Motherhood saved me. More accurately, God saved me through motherhood. Becoming “Mommy” opened a new pathway in my mind, a pathway to choosing life for myself, and I am forever changed by it. In high school, I was a straight-A student—responsible, organized, and disciplined. I took part in many extracurriculars, including marching band, concert band, 4H, and church activities. My mind showed the first signs of fraying in 2009, between my freshman and sophomore years of colleg

Light has always fascinated me. Warming, bright lights like the sun; shy, shadowy lights like the moon and the stars; little twinkling strands adorning a Christmas tree; candlelight; lamplight; headlights; neon lights—they have always intrigued me. Light has lifted my spirits and caused me to see things differently than I would have in the darkness, which seems rather obvious until you realize nothing changed except a few more photons bouncing around in the surrounding space.