Articles – The Abstract Mirror

08 Mar

The Adventure Of Me

My self-discovery journey has been long and arduous, yet the most liberating experience of my life. It wasn’t until my mid-30’s that I became aware of my personality type. This set off a spiral of discovery, awakening, and forgiveness that propelled me to explore how I became the woman I am today, why I made the choices I did, and further help map my future with grace and understanding. I will highlight my personal traits upfront to help lay the [...]

07 Feb

Every Day Above Ground

This is a story about perspective – and how a sudden traumatic event shaped my perspective, my outlook, and my general attitude toward life. Surely this is also a story in-part about acceptance… acceptance of disadvantages I faced following this traumatic event, and a different brain that I would now have for the rest of my life. I have honestly never actually sat down and written about this. I would love for my story to inspire and/or influence an [...]

03 Jan

Breaking The Cycle

Growing up I always knew that I wanted to be a mother. Not in the “I am a woman so have motherly instincts” type of way either, but a feeling of genuine admiration for those who nurtured, cared for, comforted, provided, and made meaningful memories for their children….a GOOD mother. The only problem was, I myself did not have a GOOD mother, so how was I supposed to become one myself? You see, I grew up in a dysfunctional household. [...]

Self Acceptance Header The Abstract Mirror

06 Dec

Losing Everything To Find Myself

I joined the United States Air Force in January of 2011. In 4 years, I found myself going to basic training in San Antonio, finishing my technical school in San Angelo, getting married in Tom green county, living in Korea for 2 years, and spending my last year in Bellevue, Nebraska. I said hello and goodbye to many people who were near and dear to my heart. I felt like I was in a constant state of transition. So much [...]

01 Nov

Don’t Put God in a Box

I remember sitting in my Catholic Sunday school and my Sunday school teacher pointed out that Jewel’s latest released song, “What if God was One of Us?” was anti-God. She said God could NEVER be one of us because He is God. He is higher than us. Unknowingly, I listened to her and decided to cast that song out of my Top 10 music list. Although I was raised Catholic, I never claimed Jesus as my savior. I went through the [...]

11 Oct

Unlearning Perfection

Have you ever sat and wondered why you think or believe things should be a certain way? My whole life I’ve been taught to be and act in certain ways. Like most people, there are the things you learn from your family and the ideas you pick up from society. Along the way, you think these things will help you when you grow up. But does it really? As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that a good [...]

12 Sep

Fit Mind. Fit Body. Fit Soul.

I fell in love with muscles when I was about 5, back when my nickname was Jilly Bean. Muscles fascinated me. I liked The Incredible Hulk, He-Man, She-Ra, Wonder Woman, and Hulk Hogan. Growing up in a conservative Christian home with a pastor father, I was raised on traditional gender roles and most things I liked and was attracted to were frowned upon as “worldly” or “secular.” It was super cool that girls could be muscular and kick-ass too! [...]

30 Aug

Realizing My Truth

How can we determine we are on our right path? How can we be certain we are becoming the person we are meant to be? These are questions that have followed me my entire life and will most likely continue to follow me for the entirety of my life. The answer is, we probably won’t ever have certainty that what we are doing is either the right or wrong choice. Each move we make ultimately has a butterfly effect that [...]

16 Aug

Surviving My Mother

Probably 5 years ago now, I had the thought; I should write a book about my family. Our family would always joke, if any of us wrote a book, it would be a bestseller. But the more I thought about it, the source of it all for me would be my Mother and my childhood. The book I would write would be called Surviving my Mother. And it would be a bestseller too. Each of us has a story [...]

02 Aug

Building Self-Worth Through Gratitude

Sometimes I feel I don’t have the right to offer my opinion regarding the challenges we face in life. The truth is I’ve been very blessed throughout my life in many ways and generally speaking, have had what I consider to be a great life and a wonderful childhood. I know many people who have not fared as well and when I consider what others have endured, it seems almost insulting that I would have anything to say on [...]