One of my earliest memories is of crying with my mom. When I was about five, it occurred to me that not everyone I loved was a Christian. My mom told me that they would be going to hell, and I was gutted. I started naming family members, asking “even them?” and as I cried,...
“Things you said about me, it hurt, it did. What matters more is how I feel about myself The things you said about me, I won’t forget What matters now is how I feel about myself.” -Melan, Soul Stream I want to try something new. I have been doing it in several ways already,...
I started blogging over a decade ago, and I’ve always written about my beliefs and how they’ve changed. In one of my early posts, "When the Heart Forces a Smile," I talked about how my mom taught me forced smiling when I felt upsetting, intense emotions. I didn’t identify this...
I really appreciate every person that takes the time to visit my blog. It’s 2023, and there are thousands of posts and ads fighting for your attention each day. The fact that you think of my name and either type it into your browser or fight past the noise of your email inbox to...
I struggle a great deal with being human. For many years, I bristled at people who said to me, “you’re a human,” wondering what on earth they meant. People go through life with a wide range of definitions for humanness. As a young child, I was taught that to be human was to be...
I entered adulthood wholly uneducated and unprepared for life. I was homeschooled until I was 19. When I tried attending a local university while living with my parents, I had no time to study. I also had no respect for academia. In my mind, my own ignorant Christian beliefs were superior to whatever I might...
