The Beauty and Bittersweetness of Life’s Impermanence There’s a quiet, poetic word in Japanese—mujo—that means impermanence. At first glance, it sounds like something we might want to avoid. After all, most of us crave stability. We long to hold onto moments, people, places, seasons. But mujo isn’t cruel. It doesn’t come to steal joy. It…
Category: authenticity
Trouvaille
The Beauty of Unexpected Blessings There’s a quiet kind of magic in the word trouvaille. It doesn’t shout or demand attention. It whispers—like the warmth of sunlight falling unexpectedly on your face during a cold morning, or a song that finds you at just the right moment. Trouvaille is a reminder that sometimes, life gives…
Memoir of my Heart
There’s a quiet place in my life where I go to make sense of the mess, the beauty, the ache, and the grace of it all. That place is Charina Writes. It began simply—as a space to share thoughts, to process life, to speak gently into the noise. But somewhere along the way, it became…
What Would Jesus Write?
If Jesus were to write your eulogy… Let’s just say it now: if Jesus were in charge of writing our eulogy, the whole thing would look very different from the carefully curated highlight reel we hope people remember about us. Forget the fancy bullet points and the “She was always so organized” line someone says…
When Hope Tiptoes Back In
Hope doesn’t always come with fanfare. It doesn’t always announce itself with bright lights or bold declarations. Sometimes, it enters softly—barefoot, quiet, almost unnoticeable. It may show up in a moment of stillness, in the gentle rhythm of a favorite song playing unexpectedly. In the first deep breath that doesn’t feel heavy. In the tiny…
Am I loved Or Just Useful?
There’s a kind of ache that doesn’t show on the outside. It creeps in quietly, usually when you’re going about your day doing what needs to be done—folding laundry, preparing meals, answering texts, holding things together. It’s a slow ache that whispers a question you didn’t expect to ask, one that makes your heart pause:…
Who Am I Becoming?
Life Is Not What We Make It, But Who We Are We’re taught from a young age to chase after dreams, set goals, and create the life we want. “Life is what you make it,” they say — and in many ways, there’s truth in that. Our choices matter. Our effort counts. But if we…
Unmei Ai
Unmei ai is a Japanese word which translates to “love of fate.” For someone who has never been anywhere in Japan other than the airport and a short ride by bus for airport transfer, my love of Japanese words and its deeper meaning is quite unexplainable. To be precise, I discovered this word, thanks to…
Our Secret Battles
The world has been feeling heavier lately. And yet we continue to live, carrying our secret battles that seem invisible to even those we know and meet. Every day there is still beauty that at times seems fragile…like it’s not even real. Some of us wake up feeling trapped in lives we no longer recognize…
What’s Your Reflection?
When my daughter was five years old, Mulan was one of her favorite animated movies. And the song, “Reflection,” is a favorite of hers. But as much as I loved the movie like my daughter, I won’t be talking about Mulan’s reflections. Several weeks ago, a co worker who is fairly new lied to our…
Charina.Writes 