Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” -Matthew 16:24-26 NIV From a young age, I remember believing I needed to keep myself small. Fading […]
Six years ago, I made the difficult choice to go “no contact” with my mom. Those who have wrestled with navigating toxic and abusive family relationships know how hard it can be to step away. It’s easy to fall back into accepting the “known” toxic behavior of someone close to you when it’s familiar. It’s even harder to step into […]
I remember the summer of 2012 was hot and humid. I had just wrapped up my second year of teaching and turned 26 years old that July. That summer, I excitedly prepared for my September wedding, as I worked as a swim coach at the local pool and nannied for a couple of elementary-aged children. I remember being so appreciative […]