Lifestyle

Writing My Way Back to God

I was a freshman in college when I first started keeping a prayer journal. Merging my love for writing with my love for God was exactly what I needed to take my faith to another level. My prayer journal became a collection of love letters to God. My prayers became poetry and suddenly God was everything and everywhere. God was a post-workout smoothie. God was the sun kissing my brown skin when I would lie on the quad reading. Once on New Year’s Eve, I felt God with me on the dance floor of a night club.

Prayer has not made me immune to crises of faith. These crises usually happen when so-called Christians are being racist, sexist, homophobic, or xenophobic in Jesus’ name. I stop going to church and I start questioning everything – until I remember the God I fell in love with so many years ago.

But this time things are different.

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Could the Enneagram help you be a better writer?

Originally published May 31, 2020

Could the Enneagram help you be a better writer?

I started asking myself this question earlier this year as I began to delve into this ancient personality typing system that has seen a resurgence of popularity and been thrust in the mainstream in the past few years.

The Enneagram teaches that there are nine different personality styles in the world. Each type has a distinct worldview and underlying motivation that affects how that type thinks, feels, and behaves.

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Writing for Wellness

Many health care professionals, from medical doctors to psychotherapists, recommend writing as a way for patients to heal ailments of both mind and body. So, when I learned that See Jane Write Collective member Dr. Millie Jackson led “Writing for Wellness” workshops I was eager for her to host one for the Janes.

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Writing My Way Through Cancer

Things could be worse. I could have cancer.

That was always my go-to, my retort and my refrain when I got bad news. When I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me. When I found out I was broke and my checking account was overdrawn. Even when I found out I had lupus.

But on January 24, 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had no mantra to make me feel better.

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My Quarantine Bucket List

Last month I turned 39 and was so excited to share and get started on my 40 Before List. Then COVID-19 canceled EVERYTHING. Many of the items on my list were travel goals and events I wanted to host and group fitness classes I wanted to attend. To make matters worse, I’m also dealing with a tough health issue that has nothing to Coronavirus but that could also make travel and being in large groups impossible for me this year.

After pouting about this for several days I decided to replace my 40 Before 40 List with a Quarantine Bucket List, a list of things to do while I shelter in place and practice social distancing.

I got this idea from StyleBlueprint, one of the publications I write for. So, be sure to check out the StyleBlueprint Quarantine Bucket List for inspiration for your own list.

Here’s my Quarantine Bucket List:

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