My day's just starting. I come up and over the steep loosely packed, dirt hill that I've mastered not slipping and falling down. Horns are blaring, dust is swarming, the odor of gas fumes mixes with the aroma of freshly sliced fruit. Donning my face mask and buddying up with a uniform-clad girl on her way to school, I make my move to cross.
Read MoreWhen I first moved to Southern Oregon, a valley lush with natural beauty, adventure opportunities, and churches, I often spent the nights driving around to become familiar with my territory. On one drive, I passed a coffee shop near my apartment. I read its name, got a look at the sign and decor and instantly said (out loud, because apparently, I do that), “This is where the hipster Christians take their photos for Instagram!”
Read MoreWhen I was younger, I used to spend car rides daydreaming. I’d stare out the window imagining how I might meet that special someone, how we’d fall in love, and what kind of life we’d have together. Like most people, I craved the companionship of someone who knew me deeply, flaws and all, and yet loved me all the same. I had amazing family and friends, but …
Read More“There’s something wrong with you if you’re single.”
Lie.
I know you thought you were MEANT for that job, and you were, but only for a certain amount of time.The position was clearly made for you. It’s what you had gotten your degree in AND what you fully enjoyed spending your time on. The job was perfect.
Read MoreI remember being called into the editor’s office in the middle of the afternoon for a talk. You know it’s never a good sign when something needs to be discussed behind closed doors.
Read MoreThink back to the time you fell in love with Jesus. That time when it finally clicked. All those Sunday School classes, all those Bible stories, all those Christmases and Easters celebrating something you didn’t fully understand yet. Then think back to when it all started to make sense.
Read MoreA year and a half ago I had to put my big girl pants on, walk across a stage, receive my college diploma, and head back to my hometown with no set plan of what was next. I was afraid. I wasn't ready to return back to a place where my community had dramatically changed over the four years while I was away at college.
Read MoreIt’s the kind of morning where it’s not even 8 a.m. and the thought of the long, empty day stretching out before you is simply unbearable. Out of desperation, you reach for your phone, a lifeline to the outside world, and shoot out a barrage of text messages to anyone and everyone, because each reply is a much-needed reminder you are not truly alone.
Read MoreTime reminds us that we are human. It comes and goes without asking permission. It is the delicate system that relentlessly and intricately measures our humanness. It reminds us that we’re tired, that we can’t go on forever. It reminds us that we’re different now, that we’ve moved on (at least a bit) from where we were before.
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