Mandy McCarty Harris

writer

I Am Imperfect AND Happy To Be Me

I wear a size 16. My belly is squishy and bears the stretch marks of the babies I carried more than a few years ago. I took a style & fit inventory for a subscription box last week and they informed me that my body is shaped like a raindrop. Come to think of it, […]

You Should Take the Vacation

I find it unbelievably difficult to take the vacation. My practicality tells me that so many other things are more important than time away. It seems like the resources that a vacation requires should be spent on something more reasonable and less superfluous. Wouldn’t our money be better spent on something reasonable and long-lasting? The […]

Why We Have Easter: A Reminder For You

5-year-old: What are we doing for Easter? Me: Did you have something in mind? 5-year-old: I don’t know. Me: Do you remember why we have Easter? 5-year-old: Umm… Me: After Jesus died on the cross, they put Him in a tomb, which was like a cave with a big rock in front of it… 5-year-old: […]

I Am No Longer Ashamed of My Anxiety

I’ve got plenty to tend to without being ashamed of my anxiety. So I’m speaking truth, laying down the shame, and reminding you that you aren’t alone. Truth? I’ve consumed nothing but coffee in the five hours that I’ve been awake and I feel terrible. That would be an honest mistake, except that I’ve done […]

how to live a happy life

How To Live A Happy Life

Everybody wants to know how to live a happy life. Am I right? Before I tell you the big secret to life, let me ask you this. Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to live lives that are shiny and successful? Even more, why do we feel like that’s what we should […]

Laying Down the Weight of Shame

I’ve made a lot of mistakes and done some things I’m not proud of in my life. I think we all have, but I’m 100% harder on myself. For years I’ve found it nearly impossible to let go of shame for being imperfect. As a highly sensitive person, I’m hyper-aware of all the things within […]

Alex & Emma

Why Rare Disease Day Matters

Friends, meet Alex & Emma. For years, my husband and I fought for our girls, chasing down answers and all too often getting the runaround, a guilt trip, or a brush off because their symptoms simply didn’t fit into any known puzzle. In 2009, after years of unexplained and misdiagnosed medical and developmental issues, we […]