Go on faith.

“Just keep at it,” I heard him say. He’ll say things to me from time to time. Some are complete thoughts, other times they’re words that seem random but aren’t; they’re relevant to a situation or a problem, and they’re a beacon for my foggy brain. I am my father’s daughter. Stoic and reserved, I […]

The Voiceless

I don’t actually remember this happening, as tends to be the case when something traumatic or core-shaking happens to me, but the story goes as follows. I was in fifth or sixth grade and had just started attending a Lutheran school. One day, for some reason, the topic during a class discussion turned to animals […]

The Summer of Life

How is it already July? Wasn’t it just Christmas? Oh, right…it was just Christmas — then Valentine’s Day. Then it was St. Patrick’s Day, then Easter, then Memorial Day. Every year around this time, I wonder where the time goes. Being that I prefer the cold, the gray and the rain to the warmth, I […]

You first.

They say that when you get married, it’s most important to know the other person really, really well. Inside-out, from head to toe. I disagree with this. I think it’s most important to first know yourself, then the other person. I say this not as someone who’s passing judgment or as someone who claims to […]

Forever?

I have an odd relationship with the word “forever.” When I was in high school, my first relationship had all the hallmarks of young love. It was new, exciting, tumultuous and occasionally kept me up at nights. A few years in, I found myself in an especially trying time. We were both changing and growing, […]

Proof.

As human beings, it seems like we’re always looking for proof. Proof that someone loves us, as if to say that their words aren’t enough. Proof that we’re good enough, as though someone telling me that I can do whatever I put my mind to goes in one ear and out the other. Proof that […]