TJ Hirst

I am a writer, a thinker, a talker, a woman, a wife, and a mother. I am Teresa Hirst, the author of Illuminate Everyday.

My everyday realms are ordinary, but they are a microcosm of larger realms. Considering and connecting, comparing and contrasting everyday experiences to each other and to the larger world reveals truth.

To illuminate is to provide or brighten with light, to make understandable, to clarify and to enlighten. My writing is a creative process to discover that light and “elevate the everyday rather than denigrate it.” My goal on this website is to share that process and what I discover.

Here’s a sampling of what I write:

Filling in the Blank

Healing: A Transition to Whole

Focus on the Details and A Four-Star Family

In Opposition to Faith

The Eight-Minute Love Story

The Internet is interactive, and I welcome comments on my writing from new and returning readers. That feedback encourages a two-way conversation that shapes our thought process. Feel free to add your thoughts at the end of my writing; leaving your full name is not necessary.

I live in Minnesota with my husband, Paul, and three children. He is the behind-the-scenes part of this website team. I recognize and appreciate him as my web designer and technical guru who makes my writing accessible to a broader audience. My children are identified by their initials: eh is my 15-year-old daughter, nh is my 12-year-old son, and kh is my 10-year-old daughter.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), and while my spirituality influences my content, my site is applicable to a broader audience and not geared specifically toward other members of my church. –TJ