20-Something
In today’s world , the quest for true security and safety is in full force. Although people may invest their money in hiring bodyguards, installing security systems, or building houses with barriers, people still feel insecure.
Like many women throughout the ages, I have struggled with the model for womanhood that the world presents to us, primarily its standard of material beauty. At times, I have tried to achieve this standard, while at other times I have striven to feel independent of its false definition.
I WISH I COULD SAY my first response to Mary Baker Eddy's textbook, Science and Health, was something like, "Oh wow, this is exactly what I've been searching for all my life!" Well, that was how I felt by the time I'd finished reading the first chapter. But my very first reaction — after an initial casual flick through the book— was more like, "What does it mean, matter's not real?" I was twenty years old at the time, living away from home for the first time, and struggling, as I had for some years, with increasingly frequent bouts of depression and anxiety.
NEAR THE END OF A FIVE-MONTH stay in the Upper East region of Ghana as a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB), I wrote in my blog: "Do you ever have one of those days that leaves you glowing and feeling like you are 100 percent in your right spot? Welcome to my day. This morning I woke up to the sound of Evelyn knocking on my door, peering in from the verandah through my window to see me lying flat on my back on the ground still in my mosquito net, enjoying the 'cool' morning temperature.
AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, THE STAGE HAS BEEN MY SECOND HOME. Whether I was performing in a talent show, dance recital, or choral concert, I took advantage of every opportunity.
THE TEARS WELLED UP IN MY EYES as I slowly pulled my car to the side of the road. I was lost in an unfamiliar city and frustrated over navigating professional responsibilities that were foreign to my convictions.
OVER THE COURSE OF MY LIFE, my study of biology and the natural world has provided me with numerous uplifting inspirations. In fact, I would say that my sense of communication with God has been supported by my study of biology more than anything else.
HE SHOOTS! HE SCORES! HE WINS THE GAME! One of the greatest moments in soccer is when you score a goal. For many athletes, it is the most important part of the game.
I TOOK MY FIRST DANCE class when I was six, and fell in love with dancing. As a senior in high school I was faced with the age-old question that visits every dancer—should I dance or go to college? My parents, quite literally, dragged me kicking and screaming through the college application process.
Last year, I was walking in the Boston Common with my friend Kim. We were talking about our college classes, and out of the blue, she asked: "How do Christian Scientists pray about swine flu? Do you have a special prayer for it?" I replied that we didn't have prayers for specific illnesses but that you could pray about anything from the basis that God is in control, and that everyone expresses His completeness.