Tag: Life

Lifestyle, Writing

Seeking His Refuge // How Living Outside Helped Me Find God Again

Meredith

Hi everyone,

It’s the beginning of my sophomore year of college, and as the papers and books are piling up again, I figured this old, dusty blog could use some freshening up before my time becomes all-consumed with academics again. As I was sitting down to write this, I realized that I’ve never written a blog post from a college dorm room, but today seems like a good day to try something new. :)

The last time I wrote, I was not in a place to share much about the specifics of my personal life. Now, however, I feel that I can be more open about some major, recent events in my life (minus the unsolicited details). To summarize, in 2021 I contracted a severe illness that drastically affected every aspect of my daily life for almost a year. My body was in shambles, my confidence was destroyed, and my faith suffered a severe blow. I continued to carry the pain from this traumatic experience throughout my freshman year of college, as I was unsure how to rebuild myself as a person and find healing from such life-altering events. Continue reading “Seeking His Refuge // How Living Outside Helped Me Find God Again” →

Lifestyle

Growth // A Post for Reflection

Meredith

Hi everyone,

I feel like I say this at the beginning of every post, but it’s been a while since I last visited this little corner of the internet. To be honest, I’m not sure what prompted me to write this – I have no idea what I’m going to say.

I guess that’s been my problem over the past several months – I just haven’t had the right words. I’ve missed writing for this blog so much, but I just haven’t regained my inspiration. I’ve been told that’s understandable based on my recent circumstances, but I can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt every time I remember my dear old blog, collecting dust in its corner of the internet. Continue reading “Growth // A Post for Reflection” →

Lifestyle

Healing // Finding Purpose in Pain

Meredith

I sit at the white, paint-stained desk in my bedroom. I wear sweatpants and a large, oversized t-shirt. My hair – much longer now than it was when I last wrote – hangs in a loose, messy bun at the base of my head. The window sits open, and a soft breeze that carries the familiar scent of fall drifts in. The autumn air is somehow crisper, lighter than the air of summer. It fills my room with the smell of falling leaves and the faintest hint of smoke. Birds sing in the distance as the soft, golden light is beginning to disappear. The atmosphere of the changing seasons is calming and restful. Even though my body hurts, my mind is clear, my heart is full, my soul is at peace.

It feels good to be writing again. Continue reading “Healing // Finding Purpose in Pain” →

Writing

Tom and Fred // A Short

Meredith

A few days ago at Chick-fil-A, I was working the drive-thru window during our lunch shift. An older man pulled up to the window with his dog in the passenger seat of his little red car. The man’s name was Tom. Since his food wasn’t ready yet, I decided to make polite conversation with him while we waited. He was a nice man, and seemed happy to talk. I commented on how sweet his dog was, and inquired as to its name.

“His name is Fred,” Tom replied as he pet the dog’s brown head. He gave Fred a warm smile as he scratched behind the dog’s scruffy ears.

“What kind of dog is he?” I asked, grinning.

“No idea,” said Tom. “I found him as a stray when he was just a pup.” Continue reading “Tom and Fred // A Short” →

Lifestyle

My Top 3 Goals for 2021 // Happy New Year :)

Meredith

Happy New Year everyone! :)

Remember when everyone expected 2020 to be the year? The start of a new decade called for new goals. I, along with many others, made a list of things I was excited to work on over the year. I was ready to annihilate my goals and come out of 2020 as a better person. The 2020 vision was strong… for about 2 months.

And then the world fell apart, along with all of my ambitious goals and resolutions. As soon as everything went crazy, my goals were completely abandoned. My screen time spiked, waking up early was no longer a priority, and any motivation to write went out the window. In short, my 2020 goals were a total flop. Continue reading “My Top 3 Goals for 2021 // Happy New Year :)” →

Lifestyle

2020 // A Re-Cap and Wrap-Up

Meredith

Happy (almost) 2021, everyone!

I believe we can all agree that this year has been one roller coaster of a ride. Aside from the chaos of the world around me, there have been several events in my personal life that haven’t been easy to deal with. I’ve had thoughts and feelings that I couldn’t find the right words to express. Writing has been a struggle because I’ve been creatively drained for what feels like forever. I’ve lost people I never imagined I’d lose. I’m ready for things to go back to normal, but at the same time, I’ve enjoyed this strange time of solitude and isolation. It’s been a scary, crazy, insane time, but peaceful in the strangest way.

Even though there was so much bad this year, there was a lot of good, too. Moving on from the bad can be hard – really hard – but focusing on the good can help. So, here’s the good from my 2020.

*deep breath* Continue reading “2020 // A Re-Cap and Wrap-Up” →

Art, Lifestyle

It’s Been a While // Update + Art + A Survey

Meredith

*sigh* Well, here we are again. :)

As you may or may not have noticed, I kinda disappeared off the blogosphere for about a month. I was reminded of this fact during a FaceTime conversation with two friends the other day: Continue reading “It’s Been a While // Update + Art + A Survey” →

Writing

When The Fireflies Come Out // A Short

Meredith

Several summers ago, an old friend and I were playing in a park at dusk. When the fireflies came out, we were both thrilled to catch them. My friend decided it would be fun to smash the bugs on his hands so his palms would glow, and it quickly turned into a game of how many fireflies I could protect, and how many he could smash. I was so mad at my friend for destroying these beautiful little creatures, but I was also laughing through my anger.

I miss that evening in the park. I’m reminded of it every summer when the fireflies come out, and a small smile always crosses my face as I remember. Continue reading “When The Fireflies Come Out // A Short” →

Bookish

My 2020 Summer Reading List // Books I WAS Going to Read this Summer

Meredith

Ah, the joys of summer – warm sunshine, shorts, ice cream, swimming, bonfires, fireflies, and best of all, no assigned reading. During these glorious months of freedom, you can read whatever you want. I have discovered many of my favorite books during the summer, and was ecstatic to begin my pleasure reading again this year. However, there is one teensy weensy detail that has prevented me from getting my hands on new books:

THE LIBRARY IS CLOSEDDDDD

Unfortunately, I failed to realize this until after I had made my summer reading list. Unless the library reopens soon, I probably won’t be reading a few of these books in the near future (because you best believe I’m not paying for every book on my list – I have a guinea pig to feed). Despite this dreadful calamity, I thought I’d share a few books on my summer reading list just for kicks and giggles. So without further ado, here are the books I was going to read this summer. Continue reading “My 2020 Summer Reading List // Books I WAS Going to Read this Summer” →

Art

I Painted a Mural on My Bedroom Wall // Summer 2020

Meredith

So.

As many of you know, I enjoy painting, sketching, coloring – anything that involves artwork and getting my creative juices flowing. You might also know that in June of last year, I tried following 3 Bob Ross tutorials. So it’s only natural that on my first day of summer vacation, I decided to celebrate completing my sophomore year of high school by painting a landscape mural on my bedroom wall.

Let me explain. Continue reading “I Painted a Mural on My Bedroom Wall // Summer 2020” →