It’s strange how easy it is to lose pieces of ourselves without even realizing it. One scroll at a time. One harmless reel after another. We laugh, we double-tap, we share — until little by little, the things that once made us uncomfortable start to feel normal. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s subtle — almost…
Tag: reality
The Heart’s Pages
I came to the realization that writing is my way of showing my heart’s pages to people who have never learned how to read. There are moments in life when spoken words simply fall short — when even the most sincere intentions cannot bridge the distance between what you feel and what others can understand….
You Don’t Have To…
You Don’t Have to Carry It Forever. Just because someone projected their hurt onto you doesn’t mean you have to carry it the rest of your life. Sometimes pain passes through people like a storm that doesn’t know where to land. It finds the closest heart—often the kindest one—and pours itself there. And before you…
Mushi
Mushi: The Quiet Power of Being Seen In Japanese, there is a word that carries both sting and subtle wisdom: mushi (無視). It means “to ignore” or “to disregard,” and in its passive form, mushi-sareta, it captures the aching reality of being ignored completely. We’ve all felt it—the sudden absence of acknowledgment, the silence that…
Grace: Freedom, Not a Free Pass
I told myself I was going to take a break from writing for a little while, but after this morning’s sermon, I couldn’t help but put these words down first. Our pastor mentioned hyper-grace (among many important things) in his sermon this morning. At first, the word sounds complicated, but at its heart, it points…
Fear of God
When the Fear of God Fades… It seems that in today’s world, fewer and fewer hearts pause to consider God. We scroll, we post, we share, we chase—and in the noise, the awe of Him becomes faint. Technology has made it easier to hide, to justify, and to follow the crowd. What was once whispered…
Gentle Way Out
The Life Lessons of the Nocebo Effect… In medicine, the nocebo effect happens when someone’s negative expectations about a treatment or situation lead to worse outcomes—sometimes even creating real symptoms that weren’t there before. It’s the darker twin of the placebo effect, which works in the opposite way: hope brings healing. But here’s the thing—this…
What’s in a Courtesy?
The Courtesy We Owe Each Other… In the legal world, there’s a word — Esquire. It’s not just a job title. It’s a courtesy. A way of placing respect right alongside someone’s name. The world doesn’t run on Esquire, but it does run on something like it. Because every day, whether we notice or not,…
Resilience
My daughter and I landed in the Philippines a few years ago to visit and spend time with my family. As always, with any trip we take, I made sure to bring my camera. Four weeks into our six-week vacation, I realized I’d only taken a handful of photos. It’s not that there isn’t beauty…
Expectations at a Cost
When Letting Go of Expectations Comes at a Cost There’s a common message in today’s world: “Lower your expectations, and you won’t be disappointed.” On the surface, it sounds wise. Peaceful, even. But beneath that advice lies a quiet truth we don’t talk about enough. In relationships—whether romantic, familial, or friendships—expectations often come from a…
Charina.Writes 