I get anxious sometimes—like the weight of the world is pressing down on me, and there’s no way to stop my mind from spiraling with all the darkness I see around me. Honestly, these past few weeks would make anyone feel that way.

 School starts back in a few weeks, and my little sister is heading off to college. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous. I think about walking on campus almost every day—about the games, the friends, and those late-night Cookout runs. I miss it. I miss all of it. But lately, that ache has hit a little harder. That chapter of my life is over, and now I’m in a new one—adult life. With a job. And responsibility.

 Life has felt a little different since I graduated. Not bad—just different. I don’t see my friends every day like I used to, and the days feel slower. Learning this “new normal” hasn’t been easy. All the things that were once part of my daily rhythm are no longer there, and that shift can leave you feeling unsure, like you don’t quite know what’s next.

In the world today society likes to tell us females that we shouldn’t want to be feminine, that being feminine means we’re weak, inferior, or less than our male counterparts. Well, the bible shows us that being feminine is beautiful, it doesn’t make us weak. If anything, it makes us strong. I mean as women we have to deal with intense pains once a month, and the only way to get out of it is to give birth to a whole human, so yeah, I’d say we’re pretty strong. 

My Monday morning started as any would. I woke up, ate and then I headed to the library to get some work done before I went to class. What I didn’t know was that I would be in that library for over three hours.

To my Grandpa:

I’ve been trying to write something for the past month, but nothing has felt right. And then these past few weeks tragedy struck my hometown. Three young people I knew from my community passed away. Two of them I was close with growing up. Initially, I wanted to write about how God can give you peace in any situation, or that when something tragic like this happens you need to stay close to God, so you don’t become numb. But as I was sitting there thinking about these things, I knew that If I told you these things then I would have to live up to them, and I’m not quite sure I can. While I am at peace now, I wasn’t, and who knows If I will be when something else in my life happens. That’s the same thing as feeling numb. Right now, I’m letting my emotions free and I’m talking to God about how I’m feeling, but again who knows if I'll do this later down the road. So, while these experiences may have not taught me those things, God used them to teach me something else.  

In this piece I did something a little different. I didn't share a part of my story, but a story of a girl whose faith is impacting so many lives. Take a moment to read about her story, it's truly moving. 1 Corinthians 2:5

This past weekend I went to the mountains to a women's retreat for the Christian club I'm in. They asked me to tell some of my story, so instead of me writing about it, I decided to post the video. Just a forewarning, the video is very raw and emotional. I told part of my story I've never talked about, and one I'm still ashamed of, but One of the things I learned over the weekend was that God can use those moments to advance his will. So, I hope this video helps someone. 

Your foundation matters, but so does the way you portray how you feel when you go through storms.

This spring break looked different than usual, but it truly made such an impact in my life, read more to find out why. 

Sometimes we have to pull weeds in order to see growth in our lives.