Hope
I was looking through a note I wrote myself back in November 2017. At that point in my life, I was hungering for some major shifts/change in my life. I had read a book that lit a fire under me, and I knew I would need support in order to…
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Growing up in conservative evangelical circles, I didn’t listen to ‘secular’ music much. As a result, I was never really exposed to Prince’s music. So when he died in April of 2016, I didn’t feel anything – no sadness, no grief, no shock, nothing. Because he was just some random…
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We have come to the end of the Goodbye Church series. (See Intro, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you’re new to the series) It’s been short and bittersweet, hasn’t it? I want to thank you for going on this journey with me. For reading my words, for…
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Some of you may be wondering why I left the church instead of staying and trying to help change the church from within. (See Intro, Part 1, Part 2, and part 4 if you’re new to the Goodbye Church mini-series). Well, believe me when I say that I tried. I tried…
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This Fall I wrote my first academic paper in over 12 years. 12 years! As as a result, I was slightly nervous to write an academic paper for my graduate school. I’m good at blogging, but that’s a completely different form of writing compared to academic papers. So I scheduled…
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Here I am, sitting inside a coffee shop, and I can’t help but smile. Life’s not easy, but right now, I can’t help but feel like this world is such a beautiful place. Every time I seem to turn around, I see beautiful things happening. Today, I had coffee with…
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Several months ago I was telling a friend about something difficult going on in my life and how I felt sapped of joy and happiness, and she made some comment about how being (genuinely) grateful can really help people find joy again. I maturely responded with an internal, “Ugh.” I…
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I have always envied the people who’ve known what they’ve wanted to do since they were young. Whether that’s being a dentist or teacher or family business owner. How beautiful it must be to know what you want and to go after it. I, on the other hand, have spent…
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I used to believe the world was my oyster, especially during my high school and college years. I was an optimistic, glass is almost always full kind-of-gal. Beyond the usual torment of high school (friendship drama, puberty, trying to fit in, etc), I felt the four year requirement of high school itself…
Read MoreWhiplash and grief. These two words were given to me by my therapist on my visit to her office last Spring after I shared with her all that went down in my life the previous two years. These two words accurately described those tumultuous years. When I first arrived at my therapist’s office, I felt…
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