Introduction

I will never forget being fifteen and realizing that I had gone through so much in my short 15 years of life. It was while I was at church camp, that we (the students attending the camp) were sharing our testimonies. I shared my life story and the person who was to share next said, “How am I supposed to follow that up?” This comment didn’t make me feel happy or “cool” that my story was so profound that this person didn’t think their story meant as much. It actually made me really sad. You see, I truly believe EVERY STORY MATTERS. Whether you have been through abuse on abuse on abuse or you had the most amazing family, your story matters. I never want to share my story and it makes others feel like their’s isn’t as good. So please hear me when I say that yours matter just as much as mine matters. Okay? Okay. I truly hope after I open up about mine, that it encourages you to share yours more. Humanity is a much cooler experience when we relate to one another, when we get to know one another, and when we care about one another. I believe it is through sharing your life with others that these things happen.

Now, on the flip side of that above, when this student said, “How am I supposed to follow that up?” I thought about that comment for a long time. That meant that he thought what came out of my mouth was something sort of bold, or…. a lot. Maybe even profound? After hearing what I had to say, he didn’t feel like his life experience compared, and although I don’t believe our experiences should be a comparison at all, it was at this moment that I began to realize that my life was far from normal and the things I had gone through was A LOT for my age. Unfortunately, age 16, 17, 18, and so on brought on a lot more.

For years now, I have felt the Lord tug on my heart about opening up to the world about my life. Not because I love to talk about myself or because I want some sort of recognition. That’s not it at all. But because, there is freedom in sharing the highs and lows of this life. And if even ONE person is affected in a positive way because of what I share, then to me it’s worth it. And that’s what God has shown me. He gave me my testimony and my experiences so that someone out there who hears it doesn’t feel so alone. On this portion of my blog, I will release chapter by chapter, from birth until now, my life story. I plan to share all the things that have happened to me and all the things I have done. This is not going to be a place where I only share the negative things that have happened to me. I want to share the mistakes I’ve made as well. I plan to talk about it all. The things most people keep to themselves, I want to share. Is it scary? Absolutely. BUT, what is more human than sharing the things deep down that we all probably feel and relate to anyway? I don’t know about you but I’m tired of the fake. I’m tired of the masks and the need to have everything perfect all the time. Can we just be real for a minute? Can we be deep instead of surface level? I feel like this day and age, social media has brought about the perception of reality that isn’t real at all. I want to break that mold. At least in my corner of the internet, I want to do the exact opposite.

So, with that being said, I do want to put a warning here about all the topics that will be covered. It wouldn’t be fair for me to dive right in and not let you know what you’re getting in to. This is sort of like a trigger warning, so to speak. I will be talking about sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, drug addiction, sex, alcohol, drinking and driving, religion/Christianity, partying, and foster care. For now, that’s all I can think of but I promise I will put a warning at the beginning of any post if it covers something different than these topics. Not every section of my blog will be this heavy so if this isn’t for you, feel free to venture throughout the other portions of writings that I release!

I am so excited and honored that you’re here. I hope you enjoy this corner of the internet as much I do.