October 4th, 2011.2015.

On this day four years ago, I was sharing a dorm room that was shaped like the slice of a pizza. I was in a dark time of my life. I was living away from home, and I was terrified. I was in a season of crying myself to sleep every night. I went all day without hearing from a guy who claimed to care about me and later broken up with me for my complaints about a lack of a phone call on my birthday. I was suffering from depression again and, little did I know, it was only going to get worse as the year progressed. I wanted to escape my life, but I didn’t know to where. I was lost. I was sad. I was tired.

On this day four years ago I was broken.

Well, I hate to start a post off on such a low note, but I do not write that out of a place of hurt. I write these words in celebration of how far I have come! Words cannot express the magnitude of what has taken place in my life over the last four years. I have grown in ways I only dreamed about. My secrete desires became my reality. And I am so glad to share it with you guys.

It is very humbling to begin understanding the gravity of this blog and how many ways God continues to use it to minister to people. This blog was created out of a place of darkness. Ironically pain used to motivate me to do things, and my boyfriend breaking up with me was only the beginning of a series of events that led to the creation of Abstinence and the City. Now, it is a place of refuge and a light for both you and me. Thank you for being patient when I experienced a year long writer’s block. Thank you for your open heart when I challenge your views on love. Thank you for your commitment and sharing what you read with your friends. Thank you.

This birthday is a celebration of all the wonderful things in my life, and you are one of those things. Cheers to another amazing year, and I pray you will keep reading. It’s only up from here! 🙂