Day Five: Song of the Human Heart – Ramin Karimloo

It’s hard to forget your first concert. Maybe the ones you were forced to go to (your parents dragging you to see Bruce Springsteen because the babysitter wasn’t available; chaperoning your younger sibling to some teeny-bopper show,) but not the ones you count down the days for, listening to the album over and over again … Continue reading Day Five: Song of the Human Heart – Ramin Karimloo

Day 4: The Precipice – The Classic Crime

One of my biggest fears is getting to the end of my life and realizing I didn’t do anything with it. I think that’s a big fear – and regret – for a lot of people. We feel like we need to do big things with our life in order for it to count – … Continue reading Day 4: The Precipice – The Classic Crime

Day 2: Broke – Bear Attack!

Summer drives are one of my favorite reasons to be alive. (There are many.) Last year, I drove across town every night for rehearsal for a show I was in. Every night, I’d come around the S-curve through downtown Grand Rapids and come face-to-face with the beauty of our little midwestern city, specifically the huge, … Continue reading Day 2: Broke – Bear Attack!

Lord, Deliver Me.

Lord, deliver me.   Deliver me from hatred into love.   Deliver me from anger into peace.   Deliver me from sadness into joy. Lord, Deliver me from silence when I should speak From complacency when I should be moved From guilt when I should be grateful.   Lord, Deliver me   from my careless … Continue reading Lord, Deliver Me.

let my love be heard.

Angels where you soar up to God’s own light take my own lost bird on your hearts tonight and as grief once more mounts to heaven and sings, let my love be heard whispering in your wings. A Prayer by Alfred Noyes Music by Jake Runestad I can’t imagine what it would be like to live … Continue reading let my love be heard.

What is My Worth?

It’s fairly safe to say I won’t be opening my heart up for awhile. I’ve been in two relationships, and both of them were emotionally abusive in their own way. Both of them played deeply into my present anxieties and trust issues. In the first, he didn’t even want me to call him my boyfriend. … Continue reading What is My Worth?

tasting our bitter herbs.

In a traditional Passover meal, it’s common to partake in bitter herbs. A seder often includes an herb called maror, which literally means “bitter.” The word bitter comes up a lot in the book of Exodus, probably because the Israelites don’t really look back on Egypt with a whole lot of fondness. But they looked back on it nevertheless. … Continue reading tasting our bitter herbs.

Ode to the Girl

She was a late bloomer. When the other girls wore mascara in 7th grade, she zipped up her favorite hoodie and wondered why. (She looks back on pictures now and knows why.) But she didn’t care. She wanted her books and her music and her laughter, not the attention of a prepubescent boy. Some people … Continue reading Ode to the Girl

Who Do You Say That I Am? (and Who Do You Think You Are?)

You’re not who you think you are. Isn’t that a scary thought? The person that you’ve always envisioned yourself to be, however close or far from the truth, isn’t who you think you are. Who you think you are is simply that – who you think you are. Humans are good at this by nature. We like … Continue reading Who Do You Say That I Am? (and Who Do You Think You Are?)