Day sixteen: what does that even mean?!

As I consider the next step in my journey, I have the things that I would like to do (see my previous post about control). I want to know what the next thing will be, how I will get there and how long I will do it for.

As I shared with someone very important in my life about what I feel that next step will be I was told this:
"you were just born into the wrong family for that."

WHAT?

So one of my options is something expensive. Since my family is not wealthy, nor are any of my relatives... that means I was born into the wrong family to do something that I want to do. I was looking for support and found discouragement.

Then I was told to do something else.

Oh man, I just don't know anymore.

I am being wrecked by every direction.

day fifteen: Passions pt.2

Do I really know what I am passionate about?

Lately it seems like everyone else knows, but I have no clue.
One person tells me to do one thing, another tells me to do another.
And my mind says yet another thing.

I know the things that I have been passionate about... only because I have told myself for so long that these are my passions. What if it changed without me realizing it?
What if i don't know who I am anymore.

What if I don't remember why I am even passionate in the first place.

The one thing I keep forgetting is to talk to God about this. I mean I do it, but I don't really listen. I say it, without really praying it. I talk at God, not to God. I brush it off, I don't wait. Lately I have been telling God what to do. There I go again, thinking that my plans are greater; my plans are better. why is that?

It's.
all.
about.
CONTROL.

I have this desire, this need for control. But when I take that control, my life becomes utter CHAOS! If any of you have talked to me lately I am changing my mind like crazy, I want one thing one day and another the next day. I desire to do something, but don't have the guts to do it.

I am passionate about my control.
I am comfortable in my chaos.
But,
I.
NEED.
to.
give.
it.
up.

I need to rest in this thought tonight.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."-- Jeremiah 29:11

Day Fourteen: knowledge of the day

Things that I know today:

-Disney movies are always a great choice
-It is always a good choice to sing along to the songs at the top of your lungs while watching Disney movies
-The Biggest Loser workouts ARE kicking my butt and I love it!
-I want the ice and snow to go away so I can go running
-Also, I want to go for a bike ride
-It has definitely been too long since I have gone swimming
-I miss swimming laps so much
-I need to make more money so I can get a YMCA membership
-I would like to do a triathlon
-I need a bigger bathtub for taking baths… I am too long for mine.
-I love spaghetti
-I miss my family more than words can describe

=]

peace and love
-A

Day Thirteen: Nervous/EEEEK

Have you ever had to tell someone or a big group of people something you know they are not going to want to hear? Even if you know things won't change immediately because of what you have to tell them. Yeah... I'm definitely there right now.

I know I need a change in my life.
I know what that change will be... at least I think.

But crossing the bridge to tell everyone on the other side... those that have NO IDEA it is coming... that scares me.

But I can't let it scare me into settling for a life that I don't want to live.

I just need to figure out how to tell them.

Day Twelve: New Dawn, New Day

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
Lifestyle change.
Workouts.
Food Choices.
Life Choices in general.

I am preparing for something.
I don't even know what it is yet.
But whatever it is, I know I'm not prepared right now.

Stay tuned for more.

Day Ten/Eleven: accidents, reunions, and settling

So this weekend I went home. It was only supposed to be a night. I was going on Friday night and going to come back to newaygo on Saturday because I had to work. Well that definitely did not happen. I got home and was super excited to see my parents and my brother. I miss them an awful lot these days. It just so happened that they were working a fish fry at the school Friday night, which gave me enough time to go visit my lovely friend Crystal who just moved into a new house. She lives on that side of the state and I haven't seen her in months! So as opposed to staying at the fish fry and following my mom around like a puppy, I opted for visiting Crystal.

On my way to her house I got lost and had to turn around. When I turned around there was a Public Transportation bus that was dropping someone off at a pretty sketchy motel, so when a bus stops in front of you, what are you supposed to do?? Stop, correct! Well the two cars in between myself and the bus stopped, then I stopped. The guy behind me on the other hand... he wasn't paying attention and his BIG VAN hit my poor little car. I watched him coming at me in the rear view mirror and helplessly watched him barrel into the back of my car. I pulled off into a parking lot figuring that the guy would follow me and we would have the exchange of information, the calling of police, etc... Wellllllll as I pulled off, he drove past me and angrily stared at me as if it was my fault he hit me, then proceeded to speed off. I looked at my car and there wasn't anything wrong besides a couple of little cracks in my bumper, at least that I could see. I looked in the road and there was just a little bit of rust that had obviously fallen from my darling car. The people who had gotten off the bus taught me a lesson. They had their hands full of groceries, they looked as if they had gotten evicted from a trailer park and the second I saw them I judged them. When I pulled into the parking lot though, they dropped their groceries and came over to make sure I was okay. They made sure that I knew that they saw what happened and that if I was going to make a police report they would be there to say something.

Then I went to Crystal's. We had a lovely visit and for a while I was able to forget about what had just happened. I left Crystal's house and went home, My car seemed like everything was fine... until I turned down my road. I went down the first hill and suddenly my car got VERY loud and wouldn't shift or go any faster than 15 mph. I didn't want to go home and tell my dad, but I knew that I had to. It seems like every time I have been home lately, there is something wrong with my car. Something that he ends up paying for to be fixed. Something that he cannot afford. I was supposed to be going back to newaygo the next day and I couldn't drive with it like that. When I told my dad he was mad. He was mad that I didn't call the police. He was mad that I got hit. It sent me right back to the time I hit a deer. It sent me right back to feeling like I was in high school. It sent me back to feeling like I wasn't good enough.

I sent a text to my manager saying that I wouldn't be able to make it to work the next day. My dad took my car to get it looked at and the damage is extensive and will take lots of work and money. I know it is stressing him out. For the meantime my dad let me borrow his truck. He is so awesome and I love him so much.

As for the settling part, my mom always told me not to settle.
I feel as if I might be settling here. Not being settled exactly, but settling for a life that is just a boring story. Settling for a story that has no substance, no real meaning. And I'm not okay with that. I need to figure out how to address this for sure.

Day Nine: Whimsy

"But he wanted to answer my question, so he thought about it and said he didn't think we should be afraid to embrace whimsy." --Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

What is whimsy? And how do I live a story filled with more of it? Reading this book has been amazingly challenging. I don't really even know how to put into words the way it is making me feel besides excited to find and live a life worth retelling. I don't want my story or my life to fade into the darkness. I want to do something, I want to be somebody. I want to move for something important. I want to be radical. I want to live a story filled with whimsy.

But something is holding me back?

The something can change from day to day, but I think I am willing to risk it, to overcome whatever the something happens to be on any particular day and live out this idea of whimsy.

But once again... what is whimsy?

"He said it's that nagging idea that life could be magical; it could be special if we were only willing to take a few risks."

Right now I am not living whimsy. I am living routine and boring. Something that is sooooo NOT me. I find it difficult to live this lifestyle.

I can see point A (where I am now) and I can see point B (where I want to be), but the bridge is covered in fog and I am not quite sure how to get there yet. Hmmm....

Day Seven/Eight: Living Colorful- Black to White

Black: Today has been a strange day for me. Yesterday was a tough day. I have so many thoughts in my head sometimes they crowd all around and I can't think straight. I can't remember why I want to know the answer, or sometimes I think of the answer and can't remember the question or why it was important.

Red: Well, when I got home from work last night I decided it would be a good idea to take some vitamins. Many people came into the store today who were sick and I don't want to be sick. So vitamins sounded like the best option. Well... I took a B12 vitamin, not really remembering why I have them in the first place. HAH! Let me tell you, about 15 minutes after I took it, I knew I made a mistake. I was bouncing off the walls. I was dancing around my house, with the music up loud. Then I decided to make coffee.

Orange: B12 + Coffee at midnight, when you live by yourself in a small town... this was my second mistake. HAHA! While drinking the coffee I was reading my Bible, when suddenly it hit me. My house is naked!! The walls are basically bare, and they remind me of the walls at Grace before they were painted. They remind me of the walls in the dorms on move in day before anyone has arrived. They are boring. It is not like "home." So what did I do?

Yellow: At one o'clock this morning I decided to get in my car, drive to the local grocery store to purchase construction paper that was much too expensive. (Almost $5 for only 40 sheet), but I NEEDED to decorate. So I found all of my crayons and markers and tape and some stickers. It was Craft time!

Green: As I sat going through some of my favorite verses and saying, writing them down, cutting them out, I was quite content. I have always been a night owl so being up at 2:30 in the morning rocking out to David Crowder having craft time was not anything out of the ordinary for me. It actually felt totally normal. It reminded me of late nights at the Rec getting stuff ready for Playground... or the night before cheerleading tryouts when my Mom and whoever I happened to be trying out with that year and myself would MAKE our tryout outfits... Or spending time with my beautiful roommates coloring and talking into the wee hours of the night.

Blue: These memories left me feeling lonely though. Because they are so much in my past. I have so many things to look forward to but nothing that I can be sure of. The memories made this old house feel a little colder. a little emptier. a little bigger than it did when I was Orange.

Indigo: When I was tired of crafting and feeling too lonely to go on, I began to read. I began to read the words of someone smarter than myself with so much insight. It made me think a little without really having to think at all. If that even makes any sense. I read until almost four in the morning when I was finally tired.

Violet: Sleep. I slept so well last night that I woke up feeling more refreshed today than I have in a long time. I rested. Maybe it was because I was doing something fun before I went to sleep. Maybe it was because my energy boost crashed. Maybe it was because I fell asleep dreaming about how I can live a better story.

White: Awake. I woke to a lovely phone call from my dad at the crack of 12:45 p.m. I started to look at my day differently. When something is WHITE you can paint whatever colors on it you would like. You can create new colors. You can find new strokes. You can see what you have already done and paint over it to create something new if you want. But the option is there. It is yours to have and to hold and to seize and to create. You were born to create. It is a journey to create this masterpiece. I am positive the Mona Lisa wasn't perfect with the first strokes of the brush. Why should ours be perfect either.

My painting is no where near finished. I can't wait to see the result, but I sure am enjoying the journey. What colors did you experience today?

Day Six: Wrap me in your arms

Wrap Me In Your Arms.
Michael Gungor




This image of God wrapping me in his arms is baffling me beyond belief right at the moment.

“There is a God who loves me, and wraps me in his arms”

WOW. Seriously?!

“and that is the place where I am changed, and that’s where I belong”

WHAT?!

I want to be there so badly!! I need to be there so badly! It is the only safe place; the only secure place. I am so glad that I can be there. I love that I can run to Jesus whenever I need to and he will allow me to be me and love me and speak tenderly to my heart when I am in the desert. I just need to stop pretending to have it all together. Because ::newsflash:: I don’t have it all together. That is more of a newsflash for myself. But yes.

Tonight I am reading the Gospel of Luke.
Basking in the words and promises of my Savior.

Tonight I am so thankful for grace and mercy.
I pray that I will experience the peace that goes beyond my understanding.


Tonight I am thankful for being able to rest in the arms of my savior with his arms wrapped around me.

Luke 1:67-79
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Day Five: You want me to do WhAt?

In my life I have never been a person to be at rest for very long.

Why would I want to sit still, in one place for a long time when there is a world to be seen, people to be reached, and things to be done?

I am bad a being restful. Like literally, I am terrible at it. There is a difference between being lazy and being restful. One can be lazy without being restful and one can be restful without being lazy. They are easily mistaken for one another, but two completely different things. And if you aren’t careful what can start out as being restful, can very easily turn into laziness.

This is where I find myself today. I find myself feeling very uneasy because I have become settled. I have lived in Newaygo for 5 ½ months for what is an undetermined amount of time. THAT FREAKS ME OUT!!!! When I lived at home during high school, I knew that when I graduated I would leave. I knew that I was going to be attending college somewhere, but college also had a time limit on it. I needed to finish in four years, and I did. But I knew that I wouldn’t be there forever. So being somewhere for an undetermined amount of time scares me so much. Plus it makes me feel lazy. Since I was a baby I have always been on the go. We were always going somewhere, with something to do, people to see. I was taught from the beginning to be very flexible and to go with the flow (I am so THANKFUL for that). But even though flexible and going with the flow is how I run, when the flow seems like it has stopped I don’t like it. When I am not on the go I feel lazy, not restful. When I am on the go, I can appreciate the rest more. I don’t mind a little lazy time here and there, but it is like that old saying “too much of a good thing is a bad thing.” I have so much time here that I am not sure what to do with it all and I am starting to feel like I might be missing out on something. I am 22 years old with a passion for travel and experiences and life… It is so hard for me to be in one place for such a long time. Even when I was in college I traveled a lot. There was always some weekends at home to look forward to, Spring Break, going somewhere over Christmas break, summer break that held endless opportunities. Now that I have graduated it feels like I am being forced to shut down that part of my heart and who I am, just because I am not in college anymore. But who says that I should stop being who I am, just because I am no longer part of a demographic who is expected to do those things. Why should I be expected to stay in one place forever, just because I am now part of the “work force” or “real life?” Why can’t my “real life” be doing the things I am passionate about and love to do?

When I am constantly traveling and busy and doing things, I can appreciate the time I get to rest. But when I sit at home day after day it is hard to appreciate it. Then my rest turns into laziness. I know that God will use this. It is just hard during this process. I am definitely learning patience, in a way that I have never been challenged to learn patience before. I am learning patience and waiting on God until he says it is time to move on. I have confidence that he will tell me when it is okay to go. He placed this passion in me and this free spirit. I know he will use it. Traveling is such a passion of mine. I don’t mind driving, I don’t mind flying, and I don’t mind riding a train. I can’t wait to see how God is going to use it. But until he does, it is my prayer that I will be restful and not lazy with my whole life and use this time to prepare for whatever upcoming adventure he has planned for me!


Just for fun I have done a little number crunching.

Here are some stats:
I have been to 4 countries
I have been to 20 states.
I have ridden a train 3 times.
I have flown across the Atlantic Ocean 6 times.
Last year alone I flew on 12 flights.
In the past five years I have averaged driving 11,600 miles a year on my car (my trusty baby).
That is approximately 967 full tanks of gas… a year.

Most of that has happened in the last 4 years. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it (okay maybe a few minutes of waiting in long lines to go through security checkpoints at the airport.. nah just kidding).

Day Four: Earnestly I Seek Thee

First, I must state that Donald Miller is sooooo brilliant!!!
Second, I must also state that Aaron Gillespie has an amazing voice!!

I am currently reading "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" and it is FANTASTIC.
And I absolutely cannot turn off "Anthem Song" it has been on repeat almost since I bought it the other day.

So over the past few years I have been so encouraged by the stories of those around me and those who have become my heroes. Where people come from, where they have been in their lives, their journeys are so encouraging to me and I love stories. Donald Miller in this book paints a picture of what exactly 'story' is and how it breaks down. It makes everything that I have learned about 'story' in the last two years of my life fit into a box about the size of an iPod shuffle. This book is blowing my mind and I am not even half way through it yet. It makes me wonder about my story and what it would look like if my story were going to be documented.

The other day I also purchased the new Aaron Gillespie album "Anthem Song" which you can and should buy on iTunes. IT IS SO AMAZING!!!!! One of the songs is called "Earnestly I Seek Thee"

The lyrics are amazing and it makes me think about my life and how I desire to earnestly seek God with everything that I am. I want my story to reflect that I earnestly seek God. If you have not checked out either of them you need to do both (or at least one of them)!

I want to challenge you to ask yourself today, how earnestly are you seeking God and how are you letting your story affect the lives of the people around you. Live an exciting story and seek God with everything you have within you!!

Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

-A

Day Three: Community

Ahh Community. I love community. I have been so blessed by those who are willing to acquaint themselves with me. Yesterday I was able to spend some time enjoying the company of a dear friend of mine just receiving encouragement as well as giving him some as well. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary, we went to Guitar Center and a local bookstore. Before we headed back to where he lives we stopped to grab some dinner. We got back and watched some basketball, enjoyed each other's company. We laughed together, we almost cried together, we ate together, and we pointed each other back to Jesus. Slowly more friends joined us as they got home. The laughter we shared reminded me of how thankful I am for friendship and the joy that comes from sharing life.

Today I enjoyed the company of some girls from my youth group. We dissolved into fits of laughter in my living room, and my kitchen, and my basement. We shared in some tears, we ate some food. I went shopping with one girl this afternoon and we have both been refreshed by the company of each other.

I am thankful for this time that I have had with these girls and they show me so much about life. Some days I only seem to see that it is only what I have to offer them that matters, but in reality they can offer me just as much. They offer me insight, and grace, and respect. They share with me in their hurts and their joys. As I helped one of my girls clean a self inflicted wound tonight, she thanked me for the love and genuine acceptance of her. Not in the way of feeling sorry for her, but the fact that she realized that I am not here to judge her. It really humbled me to know that even though most days it seems like I have no idea what I am doing, God still knows and is able to reach even the toughest of hearts.

Ahh there is refreshment in community. Ahh yes...

--A

Day Two: Passions Pt. 1

No, not Passions like the TV show that I used to watch when I would skip school and stay home. I am talking about my passions in life. The things that I am passionate about. The things I want to stand for, to do, that I will be able to reflect on and say WOW that was really cool. I am reminded today that my passions are beautiful. A gift from God, and that they are not bad things. There are really two things that God has put in my life that have just been super amazing to me.
Those things are
Travel and Teenagers.

Today I am setting a bucket list of places I would like to travel to. I would like to visit these places at least once in my life. If not more. Some are places that I have been before and would just like to go back and explore some more. I mean, what good is having a passport if I am not using it right? These destinations are not necessarily for any specific purpose or in any specific order but here they are:

-Paris
-Go back to Romania
-Israel
-Tanzania
-South Africa
-Costa Rica
-Ireland
-China
-India
-Thailand
-Australia
-Fiji
-Greece
-Hawaii
-Portland, OR
-Seattle, WA
-Boston, MA
-New York City

Plus more, but I think that is long enough for now. I am going to need a better job to be able to pay for all of that travel... Maybe I should have sought out a career as a flight attendant... hmmm, it's never too late! I just might! =]

Where would you go, if you could go anywhere in the whole world? Maybe I will remember you when I am a flight attendant and racking up miles that I can share.

I love that I have such a sense of adventure. Yet, at the same time it kind of scares me that I have become so settled in a place like Newaygo. Some days I feel like I could stay here forever, other days I feel like I might get stuck here forever (the same fear I get in Peck). But there is nothing wrong with desiring a little adventure in life. So why not go big!

Day two without facebook= complete!

Day One: In need of Resoration

My soul is very deeply in need of restoration. It is broken and hurting at this moment in my life. Some days I don’t even remember why it hurts. I can wear a smile because it is easy, but I know that it may not always be genuine. Over the next 40 days (the Lenten season) I will be taking a break from Facebook, seeking more time with God, diving hard into the Word of God, finding his promises for me again. Feel free to follow me on this journey. I hope to blog every day about my experiences. Since it is the first day I decided to write myself a letter that I can look back on at the end of this time and remember where I was when I started.

Dear Amanda,

Today you have decided to give up facebook for Lent. This is something that at this moment in your life you need very badly. Right now your relationship with God sucks. You are not the same person that you have been. You are sad a lot, lonely, and bored. It is my prayer that this time for you is more than just a facebook fast, but instead a time of rest in your Savior. Use this time to reconnect with your Maker, the one who has created you uniquely for this time and this purpose. Enjoy this time. Let Him lead you into the desert and woo you. Let Jesus take your heart. You are captivating when you are “on” but when you aren’t you know that there are more things that you can be doing to look like Jesus to those around you, but you don’t care. Your words have been unkind lately, you are harboring bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart that should not be there. You need to be intentional. Read way too many books. Love the way Christ loved. Change your heart.

Right now your soul is in a desert place. You have found yourself in another hurt place, brought on by someone who is not worth your time. Now is your time to focus on the only one who can collect your hearts pieces and draw them to him for a purpose.

The song playing right now say this:
“Lord I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone
Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord have your way in me”

Find comfort in your Savior dear girl.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30

It is my prayer that the next 40 day journey will have you resting in Jesus and learning from Him what it means to love people, share with people, and lead people.

Much love, your pre-lent self.

im so over it.

my eyes are tired from crying for over an hour.
my heart hurts from it being cherished, then ripped out, then stomped on, put back.
again...
...and again..
........and again....
for the last three years of my life.
from. you.

but you know what...
i'm done.
i'm over the back and forth
UP and down of us.

the maybe we are, maybe we aren't...
the secrets, the whispers, the texts and the kisses.

i can't do this anymore.

this is me guarding my heart for once in my life.
my relationship with Jesus suffered because i thought i still loved you. and i was willing to put you before Jesus, telling myself that we could grow together when
really we just choked each other out. our seeds could not take root because we were on the rocky soil, we choked each other out like weeds.

but i am in love with the idea of being in love some day. but today is not that day.
tomorrow probably isn't either.

until that day comes, my heart rests in the hands of the only one who can keep it safe.
and protected.
and unbroken.
and whole.
and loved properly.

i WILL fall in love someday.
it will be a beautiful thing.

but today is not that day. yesterday wasn't either. who knows what tomorrow will bring besides healing for this brokenness.
that song cannot be played again.
the memories will cease. i will blanket them in the love of my savior.

im so thankful for friends who love me enough to remind me im worth more than what you have done to my heart.

im over it.
im over you.
tomorrow is a new day.

Happy Self Injury Awareness Day

Today is Self Injury Awareness Day.


This day is very important to me.
It is a day to make people aware of the struggle that some face every day. The struggle is as much of an internal battle as it is a physical reality. And although it may seem strange to some, there is something comforting in this act. It is a journey that takes you from a state of pain to a state of numbness; from a state of reality to a state of dreaming that your world is not your own. There is a connection between those who self injure that people cannot understand. It is an understanding. A connection that reminds them that they are not alone in their pain no matter how hidden they keep their life.

Some wonder how it can be possible to inflict pain upon oneself on purpose. Those who deal with this don’t generally see it as pain. It is an escape, a dream, an alternate to reality, a cure, a help, an addiction. There is a vicious cycle that goes through a person’s brain and it becomes a part of who they are. They begin to believe that their secret (or not so secret in some cases) shame is who they are. They let this act define them. There is no separation between the child that God has created perfect in His image and the pain that they feel. It is an intense thing to understand. I have found that when people are at this point it doesn’t matter their social status or job or race. There is a need to find release from the pain that is persistent, this is the most logical choice. But it is exactly that (most of the time). Whether they understand that or not, it is a choice. It is a choice to pick up the blade, flick a lighter, and hold it to their skin waiting for the short lived “pleasure” they know is on the other side. It is a choice. Many who self injure feel as though it is not because the addiction cycle begins to kick in. They crave it. They need it. More and more and more and more. This cycle can be lengthy, meaning people can go months or even years between injuring or it can be short, meaning people can go only merely moments in between.

My heart hurts for those who struggle with this so badly. It is something that is close to my heart and close to my mind. So many I know struggle.

If you are in this cycle, I promise you there is hope. There can be healing and you can overcome this. I promise. You have to remember your worth and that remember that no matter what you are going through in the moment, in the morning it won’t feel nearly as good. There is something so beautiful and healing about the morning. I wrote this line in my journal a few years ago and continue to cling to this promise of morning.

“The sun will rise in the morning bringing hope and healing”

No matter how dark your nights are, there is always daylight just on the other side.

Next time you see someone with their scars, don’t cringe away. They are people too. Their scars tell a story. Their story is important. It is my prayer that people become aware of this. So many people do it and keep it a secret. If you struggle, share your story. Healing comes with sharing. I would love to listen if you need someone to tell.

With hope and peace. You can overcome.
Happy Self Injury Awareness Day
-A