I can’t remember when I decided I was a bad artist but I know it was before high school. Sitting in ASB at 17, painting footballs with the players' names on them, I loudly proclaimed that I was not a good artist and I never had been. I recently realized that was a lie.

This Past Summer

I have always had an issue with my image. I remember wanting to be anyone else but me. Why was that so?

My plan at the beginning of this week was to write about a certain topic that involves the criminal justice system but now, something has changed my mind. I have decided that I should speak out about the importance of forgiveness instead. I believe that it is important to talk about a certain topic that we do or can use in our everyday lives, especially since there is a large portion of individuals walking around in this world without knowing the power of forgiveness.

Do you commonly feel like you’re mistreated, used, abused, or abandoned? Do you frequently ask yourself the question: “Am I really that bad?” If so, YOU NEED TO READ THIS!!!!! The bad news is that you tell everyone in your life exactly how to treat you, you choose situations repeatedly that reinforce these concepts, and then when it doesn’t work out you ask yourself why? Why wasn’t I good enough? Why couldn’t they love me? Why did they have to do that? What makes me so bad? Why do I deserve this? The answer is because that is exactly what you feel you deserve, but the GOOD news is that you can change it and I am going to attempt to show you how right now!!!

Disclaimer: I am writing this article about my disability and my religious experience. My religion or religious experience may not match yours. Totally cool! The world is full of variety. All religious beliefs are valid and beautiful!

The fine concept of divinity. The wavering pull of purpose. Where do we go when our oceans run dry? Where do we quench an unwavering thirst?

I’ve always resonated with the character traits of my astrological sign (Aquarius) because I always found myself focusing on life’s “big picture” questions (I’m also stubborn af). Because of these Aquarian tendencies one of my most distinct memories from my childhood is being about six years old and riding in the back of my parents car past our Catholic church. This church sat at the midway point between my parents and my grandparents and I must have rode past it more times than I can count. We had just left my Granny’s house and were in route to our home when I looked at the church and thought, “What if none of this is real? What if this whole world is just a test for me so God can find out if I’m good enough?”

Fulfillment outside of oneself is only temporary. You can be complimented everyday by members of the opposite sex, you can be told constantly how awesome or amazing you are, but if you don’t believe it for yourself, you never truly buy into it.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself when you find yourself dwelling on your past and overthinking about all the misfortune you’ve had. Because sometimes people forget that the past is a pathway. And a pathway is a journey. and a journey takes time. and time is all you have when you feel lost. So please be patient, be kind because something better is on the way.” -r.m. Drake

You would really have to be looking for it. You might see it when I wear a camisole or a bathing suit. It turns slightly purplish in color in cold temperatures. It's a small, faded scar on the side of my left breast. It brought me back from death, and freed me from confinement. It's one of the ways I became a Queen.

When asked, most people would agree that they would prefer to feel peace over anger. However, if we were to look at anger in more depth, we would realise that people experience this emotion in very different ways. Anger is usually a reaction to how an individual would respond to a situation or life event, and many people may not realise that they are carrying anger around with them in their day to day lives. When we compare this to peace, peace is the epitome of forgiveness. We can not find peace within ourselves until we can learn to forgive other people for their actions.