Young Beauty discovered she seemed depressed when she started writing, just like I did. Here's what we learned about vulnerability, passion, and what happens when you fall in love before he does.
Personal Growth
When Paradise Taught Me to Live in Parentheses: Finding Grace Between Sunset and Praise
I lost myself in a Bahamas sunset and found myself in the parentheses of praise. Sometimes the most profound resolutions aren't about changing—they're about noticing the abstract beauty that's been there all along, waiting for us to stop and worship.
The Thanksgiving I Remembered Who I Really Am
Meeting Charming's family, I realized I'd spent years playing a role in my marriage. Here's what it felt like to finally be myself again—and why his grandmother said I should stick around.
The Half-Marathon That Taught Me About Racing Into Love Again
All relationships end like sunsets do—but if we never risk racing into them, we'll miss something amazing. Here's what training for my first half-marathon taught me about trying again after betrayal.
The Friend Who Taught Me the Difference Between Surviving and Living
My friend believes the best of her life is behind her—just like I used to. Here's what happened when I challenged her to dream again, and why I bought a piano the next day.
The Selfie I Took in the Storm That Changed Everything
After our perfect second date, I sat on my porch in the hurricane rain and captured something I hadn't felt in years: hope. Here's why I almost didn't write about it.
Embracing Fall After Divorce: How I Learned to Stop Hiding My Scars
Divorce felt like wearing a scarlet letter until I met someone who showed me scars don't define us. Sometimes the most healing conversations happen with strangers who become mirrors.
Single Teacher Falls for Autumn Instead of Prince Charming: Writing My Own Part II
My tenth graders studied fairy tale archetypes today. The damsel needs rescuing; the hero needs a quest. But I mow my own lawn and fix my own electrical sockets. Maybe my Part II is about falling in love with fall instead of falling for a fantasy.
Two Shootings in Five Days—But My Evening Glories Keep Me Writing on This Porch
So when are you moving?' the officer asked after the second shooting. But it's my evening glories that shield me from the foster home's porch light, Mrs. Washington who talks gardens with me. Twenty-eight weeks ago, I started writing in a document called 'I Used to Be.' Now I bloom where I'm planted—gunshots and all.
What I Wish I Could Tell My Students About Failure
She reminds me of myself at sixteen—dreaming big, planning for perfection. But life has taught me something she doesn't know yet: we don't plan to fail, but we need to learn how to hope when we do.
Writer's Growth 