an open letter to 2016

Dear 2016, I'm not going to lie to you: I'm glad our time together is done. You have probably been the most difficult year of life I've had-- which is saying a whole lot. You've been a hard year for everyone: for many parts of the world, for America, for many of my friends & …

about the rise

"What if pain - like love - is just a place brave people visit?” glennon doyle melton Today was a day that the less lovely words were made for. Words like, "yes, yes I'm fine" & other little words like, "yes, I'm just tired". Today was a day that the less lovely, the less revealing, …

she leaves (on dignity)

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. Proverbs 31.25 so I've felt pretty compelled to do a series specifically geared towards women. Being that I am indeed a female, I feel like I have some insight. I've put it off for a while, because it just seems like …

Please Stay (on suicide)

Please stay. Wow. Writing those words immediately brought tears to my eyes. Such a simple & powerful plea. I know I may say this a lot, but I think this post is the most terrifying I've written yet. Maybe because it's writing about something as personal as breath to me. Here's the thing though, when …

What I Learned from Life when My Mom Almost Died

It's a strange feeling, almost losing your mom. I was sitting down to watch 'Stranger Things' with my roommate, when I got the text from my dad: "Your mom has been in an accident". A thousand thoughts went through my head, but the one that won was, "It's probably nothing bad". You know that moment when …

I’m the Most Selfish Person I Know: a Confession to the Masses

I'm currently reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller, & I'm the most convicted I think I've ever been. I'm convicted, because, at some point- probably between pages 103 & 121- I realized that I am the most selfish person that I know. It's a weird feeling when you realize this. It really hit me …

On the Cusp of the Promised Land: or That One Time I Shared the Deepest Parts of My Heart to the Internet.

If you know me, you are aware that I notoriously internalize my pain and struggles. Here's the thing: I refuse to be apart of what separates humans: prideful shame. I'm learning that life means slim to nothing if we don't show the deeper parts of ourselves to one another. So, here it is: the unadulterated, messy, …

born to die

I've been wondering what to write about Christmas all through today. Yes, I could talk about how Christmas is a way for parents to be manipulated by the masses into a commercialized, superficial reason to spend money... but then something inside me says, "There is so much darkness already; instead, share light". I was thinking about …

You, sir, Are a Tool.

Today I learned a lesson: just because a guy is very good at art doesn't mean he isn't a tool. I don't think this post is going to be eloquent or beautiful or well-thought out or any of the above, but it will be honest. I'm not sure what we truly have in life if it …

I’ll Always Be Deaf

When I was a baby, I had seizures… bad seizures… needles in my spine, staying at the Ronald McDonald house, not going to make it, wires in my head and tubes to my heart seizures. At one point, I was 98% deaf. Spoiler: I lived. I can hear now (to an extent… now that you …