About Kirsten Panachyda
Writer and Speaker
Or “How to pronounce the name”
Okay. Here it is: Keeer-sten Pan-uh-chi-(rhymes with “why,” as in “why is this name so hard?”)duh
I’m a writer, Bible teacher, speaker, and “retired” homeschooling mom. I live in Central New York with my husband Dan. We have two young adult sons, who were homeschooled from birth through high school. We were not a bread-baking, gardening, matching-outfit-wearing kind of homeschool family. We are a roller-coaster-riding, travel-loving, blue-hair-dying kind of family. We love Jesus and each other, but there is still a certain amount of sarcasm and sass.
A few rules:
- If asked, “yes” to whipped cream. Always.
- Hiking wins over treadmill, unless it’s impossible. Then, revert to truism: Something is better than nothing.
- This truism also applies to housework. Unless you are getting to the end of a really good book. Then nothing is better. It’s all about priorities.
- Treat people as if they have a hidden heartache. Chances are, they do.
- Jesus heals. He delivers and saves. Jesus reigns. In the end, no matter what it’s all about, it’s all about Him.
I’m a long-time history nerd, and my first love as a reader and writer is historical fiction. Later, I discovered a heart for teens struggling with emotional and mental illness, and most especially for their parents, when my own son’s illness introduced me to a new world. Whether though the stories I write or the story I’m living, I long to extend compassion and infuse courage into the soul-weary.
Welcome, friend.
