Welcome to “The Mending”
The Meaning Behind “The Mending" and What You’ll Find Here
“The Mending” is a contemplative, sometimes confessional-like, exploration of brokenness, grief, faith, creativity, and the art of healing a wounded heart.
In January 2023, I founded the Pen & Mend Collective. “Pen and mend” was a catchy little rhyming phrase that conveyed what I am passionate about the healing power of writing. Calling this space “The Mending” felt like a synchronis fit, but it wasn’t planned.
The idea originated when I read the final lines of Mary Oliver’s poem “The Return.” Here’s the excerpt:
"Half blind with weariness I touched the thread and wept. O, it was frail as air. And I turned then With the white spool Through the cold rocks, Through the black rocks, Through the long webs, And the mist fell, And the webs clung, And the rocks tumbled, And the earth shook. And the thread held."
I received those final words of Mary Oliver’s, “And the thread held,” as though they were a divine naming in me, someone who has felt “Half blind with weariness.”
I repeated that final line over and over in my innermost being as though I were holding a precious gemstone in my hand, turning it over and over, studying it, marveling at it. I have found this same thread, touched it, and wept, too. I have made the same discovery: no matter what has fallen, tumbled, cracked, or shaken, the Thread held.
The Thread holds…
My life has fallen apart more than a time or two. I have fallen apart more than a time or two. I’ve been through the darkest nights, overcome by hopelessness. I’ve endured heartbreaks that have led to long suffering and navigated life with grief, depression, and anxiety. I don’t identify as broken, but I have known the pain of brokenness, heartache, suffering, and being weary in spirit.
Through all the suffering, the Thread has held and mended me. For me, that Thread is God, Love—and His Love that holds is the offering of Hope.
I’ve been on a journey of healing my inner wounds and becoming a “wounded healer,” a phrase introduced to me through the writings of Henri Nouwen, first coined by psychologist Carl Jung. When I imagine the healing of inner wounds I picture mending: The invisible wounds of a broken heart being stitched together—mended—with threads of Love.
The Thread holds. The Thread mends.
This imagining and inspiration really originate in the scriptures that have ministered to me most over the years, and maybe they’re ones you’re familiar with, too:
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 NIV "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 NIV
“The Mending” is a place for those seeking a holy mending for our invisible (sometimes visible) wounds—and those curious about the role beauty, creativity, art, and writing play in this healing journey.
The world can break our hearts and spirits in unfathomable ways, but the breaking is not the ending (though it sometimes gets told to us as such). Where there’s an ending, I hope instead that we can see “the mending,” offering a restorative, redemptive continuation of our stories.
For me, Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God and Love incarnate. I believe in the Triune God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. My faith informs my life, writing, and creative practices. But my faith has sometimes faltered, failed, and evolved, but through it all, the Thread holds. I believe God the Great Mender and the source of our “the mending.”
I want you to know that is a place to cultivate authentic faith and find spiritual health, where doubts, questions, laments, and wrestling happen and are welcome and part of the journey.
So, welcome, and thanks for being here!
Free subscribers have access to
My occasional public essays and posts
Paid subscribers get all the free stuff, plus become members of Pen & Mend, which gives you access to
Exclusive monthly journal prompts
Private monthly writing rooms (on Zoom)
Full access to the entire library of Pen & Mend journal prompts
The ability to connect with kindred spirits and share in the comments + notes
Discounted events (like live journal workshops)
My sincerest thanks for your paid subscription, which allows me to create quality content and build a strong connection with you!
About me
Kristin Vanderlip is a former English teacher turned oil pastel artist and writer. She is a certified writing coach and the founder of the Pen & Mend Collective. Kristin received her bachelor’s degree in English and master’s in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a bereaved mother and veteran Army wife, she is passionate about helping others discover writing and creativity as sources of healing and hope.
Kristin is the author of Rest: A Journal for Lament and Rise: A Journal for Perseverance. Her writing has been featured by (in)courage, DaySpring, Proverbs 31 Ministries, For Every Mom, and Legacy Magazine. An Illinois native transplanted multiple times across the country, Kristin and her family currently reside in California. When she’s not writing or painting, Kristin enjoys hiking through the quiet Redwood forests or walking along the coast of the roaring Pacific Ocean with her husband, two sons, and Golden Retriever, Enzo.
Other places you can find me and my work online
