Collection of Personal Stories: Reflections On How 2021 Went

Introduction

We said goodbye to 2020 by wrapping it up with a Collection of Personal Stories: 20 Writings On How 2020 Went. We’re keeping with the tradition to reflect on 2021. Thanks to everyone who contributed their stories, poems, and art!

This year was a huge blessing for me. I’ve grown in faith, friends, and community— something that was on my heart to find for years. A lot of these reflections touch upon faith and that yearning for connection.

Thank you to new and old friends and penpals. You’ve made my life so meaningful this 2021. Now, look below for all of our reflections starting with short stories, poetry, and ending with art! ♡

Rosko Dameron

Pandemically Challenged II
Another year, another variant…

As the late great DMX said, ‘Here We go Again’(RIP). Another year in the books. We made it through The Plague Pt. 1 and now it’s on to Part 2 or 3 or what Greek letter are we on now? Who cares? I’m still wearing sweatpants the majority of my days and keep a polo close by for Zoom meetings. This is the way now I suppose but, the point of this is to reflect on what was. How did I get here?

Change is a hell of a thing.

Sometimes changes are planned and part of a process; sometimes changes are unexpected and wreak havoc on your world like a new pimple close enough to your lip to raise uncomfortable questions. Luckily most of the changes I’ve made in 2021 were self-inflicted and God-willing for the better. Time will only tell.

At some point early in the year I decided two things:
I want a new job
I want to move south

These initial thoughts turned decisions could have come to me while I was slaying some mountain bike trails that I’ve ridden hundreds of times; they could’ve come while I was planted on a Florida beach and asking myself why I shovel snow annually; they could’ve come while I took in the beauty of the Continental Divide in Colorado; they could’ve come when I had to finally return to an office for no apparent reason; they could’ve come the moment I hit another giant damned NJ pothole; they really could’ve come at any time but I know it was early in the year that my mind was set.

The first part of my goal was to find a new job preferably in a new field. After working in hospitality for the last decade and throughout The Plague I was a bit worn out. I learned how to manage just about every aspect of a hotel but also learned that future of the industry would remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. I think it’s fair to say that if you have followed any headlines regarding this virus for the past 2 years it’s clear that absolutely no one knows what the hell they’re talking about; yellow journalism put out by waterheads for waterheads.

The second part of my goal was to escape the northeast before winter set in. My targets were Ft. Myers & Charlotte. NJ will always be my home but at this point in my life I’m over it. The winters are miserable and I’m not a big enough fan of Philly or NYC to warrant paying the premium to live in this state anymore.

And so, I set out…

Blitzing my resume to my target areas for months without much luck was slightly discouraging. As much as I heard companies were looking for people to hire, they certainly didn’t seem to be hiring, at least not me. Gradually a few interviews came about but none of the positions piqued my interest. They were mostly commission-based sales gigs which I was not about to uproot my life for. Finally, a health care company reached out for an interview and offered a job opportunity with a high growth ceiling and would allow me to learn about a field that will likely remain one of the biggest societal challenges of our lifetime. Excitedly I accepted the position that would be based out of Charlotte, NC. The job would be fully remote for the time being so there wasn’t exactly a rush to make the move down south. Wrong. I was not about to wait around for the misery that is a Jersey winter to come in. It was time to escape.

My sister has lived in Charlotte for about 7 years so I checked with her to see if I could stay with her temporarily while I explored the area and determined where I want to move. She excitedly gave me the green light. I loaded up the pick-up with most my belongings and my dog, Shamus and headed down 81. I had to make the trip twice which was A LOT of driving but finally I was set up at my sisters.

In the closing months of the year, I’ve been happily working the new gig, loving the mild winter climate, and exploring the Queen City. The mountain bike trails I’ve found so far have been amazing. The food scene has been delicious. The beer scene is massive with breweries sprouting up rapidly. And, mostly, it has been a true delight to reconnect and spend time with my sister.

So, with the continuing madness in 2021, I made a few changes that have made me happier. There’s much more to life when you’re looking for it.

Stay healthy.

Rosko
Queen City

Meryl

Name: Meryl
Age: 28
Occupation: Training Project Manager
Ethnicity: French
Location: Paris

2020 was a terrible year for me. Fortunately, 2021 was much better.

I started to have faith in card readings. So, I bought tarot cards and several oracle decks. It helped me to find joy again and develop introspection. Besides, I became interested in Astrology as well.

From January until March, everything at work was quite the same as 2020. I had the same job in a famous French beauty company. At the end of my work contact, I have found another job in the same firm and I continued to work until September. This job was different than the previous one, I became a Beauty Field Trainer and I visited pharmacies to train beauty advisors and increase our cosmetics sales. During this job, I had a lot of paperwork every day and I was so tired and bored because of this.

Concerning my love life, I have met few guys thanks to a dating app. No one seems good enough for me until I have met Olivier, my current boyfriend. He brings me hope in future and healthy genuine love. We traveled in Egypt together in Cairo, Giza and Luxor. It was the best trip of my whole life. Since few days, we are engaged!! I am so grateful to have my fiancé in my life.

I have visited my family more often this year. I had the opportunity to spend more time with my mother, my sisters and my nieces. My nieces are wonderful children. They are so kind and playful. I love to teach them the piano and things about life.

Before Egypt, I travelled with my oldest sister and my mother in Sicily ( Italy). It was the first family trip since my father passed away. The weather was perfect and food was amazing. Then, in September, I have travelled in Lisbon ( Portugal) with a friend. We enjoyed our stay so much. Thus, I love European cities.

Concerning my friends, I had the opportunity to see them regularly thanks to the end of lockdown and covid-19 vaccination. It was great to celebrate birthdays, sing at karaoke, drink some wine outside and go to art exhibitions.

From mid-November until the end of December, I have worked as a Fragrance Advisor in Sephora. Otherwise, I was looking for a better job. I accepted a job offer from L’Oréal Group as a Skincare Training Project Manager. I am so glad to start this new job in few days. I am sure my Dad would be so proud of this career accomplishment.

To conclude, 2021 ends well and 2022 will start with great things for me. I have a fiancé and a dream job. I hope, I will move in with Olivier soon.

Justinne Brown

Name: Justinne Brown
Age: 27
Ethnicity: Filipino-American
Occupation: Active Duty Military
Location: Gulfport, MS

BIO: Justinne is currently on her eighth year serving in the Navy. Her passions include traveling, diving, cooking, baking. She has moved a total of seven times in her career and longs to have a permanent place to call home.

To say that 2021 is my least favorite year so far is an understatement. For starters, I spent 21 days in quarantine in January cooped up in my apartment after being in close proximity with coworkers who tested positive for COVID. During that time of isolation, depression became my worst enemy. Gone were the days that I would get off work early to catch the train to Yokohama or Tokyo to slurp a delicious bowl of ramen from Ichiran. There was a big influx of Sailors and their families moving to Japan and they had to quarantine for 14 days at local hotels. Ensuring that they get their meals delivered to them on time meant that me and my team of 36 Japanese and 10 military chefs had to start our days at 4:30 am and end at 7:30 pm. At one point, we prepared a total of 3,600 meals in a day. I struggled a lot with my mental health during those times. As the military base in Japan imposed an 8pm curfew, I could not even visit my friends anymore after work. Thankfully, technology has come a long way and I was able to FaceTime with my family and friends from the Philippines and the US.

2021 also marked the end of my three year contract in Japan. Saying goodbye to the place and people I grew to love proved to be one of the most difficult things I faced this year. Pre-pandemic, my tomodachis would take me to their favorite izakayas and challenge me to eat local delicacies. In between the kampais and the frequent trips to the karaoke bar, a deep level of friendship was formed. In early April, I moved back to the US and reported to my new command in Gulfport, Mississippi. This was especially challenging because I don’t know anyone from the area. I spent the first two weeks quarantined in a hotel room and had to extend my stay for another three weeks while looking for an apartment. My work life also took a 180-degree turn. I spent the last six years of my career as a Culinary Specialist and loved every moment of it. In this new command, I am not doing any of the things I was trained to do and adjusting to this new work environment is not a strong suit of mine. Making new friends was not a walk in the park either. I often spend my off days in the kitchen blowing off some steam. You can usually judge my stress levels based on the amount of food I make.

Despite the stress brought by a new location and a new working environment, I still found time to decompress. I was able to fly to visit family and friends in New York, Florida and Texas. Last September, I visited Mexico for four weeks. I had no itinerary planned and still had the best time of my life. For the first time since COVID, I felt like my old self again. I took public transportation throughout the whole Yucatán peninsula, stayed at hostels and made friends, explored hidden cenotes, went on a diving spree, and stuffed my face with copious amounts of street tacos. I felt free!

As 2021 comes to an end, I can look back and say, “I did it. I survived.” Sure this year is not how I envisioned it to be, but at the end of the day I’m still thankful that I have a roof over my head, a job to support myself and blessings to share to others. In a month, I will once again pack everything up and move halfway across the world. If there’s one thing about my life, it’s never boring!

Calvin Sun 

Exactly 1 year ago today - March 8, 2020, 7am at a Brooklyn emergency room - my first COVID-19 patient walked through the door.

Since then: one tragic year of countless patients treated, counseled, lost, and grieved, with even more lives upended and altered forever. We grappled with a year of the virus, and also a year of entitlement and willful ignorance exacerbating a pandemic of institutionalized injustice, iniquity, and violence in all its forms. March 2020-21 felt like signing up for a Shirley Jackson-esque lottery you didn’t want to participate in, or having us run naked into a hurricane and somehow expecting us to come out just fine (We didn’t).

Burying loved ones, colleagues and friends, we continued taking care of patients as if they were our very own loved ones, colleagues, and friends. Many times they actually were. And many times it felt that the loudest of voices still turned their backs on us, skeptical of our efforts or even the existence of an existential threat. Too much to fathom for a year. Who cares for the carer? Who heals the healers?

Prior to the pandemic I felt having traveled to 190+ countries while a full time med student turned doctor bestowed me countless lifetimes the past decade. That past decade now pales to the countless lifetimes I feel to have lived this past year alone. Died and reborn everytime we felt a lump in our throats or aching chests, we always woke up for the next shift more of a shell of the person we had gone to bed as. But until none of us are left, we always have and we still always will run into fires lifting up our fallen vulnerable as if it was our birthright to existence.

Therefore a year of perseverance against seemingly insurmountable odds will remind us of our humanity. For every faceless chimera that doubted us, hundreds more good samaritans validated us. So if there were anything to celebrate a catastrophic year of, it’d be those brethren, allies, and accomplices guaranteeing that our efforts - and not those who fearfully choose to be on the wrong side of history - will be remembered long after this year and long after we’re gone. Forging fiercely ahead together, here’s to better years to come.

Lauren

Name: Lauren
Age: 24
Ethnicity: Chinese
Occupation: Youth Mentorship Program Coordinator
Location: Vancouver, Canada

I have never been in a relationship. I thought 2021 might be the year, but alas, I’m ending the year the same way I started.

Until this year, I have never had a problem with being single. I love spending time by myself. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t crave companionship sometimes.

After a fling that left me hurt and despondent, my desire to be in a relationship intensified. I was envious of my friends who had successful dates, while I was spending nights alone. I was embarrassed to admit that I felt deep discontent from being uncoupled.

My dating life - or lack thereof - was not the only thing I was unsatisfied with. Although Covid was less restrictive this year compared to last, the frequency of doing things like spending time with friends, volunteering, and connecting with new people declined - activities that previously brought meaning into my daily life. Life felt stagnant and monotonous - a feeling that I knew all too well from the year prior.

Upon reflection, it became clear to me why I wanted to be in a relationship so badly - I felt like it would give me the things I often felt were lacking in my life - joy, intimacy, and deep, emotional connection. I realized that I can fulfill these needs in other ways, like through my relationships with friends and family. I was forced to reevaluate how I was living. If I want my life to feel whole and meaningful, I have to be proactive about making the necessary changes.

In 2022, I plan on actively seeking out joy, deepening my current relationships, and nurturing my relationship with myself. I still would like to be in a relationship one day, but right now, I am working on being content with being single. Cheers to beginning a new year with acceptance, hope, and self-compassion!

Selina Lee

Name: Selina Lee
Age 28
Ethnicity: Chinese American
Occupation: Veterinary pharmacist
Location: East Brunswick NJ

Bio: I lived in NY all my life until getting married in 2019. NJ has come to really grow on me, surprisingly. I live with my husband, Jason, and two birds: Mr Noodles and Rexy. I enjoy skiing, hiking, dancing, playing board games and trying new foods.

Reflecting on 2021 is difficult to do without also thinking back on 2020. I began the year 2021 with feelings of discouragement and an overwhelming weariness. I was also physically unwell. I received confirmation of a positive COVID result on New Year's Day. Despite the rough start to the year, I felt hopeful that 2021 would be a year of healing and restoration. I had experienced and witnessed a lot of good underlying the bad during 2020. Friends and family found creative ways to stay connected and encourage each other although we could not physically gather. Through a friend, I spontaneously joined a group that video chatted daily for several months. We shared about our life, faith, hopes and fears. Participating in this committed group of new friends reminded me that I was not alone. My experience over the year of 2020 convinced me that we are designed for community and we need each other. Nobody is meant to live life alone. I am grateful to say I found healing and restoration in small steps and slowly over the course of 2021. The process took a long time, but I am confident that I have been changed drastically for the better.

Early in the year of 2021, I received several signs of being physically unfit and even unhealthy. I struggled to carry groceries. I lost my breath walking up flights of stairs. I suffered from insomnia. Even on the days when I got a full 8 hours of sleep, I had low energy levels and felt exhausted. During a trip to Hawaii, I discovered I barely had the strength to carry snorkeling equipment and a beach chair to the shore. I was so embarrassed at my physical weakness. I decided I needed to make a change. I began taking boxing fitness classes over the summer and later in the year transitioned to working out with a personal trainer. Now I am able to sleep through the night and have enough energy for the day. I am amazed at how just a few months of exercise has drastically improved my quality of life.

I was blessed to reconnect in person with so many family and friends this year. It was incredibly life giving to spend time in person with people. There is something uniquely powerful and special about presence of another human being. I deeply missed this presence especially after working from home for over a year. I yearned for social interaction, but ironically I also felt anxious in social situations. There was an internal struggle between seeking out gatherings but also avoiding social situations for fear of my anxiety. I decided that human connections are too valuable to avoid and felt compelled to seek counseling to face this anxiety. My goal is to fully enjoy gatherings and be present with others. Seeking counseling was completely out of my comfort zone and very uncomfortable even when starting, but I am glad I took this step. With the help of my counselor, I was challenged to speak my mind even when I feel I may have missed my opportunity. I was encouraged to define what my values are and how to live aligned to those values. I have to prioritize what is truly important to me. I realize that I subconsciously conformed to my perception of what other people's expectations of me and prioritized that above my own values. Counseling has helped to bring so much internal healing. I am not fully healed, but I'm working towards a much healthier direction than I was before. I have accomplished several goals this year but ironically there is still discontentment within me. My tendency is to determine my worth in my performance and success. When I have attained success and met my goals there remains a desire to achieve and succeed even more. As a follower of Christ, I know my worth is not in what I do or who I please. I have inherent worth because I am a human being, loved by God. My worth is determined at the cross, by God. As great as my year's accomplishments are, I need to continually remind myself that I cannot not lose sight of where my worth truly comes from. I can be content with my life if I stay rooted in my identity in Christ.

Isabell Jee

Name: isabell choi
Age: 24
Ethnicity: asian
Location: new jersey

Bio: A kidult who is relying soley on the Lord's mercy and love alone to live life for Him~

2021? Still trying to process 2020.. Honestly 2021 was a blur. I don't really remember much. All that I remember was everyone still saying 2020 was the worst year and that they couldn't wait for 2021 to arrive. But I’m a natural planner. I love and thrive on consistency and really don’t prefer spontaneity. I like structure, tradition, checkmarks and lists. But 2021, I have made some spontaneous decisions that I would have never imagined myself doing: going to a Bible study where I knew absolutely no one, participating and running a 5k, going to a friend's church's barbeque where the friend was not there, leaving my job and getting a new one, going to a karaoke late at night, going on dates through online dating.. none of these things were on my '2021 to do lists'. There were some hard moments, but some sweet ones. Some bitter tears, but bright smiles. Some clenched goodbyes, but welcomed hellos. I do not know what 2022 will bring, but I know Who has already written the year before the universe came into existence. And He is not a cruel god nor a bad author, but a loving Father and a Sovereign Ruler as well a Perfect Director and from beginning to the end of every second of 2022, I can solely entrust to Him. Even though I have made resolutions already to train and run a marathon, read more books, meet up with more friends, I can peacefully surrender them to my True Planner. Soli Deo Gloria.

Rebekah

Name: Rebekah
Age: 25
Ethnicity: Jamaican-American
Occupation: PhD Candidate of Neuroscience at Princeton University

Bio: Rebekah has always loved to stretch her mind and imagination through imagery and art. She loves being able to play with words and descriptions and metaphors! While studying for her BS of Biology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, she also pursued a minor in Creative Writing to learn how to hone and direct her imagination through her writing—mostly fiction. Although Rebekah has moved on to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience, she makes an effort to keep writing as a creative outlet. Her greatest inspirations for writing are the tensions borne through deep relationship and nature. As such, she loves taking long walks while praying and thinking about the next story!

Gardenias are evergreen shrubs and small trees that blossom best in the presence of the full sun, and grow well in humid climates. I received a gardenia on Easter 2021 from a guy I’d met in the fall of 2020. We had become quick friends, and when spring started to come around, so had our feelings for one another. When he gave me the plant, it was thriving–budding and flowering in mid-Spring, and growing more splendid as crisp April smoothly slid into warm May. So I cared for this plant, lovingly named Beatrice, strangely with the thought that if Beatrice died, so would the romantic aspect of my relationship with this guy. Over the course of the summer, I became so fixated on the plant’s health, trying to anticipate what I could do to keep it from dying, or worrying about whether it was getting enough sun. So I would re-pot Beatrice, or move her around the living room, and I would water her anytime I detected any dried out soil. I know now that my approach to caring for this plant mirrored my approach to life with God. I became so fixated on what I was doing to “get things right” in life, that I forgot that one of the most important things in growth is patience. Waiting patiently in the presence of the Son. Waiting patiently for growth to come. Waiting patiently for flowers and fruit to be borne as a sign of healthy life at the roots. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t living as one in whom The Father delights; as one whom The Spirit fills and surrounds every day and every moment. I didn’t live in the love and light of Christ because I didn’t understand that it is and forever will be for me. Not in a general sense, but in a specific and directed sense. I, Rebekah, am loved by God. I am loved with a fierce, unrelenting, perfectly powerful, jealous, holy, righteous, and good love by the Mighty God who created the mountains, the oceans, and outer space. And not just loved, liked. Delighted in. Sought after.

After a time, I learned that Beatrice was being plagued by little bugs that would sap the nutrients from her stem, and attack her leaves. And she was succumbing fast to their attacks because she wasn’t healthy and strong; she had root rot. This root rot was a result of overwatering. Ironically, in my attempt to save the plant, I had intervened too much. I had not let her simply be. To let her process the nutrients and what little sun she had (for my apartment has very little direct sunlight) so that she could grow. Eventually, Beatrice died. Then sadly, within two weeks of the end of Beatrice, my worst fear came to pass: my relationship with the guy ended. While the last few months of processing the end of this relationship has brought much hurt rooted in grief, The Lord has planted new seeds of love, forgiveness, hope, and complete joy. I believe that 2022 will bring healing and growth that will blossom into fragrant flowers of praise and delicious fruit of furthering His kingdom. But this will only come to pass if I am willing to receive and live out my life in the patience given by God and by dwelling in the rich presence of the Son and Spirit. Then I may reap the divine fruit that is harvested for God’s glory, which is my good.

Sarah Lee

Bio: My name is Sarah Lee and I am 29 years old. I currently live in Texas and I work at a non-profit organization in the Creative Department. I am Korean-American and I have a 3 year old dog that is also my best friend! Fun Fact: I ran in a half marathon!

As 2021 comes to a close, I am genuinely excited to start a brand new year. I spent New Years Eve eating pizza with my pup by my side and I went over my December/January budget. I’m not one to make goals right at the beginning of the year, and they naturally form as I notice things I want to change about myself or my lifestyle. I really improved on my tidying habits and keeping my home organized, and my home is finally coming together. I feel my space reflects who I am as a person and I didn’t feel that way for a while. I purchased a lot of furniture and decorative pieces, and I sold and donated a lot of things. As I enter the new year, I want to be more intentional with what I come home with and have a simple home.

At the beginning of the year, I struggled with anxiety regarding the pandemic and catching Covid. I took social distancing seriously, which isn’t a bad thing but I felt anxious whenever I was out in public or around people. I didn’t enjoy living that way and slowly, my anxiety went away. I don’t recall any one particular event that helped with my anxiety, but I believe getting vaccinated helped. I’ve been pretty good at taking vitamins, drinking water, and staying active so I want to carry that into the new year.

In the new year, I want to be intentional with my walk with God and know His heart. Knowing and understanding God changes the way you think, act, and live. A book that’s been helping me get a glimpse of it is “Gentle and Lowly” by Dane C. Ortland, and I hope to finish it in the new year. I also want to find a daily devotional and have a morning routine. This has always been hard for me as I’ve never been a morning person, but I know there is value in gradually waking up, spending time with God whether through prayer or a devotional, and even exercising. Earlier, I that I’m not one to set goals but these kind of sound like goals, haha!

I know there’s a trend of choosing a word for the year but that hasn’t really stuck with me. I’d rather stick with themes such as being present, being genuine/authentic even if it means letting others down, making decisions that will benefit my future, etc. I’ve done a lot of growing in 2021 and I feel 2022 will have great things in store!

Joyce Juang

Bio: Joyce is a Bucks County, PA based artist whose creative motivation is creating connection. As a 9w1 Social Instinct Enneagram type, creativity has become a vital practice for reestablishing connection where there has been disconnection and discovering connection where it was previously unrecognizable. Joyce is a wisdom-seeker who enjoys deep conversations with friends. Sweet treats, warm beverages, and sushi also always bring her joy!

When I started to reread my January 2021 journal entries for this project, I realized January 2021 feels like SO long ago. My heart was warmed by the renewed faith and joy I had expressed in January. When I tried to recall what the months followed were like (because let’s be real, there are too many pages between Jan and Dec), the first word that came to mind was “courage.” I took a lot of courageous steps in the face of fear and trials in 2021. I had no idea where the leaps of faith would take me, but there was a very soft yet confident voice that assured me that these were the right leaps to take.

A lot of these steps looked like letting go in some form, and others looked like showing up, staying, and enduring when I normally would leave.

I consistently would realize new truths and remember truths I had forgotten.

When I would take a pause and spend some time alone, I often realized my identity had been refined in the process -- a part of my identity in Christ reclaimed. And this cycle was continuous all through 2021.

I am currently writing this on December 27th, 2021, and I can say as of today, a new part of my identity has been recognized more deeply and reclaimed. I spent most of this year and the past few years going back and forth between feeling like an orphan, a pilgrim, and a warrior. At the end of 2021, after a period of dedicated solitude, what has arisen in me is this growing inner feeling of regality, a relaxed inner knowing in my body that I am a daughter of The King of Kings. Right now, this knowing feels like a whisper, a clear whisper.

Maybe, 2022, it will be a roar. 🦁👑❤️✝️

Brianna Williams

Name: Brianna Williams
Age: 26
Ethnicity: American and Trinidadian
Occupation: Realtor
Location: New Jersey

Bio: Native of New Jersey, Brianna Williams has lived in Princeton for the past 20 years. Brianna has always had a passion for real estate, binging shows such as Fixer Upper, Love it or List it, and of course Selling Sunset. She is a dedicated student of the market, leveraging real time insights, real estate education tools and marketing platforms to best serve her clients.

As we go

Push and pull one heart to love
multiplied by two and then subtract two
Gain and lose, gain and lose
Hinge, deleting you too

Give myself away, no, not that way – for Him to use me
Make room, make room, the unexpected is coming soon
Friendship and community, whoa, He’s really choosing me
Forgiveness and surrender, He is my defender

Defend her? Protect her? The observation hurt
The lack from a past led to a generational clash
Disorder and drama, please, no more trauma

Surviving and thriving, life is exciting

Speed, dash, my mind ran on cash

Fast

Opened up and grew up, freedom was the grass

Here I am, year end, all things come to pass

Lily Lee

Name: Lily Lee
Age: 27
Ethnicity: Shanghainese American
Occupation: Project Manager
Location: New Jersey

Bio: Lily is a lover of all things creative and likes to collect your stories and porcelain jewelry of birds.

These Hands

These hands love baking cookies
sweet buns, cinnamon swirl
Turning pages transporting
to different times, worlds

Pencil on a blank page
waiting for something to spill
A compulsion to write,
an equal force against the will

Resurfacing thoughts
of life’s crumblings
two years back in the autumn
Walking again is humbling

These hands
carried tears
Shattered were the
dreams revered

They hold onto hope

Waved goodbye
to many people and things
Waved hello
to new beginnings
come the summer
to friends who made life
one bursting in color.

These hands are my own
They feel the beat of my heart
and remind me
I’m alive,
loved,
known.

A gentle whisper spoke to my heart
As these hands were held together
It said nothing will ever separate us
We’ll never be apart.

Michelle Leitstein

Name: Michelle Leitstein
Age: 25
Ethnicity: Chinese & American
Occupation: Senior Research Analyst at a Business Valuation Firm
Location: NJ

I am surrounded
By His presence from heaven
He is my savior.

What once was guarded
Is now set free by His love
Perfect love for me.

Lord, your heart for me
Has set me free
A heart so perfect and kind
Is surely hard to find
With your grace
I've found my place

I am a child of God.
1 John 3:1

Gary C

Suzie Toanone

Name: Suzie Toanone
Age: 25
Ethnicity: Asian
Occupation: Cru High School Missionary
Location: Levittown, PA

Bio: Suzie Toanone studied B.A. in Art Therapy at Temple University. When she is not creating art, you can see Suzie outdoors doing something athletic or sporty. Her faith in God means the world to her and is the best decision she has made. Fun facts about Suzie are she is ambidextrous and has experience in many different mediums of art. Her passion is to combine her artistic talent into her ministry.

Nature Reflects The Beauty of God

God is like the sun.
You feel the warmth of His presence.
As His love extends to one
His love only grows and never lessens.
God is like the sea.
His love for us runs deep.
Past the depths of what we imagine.
His unmeasurable love
One cannot fathom.
God is like the air.
We cannot see, but it is still there.
You feel the wind
As it brushes against your skin.
God is like trees.
As unique as they can be.
But also never changing.
He's the same since the beginning.
When we look at nature,
We witness the testimony of
Our Creator.
We are limited
While He is limitless.
We try to replicate
What we are unable to create.
Because God is so far beyond
All His creations
And He's never done being an artist.
God is never done with being God.

Art by Chiaki

Name: Chiaki Hagiwara
Age: 27
Ethnicity: Japanese-American
Location: Eastchester, NY

Bio: Chiaki is a UX designer, an illustrator, calligrapher, and a big foodie. She loves to work on creative projects and spend her time with friends, family, and loved ones.