In the Light
| This is the 269th story of Our Life Logs | When I was growing up, the world of the LGBT community was almost strictly for homosexuals, and the idea of being transgender was taboo and only talked about in small doses. So, what happens when something so…marginalized is part of your identity? I, Kristen, formally known as Christopher, had to figure that one out, but … Continue reading In the Light
Survival Is Only the Beginning
| This is the 268th story of Our Life Logs | There are some days that stay in our memory longer than others. They are often the turning points in our journey: when something or someone comes into our lives, when we meet an incredible or terrible situation, or when we lose or gain something valuable. Whatever happens on that day, it changes the course of … Continue reading Survival Is Only the Beginning
The Missing Pieces
| This is the 267th story of Our Life Logs | My life began in Pekin, Illinois on February 16, 1962. I was born to young parents who split up in 1967, a year after my little sister was born. My mom moved us to Detroit, Michigan where she later married her second husband, a man who, unfortunately, would beat her to get his way. Two … Continue reading The Missing Pieces
To Reach the Top
| This is the 266th story of Our Life Logs | I was born June 24th, 1987, in Fallbrook, California, though I only have very dim memories of the house my parents built to sell. I spent most of my childhood in Washington, our new house situated among the forests, which probably gave way to my fascination with climbing trees when I was young. I would … Continue reading To Reach the Top
Beyond a Name
| This is the 265th story of Our Life Logs | In 1981, in a town in southern Michigan, my mother (a teenager at the time who already had two children) gave birth to me. My biological father only stayed in the picture for a few months before leaving. Since then, it was like my mother cropped him out of my life…as she did with a … Continue reading Beyond a Name
From the Mud
| This is the 264th story of Our Life Logs | I was born at the start of summer on December 1, 1957, in Cape Town, South Africa. My mother described my birth as “the single most amazing experience” of her life. But even so, my existence was not enough to save her beautiful soul. To know my story, you must know my mother’s first. Ingrid, … Continue reading From the Mud
Where We Left off
| This is the 263rd story of Our Life Logs | Have you ever met someone that was such a complement to your soul that meeting them was like discovering a color you had never seen before? Suddenly, the world felt a little brighter, the sky a little bluer, and life’s worries a little less…worrisome. That person for me wasn’t a love interest, but a dear … Continue reading Where We Left off
Words That Heal
| This is the 262nd story of Our Life Logs | Trace all our sketches, all our etches in time, some hold all our reasons, some only a rhyme. —“untitled” by John Stalter I was raised through the ’90s in Midwestern Minnesota by parents born in the ’60s, two upstanding, conservative Christians who worked their way into a larger piece of the pie thanks to their … Continue reading Words That Heal
And I Am Happy
| This is the 261st story of Our Life Logs | Let’s take things back to March of 1989. The 16th of March, to be specific, in Barnsley, a mining town in South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Margret “The Iron Lady” Thatcher was at the helm of the country and the nation was collectively grooving along to the strains of “Too Many Broken Hearts” by … Continue reading And I Am Happy
To Rebuild
| This is the 260th story of Our Life Logs | I was born in 1987 and grew up in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria with a younger sister and hard-working, loving parents who encouraged me from a young age to get educated and build a career of my own. By the time I graduated secondary school in 2006, I decided to go to Delta State University … Continue reading To Rebuild
When It Rains
| This is the 259th story of Our Life Logs | When I was a little girl my grandmother used to tell me that when it is raining outside, that means that God is crying. If that is true, God must have been crying right along with me during each of the lowest points in my life. My parents tell me I was born on a … Continue reading When It Rains
The Beginning of the End
| This is the 258th story of Our Life Logs | My eyes followed the long, winding road ahead of me. I was only about 70 miles into the Appalachian Trail (with about 2,100 to go). No way in hell was I going to make it. I walked off the trail, hitchhiked to the nearest town, and abandoned the adventure. Quitting often means you’ve failed at … Continue reading The Beginning of the End
