Author: Siv Ricketts

Hi, I'm Siv (pronounced "See-v") Ricketts, & I'm so glad you're here. In this space & on Instagram, I write to encourage you to have hope, seek beauty, and live joyfully. I have BA’s in English and Communication from Westmont College and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. I have focused my career working in and writing for the Church as a youth director, a communication director, and a freelance writer/editor. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband, two sons, and a menagerie of pets. You can also find me on Instagram (@sivricketts).

When What’s Staggering Isn’t: Seeing Sad Truths

The US has now passed the staggering statistic of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths (global deaths are approaching one million). That’s the equivalent of:66 days of 9/11 attacks109 Hurricane KatrinasAlmost 1,200 Oklahoma City bombings1,450 full commercial planes, or eight plane crashes every day of our six-month quarantineThe combined US death toll from the wars in Korea, Vietnam, … Continue reading When What’s Staggering Isn’t: Seeing Sad Truths

Bloom Your Beauty

Between the seasonally-grassy yard and the narrow porch walkway facing our NorCal single-story ranch-style home we have a border of three white floribunda rose bushes, Valentine’s Day gifts from my Guy many years ago, that bloom May through November, spring through fall. Every summer, as blooms explode among the greenery, I commit to bi-weekly dead-heading; … Continue reading Bloom Your Beauty

It Takes Courage to See Eye-to-Eye

In this fast-spinning gyroscopic world, society clings to hard-and-fast categories. Black or whiteRed or blueForeigner or citizenUs or them Categories give us a handhold to grip, something to steady us as we try to make sense in the dizziness. These days, we’re holding on for dear life. Not for their dear lives, mind you, but … Continue reading It Takes Courage to See Eye-to-Eye

Getting Crafty: Working and Playing with Creativity

Do you have a craft, a skill you exercise regularly to make something?Do you consider yourself crafty, making things for fun or profit? Yes, I know, “crafty” also means deceptive, but that’s not this post. My craft is writing. I work at it diligently most days of the week. I employ different techniques depending on … Continue reading Getting Crafty: Working and Playing with Creativity

Letter to the Parole Board: Keep the Monster Behind Bars

Note: After writing and sending this letter at the request of the Knott family, but before hitting publish on my blog, I read that the San Diego District Attorney had confirmed that Craig Peyer is not on the list of those eligible for early release from prison due to COVID-19. Huge sigh of relief! I'm … Continue reading Letter to the Parole Board: Keep the Monster Behind Bars

9 Prayers to Squelch Pandemic Panic (aka, anti-anxiety prayers)

A few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place, I knew I needed a different kind of spiritual discipline, one that focused my creative writing on Scripture God could use to lift me out of the sudden onset of anxiety. I began searching God’s Word for promises related to anxiety and fear, and what I needed … Continue reading 9 Prayers to Squelch Pandemic Panic (aka, anti-anxiety prayers)

A New Perspective on the Waiting

Last weekend I noticed myself feeling itchy-irritable. Smoke from the fires in Napa (north) and Santa Cruz (south) settled thick on our slice of the San Francisco Bay Area; if the measure of unhealthy air quality starts at a score of 150, our air measured at a ridiculous 1100+. We couldn’t open the windows, we … Continue reading A New Perspective on the Waiting

Finding Faith in the Storm

I woke suddenly to the boom of an explosion, my heart-thud echoing the blast. In my sleepy-confused state, I lifted my eye mask and glanced around the bedroom cast in early gray light. Had it been fireworks? A blown transformer? No, there it was again: thunder crack so loud I shook; seconds later, a charge … Continue reading Finding Faith in the Storm