"Although it's been thirteen years since I lost my dad, I'm still living until I join him."
"I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata when I was five years old. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the hair. As a kid, it was really tough on my self-esteem, especially as I lost more hair. Kids would make fun of me, or ask me questions that I was too uncomfortable to answer; I never felt pretty, or like I was worth anyone’s time. It took a handful of really important friends to show me that I can be loved unconditionally. Now, I’m much less concerned with what other people think, and I can almost forget that I have it. But even though I’ve learned to love myself for who I am, there are times when I meet new people or begin a relationship that I begin to feel insecure and vulnerable again."
"He was one of the first people to meet me when I entered the world and the first to hold me, to offer comfort. As a little girl, he was my first love and like all dads he was to be my life-long hero and protector. The one man who would love me unconditionally for the rest of my life. He was supposed to be there when I experienced my first heartbreak and comfort me in his arms just like he did when I was a baby. Instead he was the first to break my heart. The first man to ever walk away. The first person who made me feel not worth it."
"I lost my son, and I think about him everyday"
Though my Grandmother was devastated and heartbroken over the loss of her son to cancer, she always remained joyful and full of life until the day she passed. She still laughed, she still smiled, she still loved, everyday.
After growing up a straight A student, things began to happen that took a toll on my mental state. I fell into a depression, began distancing myself from those around me, and turned to drugs to numb painful experiences. I told myself that as long as I wasn't stoned 24/7 and it wasn't a "serious drug", that it really wasn't that big of a deal. My family barely saw me, I was just out getting high every night. It made me push anything bad to the back of my mind and for a few hours I could feel happy. Over the past year I've started to realize that it's not enough to feel happy when I'm high, I need to feel happy every day on my own. I know I can take my life back. I know I can take control
"I did everything I could to learn from our mistakes. I made the changes I needed to make to become a better man. And despite doing everything in my power to salvage what would have been beautiful, you were gone in a flash."
"Sin took root. I gave all of myself only to be left with an empty shell. The only hope I have is in my salvation and knowing that God is holding me everyday and that is enough."