Hey beautiful!

Welcome to my site, Sunshine in Heavy Weather. I hope that now that you have found your way here, we can help one another grow in strength and joy.

My name is Kelly – I reside in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan and grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I am a wife to Pat and step-mom to Ethan – these are the roles that give me the greatest joy. Additionally I find joy in being a granddaughter, daughter, sister, auntie, godmother and friend. I’m also a fur mom to my sweet baby boy Zoro! 🐾

I am also someone who struggles with chronic illness.

It began with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism at the age of 13; what followed were years of struggle to identify the source of my fatigue, pain, and sadness. Twenty years beyond my first diagnosis, I am diagnosed with several more disorders. I’ve had numerous surgeries, 100 pounds of weight gain, and a whole lot of I-don’t-want-to-get-out-of-bed days. With that being said, though, it’s not all doom and gloom.

When I was a little girl, my father nicknamed me “sunshine” because of my bright personality. At times I have felt as though this light has been extinguished; overshadowed by my pain, my sorrows, my illness. Yet through it all, my father – who had his own share of health challenges – still saw my light up until his recent passing. I was always greeted with “hey sunshine!” with every phone call and visit. I miss him terribly and hope to be half the person he thought I was.

Sunshine in Heavy Weather is about finding light in pain, joy in sorrow, meaning in suffering. We are all blessed and cursed, with life being both tragic and magic all at the same time. I hope you find solace here. Strength here. Joy here. I hope you find your sunshine in heavy weather.

Find me on Instagram: @kelpalms