God blessed me with two miracles. He saved my life. Then He saved my leg before the surgeon could amputate.

What followed was two years of recovery; learning to walk again with no feeling in my foot, watching wounds heal on their own with no surgery, and eventually getting full feeling back after the doctors told me to give up hope.

Every single thing they said wouldn't happen, happened.

Saved by Grace through Faith.

A family friend heard my testimony and said something I haven't stopped thinking about since:

"God pulls from the pit, not the pulpit. And He pulled you from the pit and saved you for a reason."

I believe that. I really do.

Five months after the incident, I finally realized one of my biggest dream by publishing my first book. Small step. But it was mine.

And then I published another. And another.

Now I'm building something else. Something I genuinely wish had existed when I was in the middle of my hardest seasons — a creative faith community for women who love God but still feel like something is missing. Where faith and creativity live in the same space. Where you can just show up and create and pray and breathe.

I put my dreams off for too long because of fear and doubt. I'm not doing that anymore.

FAITH OVER FEAR

More soon. ✝️

It's National Poetry Month!

This memory popped up, so I have to share and celebrate again.

I was featured on the front page of the local paper when I was a senior in high school for winning some poetry competitions and having several poems published in anthologies.

My mom kept this clipping from the paper all these years, and I found it going through her things.

It's fun to look back at when my poetry journey started. And now I have my poetry book, Expressions, which received an International Impact Book Award!

Never give up on your dreams!