How I Died

Some days, I am weighted down by the sheer knowledge of my own filth.

I live and breathe and laugh. Sometimes I even speak, and others listen. There are days that some call me "wise" or "mature." Once or twice, I believe them. More often, I feel guilty. Dirty. Fake.

Is what they see real? Or do I live to hide the abomination of my own being?

Perhaps we are all abominations, in our own right. And yet perhaps, it is this that gives us  beginning. You can't have an ending without a beginning. Can't have an after without a before.

Can't have salvation without abomination.

What drags at my conscience is the in-between. The now. The sanctification not yet complete. The work in progress.

The life of a Christ-follower places us at the fulcrum point: behind us, the filth. We see it still, and it nags at us, taunts us. Before us, the plunge. There is no memory of the abominations there - the dirt that clings to the bits and pieces of a former life.

But we are in the now. Not yet perfected. Clinging only to the sight ahead.

The past is forgiven, but not erased. We are all of us abominable.

Which is why we must cease to be "us."

The days full of guilt and shame and grief belong to another life, and must be left there. When my mind tries to revive them, I must simply remember.

Remember how I died.

Photo courtesy of Of All Loveliness

Indifferent Moments

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."

~ Elie Wiesel ~

I found this quote (once again) just recently. It really struck home.

Over the past few months, and really over the past year, I've been dealing with quite a bit. Much of it self-afflicted, much of it my fault, yes, but that doesn't make it any easier.

There are times when life is very stressful. There are times where the emotions seem almost unbearable. And I've discovered it's very easy for me to just shut everything out. Go into auto-pilot. Stop caring.

Sure, it seems easier. Maybe in the moment things don't hurt so much. But it doesn't fix anything.

And, in the meantime, I miss out on so much. I miss out on offering a broken heart up to God to fix. I miss out on friends who are willing to support and encourage me. I miss out on reaching out to others and supporting them where I wished I had gotten support.

Caring is such a beautiful thing. Indifference, such a dangerous thing.

In the midst of the pain, in the midst of the complications, in the midst of the emotional roller-coaster life puts us through, are we willing to face it all, and simply care? You'll lead a very bleak life, otherwise.

Photo courtesy of Ruche

I Give You My Heart

One of the themes of Christmas that my parents drilled into me when I was younger was giving. God the Father gave His Son for the world. Mary gave her body and soul as servant to the Most High God. The Magi traveled "field and fountain, moor and mountain" to bring the Christchild such regal gifts as gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When I was younger, our family had the tradition of making a Christmas ornament that represented something we wanted to give Jesus. On Christmas Day, we would sit around the living room and discuss our ornament; what did we choose to give and why? how can we bless the Lord with our gift? One year I gave my tricycle; another, my puppy. From music awards to the pear tree in our backyard, it seemed God got them all.

Recently, I found myself evaluating my own life, asking what can I give that would bring honor and glory to Christ? While the days of construction paper and glitter overkill are long-gone, there must be something that is of worth and value that I can give Him.

To be completely honest, there isn't.

As I've continued to grow in Christ, I have come to the seemingly obvious realization that there is not one thing on earth that He desires more than our heart. What's more, He isn't looking for one that is continually right, always receiving praise and position, always hitting the beat every time. I mean, if God has blessed you with such a life, all glory and honor be to Him! But, frankly, that isn't the case with me.

This month of December has probably been the toughest out of this half-year. (I say half-year because I don't remember the first six months of this year too well to say whether or not this month has been the worst in the entire year.) Various things have happened in my life that, whether they be hurtful or humiliating, each one has beaten my soul down to a critically low point. Thank God for His grace to work with us in our time of need!

Yesterday morning I was working through a few things with the Lord. While turning to my mark in Psalms (the book I'm currently going through), the Lord spoke loud and clear yet again through the comfort of His word.

"For You do not desire sacrifice,

or else I would give it;

You do not delight in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart -

These, O God, You will not despise."

~ Psalm 51:16-17 ~

King David wrote these words in his "repentance psalm" after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Of all places, in the midst of his sin, he had the faith to believe that God would take his sinful heart and turn it into something worthy of His glory. (And the Lord did just that.)

We all go through things that weigh us down and perhaps break our spirit. The death of a loved one. The pain of divorce. Cancer. The betrayal of those we love. The cutting off of a relationship. Witnessing a friend go down the wrong path. Receiving the diagnoses of a terminal disease. Abuse. Each of us carry some sort of pain and heartache around in life. I am currently working through a painful situation. And while I can't offer any "professional" advice, all I can say is - offer that pain to the Lord. Invite Him to feel it with you. He does not look down upon our anger, guilt, or sadness; things that other people may label as "no big deal." Rather, these are the exact things He desires in a heart that is yielded to His will. He is not a distant Being that cannot relate to our suffering (see Hebrews 4:15). Rather, He has known pain that, praise be to Him, we will never need to experience.

This Christmas, my desire is to surrender my pain to the Lord. To thrust my burdens on Him everyday. To be yoked to His will each day. To live in freedom rather than pridefully holding onto my hurt. Yes, it's difficult. Each day presents new challenges of its own. But I would be smothered if I did not have that ray of hope, the light at the end of the tunnel named the Cross of Christ. He delights to feel my pain. He wants to "do this with me." He is my Father; I can hide nothing from Him. Through pain or pleasure, guilt or pardon - He is my Savior.

This Christmas, I give Him my heart.

Bottled and Shelved

I've seen it happen all too often.

A girl, pure and committed, living by every rule and guideline in the "book," yet confused, afraid, and guilty over her own natural emotions. If feelings arose for someone she tamped them down, stifled them, and corked it all in, not to see the light day . . . but then at night, they came flooding back . . . and there was nothing she could do but stifle them all over again.

I've seen it destroy. Those natural emotions that we have been given by God cannot be contained in so extreme a measure and allow us to still operate in freedom. We become slaves to our emotions, constantly battling ourselves and feeling guilty because of it - when those emotions are part of our very nature. The extremity of measure taken to keep a heart "pure" can instead cause it to internalize natural desires, and eventually this leads to rebellion.

What is a pure heart? It is not a heart in slavery to rule and regulation. It is disciplined, yes, but it is not bound and shackled to keep it in submission. A pure heart is free of corruption, pride, selfishness, and fear. But most importantly . . . a pure heart is free. Just free.

If there is anything that peeves me about the purity movement, it is the stifling of emotion that so many girls tend to do. It is this tamped down, corked in, wound-up society of hearts that have natural, God-given desires for love and affection and friendship - without an avenue to vent those desires. Friendships with boys are forbidden or closely censored, and any feelings a girl or boy may have is told to be stuffed away for That Great Day In The Future.

It is not effective. It is not safe. This fear of relationships in high school, simply because we are devoted to purity, will prove to be the destruction of our commitment if we do not realize that in Christ, we have a marvelous freedom! It is our own choice to use this freedom for good or ill - but we're free all the same! This fear of friendships with girls or boys, this fear of touching or standing close, this fear of what others will think - it is fear. It is pride. It is not of Christ.

There is freedom when living in submission to Christ. You can have pure, good, refreshing, godly friendships with boys and girls and no one can condemn you! It is perfectly possible to spend time with the opposite sex on a friendship basis and remain completely above reproach. You may even develop an attraction to one friend in particular - a crush, perhaps. That is natural. What you do with it is the issue. If you stamp it down and grind it out with legalism and human strength, it will come back ten times stronger. Give it to Christ, and you will be able to maintain a friendship as well as your heart.

God says all throughout Scripture, "Do not be afraid." (Deut. 1:29, Josh. 10:25, 1 Sam. 12:20, 1 Sam. 22:23, Ps. 56:11) Do not be afraid of anything: temptation, emotion, friendships, men, what others may think. If you are indeed of God then you have nothing to be afraid of. You should be perfectly in control of your emotions, perfectly strong in temptation, perfectly at ease in friendships, perfectly respectful to men, and perfectly content to let others think what they may. Because God is perfect, and He is at your side.

So where is your heart? Is it "bottled and shelved" like a keg of beer, fermenting and growing stronger in its pungent smell? Or is it growing free, like a lily in a field, with sun and water and whole host of others around it? The lily white heart is not rotting in a cellar but flourishes where accountability and beauty grow up together. It is not afraid of the thorns and thistles that grow beside it because it knows that it is where it needs to be. Someday someone will pick it, but until that day, it flourishes where it has been planted.

How to be THAT Guy at the Gym

On Tuesday, a friend of mine and I decided to have some girl time. Except it wasn't exclusive girl time considering that her brother was our chauffeur. At any rate, while we were out and about, her brother decided to make a quick stop at the gym to renew his membership while we waited in the car. What was supposed to be a maximum of ten minutes turned out to be much longer and we decided to go in to see what was taking so long. While her brother was still working on the logistics and legal contracting and whatever else goes into renewing a gym membership, I was able to observe several men coming in and out of the gym. Peering through the window to the workout room, immediately my attention was curbed to one man: that guy.

You know the man.

The one person whose exertion not only taxes the limit of his resolve but also that of everyone surrounding. Exercise is not just exercise: it is an accomplishment of Olympic proportions. And you should be taking this as seriously as he is.

As he jogs past you, his sweat conveniently coagulating between two rippling shoulders, he'll give you the glance-and-nod (chin up, not down) between labored breaths, as if to say, "I was you before Old Spice." No wonder people give up on the gym. It's people like this that discourage the common ranks from their goals. Want to get him back? Here's your guide to being "that guy":

1. Enter with style.
Entrance is everything. You'll be entering the gym in street clothes, and by that I don't mean clothes you got out a box on the side of a street. A North Face jacket and dark wash jeans are good basics that just scream 'ATHLETIC." Your casual t-shirt should be tight enough to reveal your pecs, because your coat zipper will only be halfway zipped. You must never zip it up completely. Especially if it is 15 degrees. Macho men are too hot to ever be cold.

2. Execute the Superman.
Although you'd like to eliminate all competition, however fictional, I don't mean a literal execution here. It's lightening-fast locker room change you need to master: street clothes off, gym shorts on. You can leave the t-shirt on - you'll look cool with the sweat on your back. And why dirty more than one shirt? Less laundry for Mom.

3. Stretch like Gumby.
Bend, dip, flail, kick, pull, push, and pretzel your way into limber-land somewhere between the gym entrance and the weight room (aka Man-Cave). Try to do it anywhere there's a door to the entrance so any girls checking in can check out at the same time. Your biceps, that is.

4. Let the sweat drops roll.
Only sweat in socially acceptable areas: middle of the back, neck, temples, hairline, chest, and forearms. You won't be wearing a black t-shirt because the sweat doesn't show up as well. A gray one will do the trick. Lift it up every few minutes to wipe your forehead, because that looks . . . what's the word . . . intense.

5. Perfect the sound effects.
Silent workouts? Unheard of. Your workout should be punctuated with grunts of effort, moans of lament, sighs of relief, and the occasional shout at the gym TV depending on which sport is in season. Oh, and carry a towel around for when you sigh so you can mop your forehead at the same time.

6. Sir, can I get you an exorcist?
Whatever it looks like on the outside, on the inside you're just that more amazing. Your warm-up routine should incorporate moves of Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin, and Jack Sparrow. Finish off in a hackney high-step on the treadmill and channel a little demon-possession by thrashing on the floor doing the Bicycle.

7. Express yourself through cardio.
Relieve those job stresses with some intensely macho jumping jacks. Hey, want to forget that awful date yesterday? Break out the jump rope. Grab a medicine ball (because there is nothing more manly than twisting around like an injured bowler) and do some side-to-side crunches to get a washboard worthy of a laundry woman. You never know what cardio could help you find your identity. How do you think Jason Bourne did it?

8. Get a little GQ . . .
The walk out is as imperative as the walk in, and there's a certain way to do it. The shoulders should swing side to side with the upper arms held slightly away from the chest (as if there is an invisible inner tube stuck around one's torso). Walk slowly, glancing casually around the room, until you can execute another Clark Kent transition into the suave street version of your Rambo self.

The Dinner Table

It seems in a schedule that leaves little room for any other description but "busy", that is when the simple joys in living become a huge blessing. Such has been my life for the past week or so (hence, the lack of blogging). Yet, in the midst of a very busy, perhaps even challenging day, there always seems to be a lull in the program that allows me to relax and thoroughly enjoy myself. Such is the case of sitting down and simply enjoying a meal with my family.

Besides the emotional-relational benefits of eating together, numerous studies have proven the many benefits for teens and young children when they have regular sit-down dinners with their families. From decreased likelihood to become involved with drugs and alcohol, to strengthening relationships, the benefits are astounding, and something that should cause us all to pause and take notice. Whether you're married or not, have children, are a stay-at-hommie, or live with a college roommate, or are on your own, there are many benefits to making time to simply sit down and enjoy dinner at the end of the day. Here are a few that I feel are the most beneficial.

Become more conscious
By simply making time to make dinner, you are establishing positive eating habits. You become an active participant of what you eat; meaning, you know what s going into your meals. You receive the satisfaction of what you have just made, especially since you know how much work and planning went into preparing it. It allows for the opportunity to eat a balanced meal that incorporates ingredient that are in season from local farmers.

Strengthen relationships

When dinner is served around a table and not in front of the television, you are expected to communicate without distractions besides eating the food you made. Learning how to listen, look someone in the eye and express thanks, sensing the right times to keep silence, ask questions and get to know someone is a way to continually strengthen any relationship with someone you love and care about. Knowing that someone is curious about your day and ten returning the favor builds a support system that provides a peace of mind because you realize that someone cares, which builds confidence and a sense of direction.

Save money

Cooking at home and serving a meal to family, friends or yourself is a simple way to save money. Eating out, while a treat, can add up if done regularly, and it usually will add to your waistline as well. By making a decision to eat at home more than you eat out will keep money in your pocket that can be served for grander dreams and goals.

Slow down

While sitting down for dinner motivates you to eat slower and enjoy your food, it also gives you permission to slow down in the middle of a possibly very harried schedule. When you slow down enough to savor your food, the conversation and the atmosphere, you allow your mind to relax; you welcome balance into your life and think a bit more clearly.

Learn how to communicate effectively

This particular benefit is something that not everyone learns until they realize they didn't learn it at all. When you learn how to communicate respectful (allowing others to speak, but trusting that you will have the opportunity to be heard as well), you come to realize that communication is a key to working through difficulties and disagreements. Sitting around the table, especially during the holidays and during dinner parties when many different opinions are in the room, typically provokes lively debate. But instead of avoiding the scenario, if you have learned how to communicate in a mature fashion, you don't have to shy away from emotional discussions, but instead revel in them as they allow everyone to have their own ideas and share them without being dismissed.

While it may take more organization and planned ahead, by being pro-active, sitting down to dinner more often can add many wonderful benefits to your life. What are some things you love about sitting down for meals?

Photo courtesy: (1) Pretty Stuff; (2) Dustjacket Attic; (3) A Well Traveled Woman

To read more about the benefits of dinner-table-eating, check out Barilla and The New York Times.

He Leads Me

(Disclaimer: This post is what I call a get-it-out-of-your-system post. Hence, it's bound to be quite rambled and has the potential of not making any sense. Just bear with me.)

Being a high-school senior, I have inevitably fallen into what I believe is perhaps the most pressure-filled, questions-asked, self-security smooshed, at times barely-breathing stage of life. Whoever said being a senior was the best year of your school-age experience probably didn't have a life.

The confusion has beaten me down to absolutely nothing. And it's exactly what I need.

I love organization. I love schedules. I love knowing what I'm doing next. When I was younger (by "younger" I mean only seven months ago . . . what a joke) I had my life organized in two-five year increments. I was going to graduate, work for a year to gain finances for college, and finish my degree within two years. Oh, and Mr. Perfect was more than welcome to walk into the picture whenever he wanted to.

Now my life has turned into something which, seven months ago, I would have called a "nightmare." The Lord has used the pressure and confusion to show me that He is my Source, not myself. Yes, it's great to be organized and have some idea of what you're doing. But through all my organization and "life planning" I came to realize that it was a form of self-security for me. I knew what I was doing. I knew what was going to happen within the next six months. I knew what job I would pursure. It was all about I, me, my, and myself.

Now I'm in a learning process. I'm learning how to depend on Christ for my every-day sustinence. He will lead me in the path I should take. It will happen in His timing. The carpet has been yanked out from underneath me; I have absolutely no idea what I'll end up doing or where I'm going, but He does. And I'm okay with that.

Why Feminism Makes Us Unhappy

Our generation tried. We really did. We embraced education, careers, prominence. We despised all relationships and responsibilities that would hold us back. We moved marriage, mothering and homemaking from the top of our lists to the bottom - or crossed them off all together. After all, we were so much more enlightened than our fore-sisters were. The world had revolved around men, but it was our turn now. We would make it bow to our demands.

We bought into the feminist promise that woman would find happiness and fulfillment when she defined her own identity and decided for herself what life as a woman was all about. How very wrong we were. For ultimately, our identity is a matter decided not by us, but by the One who in the beginning created us male and female.

It’s obvious that the “Leave it to Beaver” model of womanhood—having a husband, a station-wagon full of kids, a house in the ‘burbs, and every possible modern appliance—didn’t bring woman the happiness she desired. As an old, archived 1972 Time magazine article lamented:

"By all rights, the American woman today should be the happiest in history. She is healthier than U.S. women have ever been, better educated, more affluent, better dressed, more comfortable, wooed by advertisers, pampered by gadgets. But there is a worm in the apple. She is restless in her familiar familial role, no longer quite content with the homemaker-wife-mother part in which her society has cast her."

Two years ago, Time magazine devoted an entire issue to “The State of the American Woman.” Writers were confounded by the evidence, tracked by numerous surveys, that as women have gained more education, more economic independence, more power, and more freedom, they have become less and less happy. Ironically, they are unhappier now than when the Feminist movement set about to solve the problem of woman’s unhappiness. The modern ideal for womanhood is even less fulfilling than the one it replaced.

So, should we try to rewind the tape and try to squeeze every woman back into the “Leave it to Beaver” mold? No. We can’t hope to get womanhood right until we understand the ultimate object to which it points. When God created male and female, He provided an object lesson - a parable, as it were - of His entire redemptive plan. Men are to reflect the strength, love and self-sacrifice of Christ. Women are to reflect the character, grace and beauty of the Bride He redeemed. Ultimately, womanhood exists to help display the masterpiece of God.

The implications are staggering. This places womanhood at the center of God’s ultimate purpose. It endows it with supernatural significance and meaning. It provides woman with a framework to understand what her life is all about, what she should value, and how to make choices that align. Time, culture, and circumstances change, but the Bible provides an enduring model for womanhood that goes far beyond a stereotyped, cookie-cutter list of behaviors.

History proves that woman’s happiness is not found in pursuing the current cultural ideal. But that doesn’t mean it’s an elusive goal. My “woman’s history” - and the history of a multitude of sisters who have loved Christ - testifies to the fact that happiness (of the deep, lasting kind) can be found in pursuing the One to whom true womanhood points.

Lessons from a Tomato Vine

Earlier this spring, some wild notion possessed my dad to plant fourteen . . . yes, fourteen tomato plants in our backyard. I still haven't dug deep enough to understand his initial reasoning behind this course of action. At any rate, with summer in full heat, the tomatoes have been ripening left and right. We are very blessed.

When the harvesting first started, I would pull the red, but still hard, tomatoes off the vine and set them on our garden table for them to continue ripening. On the other hand, my mom would take scissors and cut a little piece of the vine along with the fat, juicy red sphere and set it on the table to allow it's ripening to complete.

Well, yesterday morning, Mom came in and exclaimed, "Rebeka, look at these!" I glanced up from reading the local newspaper to see her holding the vine-ripened tomatoes. "You know what this reminds me of?" she asked. Mentally I replied, I know what it reminds me of. Food. Yum. Without waiting for an answer, she explained.

"Remember in the Gospel of John when Jesus talks about how we are to abide in Him? Well, this is a perfect demonstration of that. These tomatoes have ripened better than the ones we picked directly off the plant. And it's the same with our relationship with God. When we abide in Jesus and surrender to His Lordship, He grows us to be a mature branch, enabling us, by His grace, to bring forth blossoming fruit for His glory."

With that, she left me, leaving me to wonder how she could have gotten such a deep spiritual truth from a gnarly tomato vine.

How true it is. I must abide in Christ in order to bear fruit to His Name. I cannot bear fruit on my own authority, thinking that somehow my words and actions will pique others' interest in the Gospel. Only by abiding in Jesus Christ can I have any assurance that my faith is indeed secure.

"Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

unless it abides in the vine,

neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in Me, and I in him,

bears much fruit;

for without Me, you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me,

he is cast out as a branch and is withered;

and they gather them and throw them into the fire,

and they are burned.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,

you will ask what you desire,

and it shall me done for you.

By this My Father is glorified,

that you bear much fruit;

so you will be My disciples."

~ John 15:4-8 ~

May I always seek the shelter and protection that comes from abiding in the Vine. And, possibly, may I bear much fruit to His Name.

Casual Elegance



Photo courtesy of Meant for Silence

When the phrase "casual elegance" is uttered, a handful of names come to mind - Audrey Hepburn, Selena Gomez, Kate Middleton, and Julie Andrews, among others. All of these women embody the combination of a carefree, relaxed attitude that allows them to appear just as pulled together and sophisticated in a pair of blue jeans as they do in a fresh-off-the-runway designer gown. They don't appear rushed or as if they are trying too hard. They seem very comfortable in their own skin - almost a take-it-or-leave-it attitude without going overboard and still exuding a nearly indescribable quality that makes you just want to enjoy their company. A relaxed refinement or grace, I guess you could say.

So the question I've been trying to figure out is how can I too carry off this casual elegant persona and welcome it into my life, creating a calmer, more relaxed environment that beckons a more playful, yet dignified and purposeful way of life? Here's what I've come up with so far.

Having Manners and an Engaging Sense of Humor

Being elegant requires that you have manners and exhibit proper etiquette, but becoming too refined eliminates the ability to be relaxed because there is so much stress on behaving correctly. By finding the balance of being able to behave respectfully, but being comfortable enough to have a chuckle, you help put others at ease. You set the example of what is expected, as well as what is tolerated because people do make mistakes.



Photo courtesy of Of All Loveliness. . .


Comfortable in a Dress as well as a Pair of Jeans
Now, I have never had the opportunity to wear a specially tailored designer down a red carpet like the talented Natalie Portman, but the idea here is to be able to be confident enough in your body to pull off a beautiful dress and turn around the next day and look smashing in a perfectly sized pair of jeans.

Able to Mix High and Low Fashions with Ease

Staying on the topic of fashion, someone who is casually elegant isn't about labels, but is instead aware of what looks best on their figure. Pairing ballet flats with Levi denim jeans and a navy cashmere sweater reveals to onlookers that you clearly have taste, but are not bragging about how much money you have - in fact, the sweater may be a consignment find you discovered last week while perusing the city, but no on will ever know. In other words, you have style because you know what works well together and what looks best on you.



Photo courtesy of Urban Weeds

 Neutral Decor with Cozy Elements

I like to think of casual elegance in the arena of home decor as the blending of English traditional and French country. By understanding that, a keep-it-simple approach is best for big ticket items - walls, sofas, floors, you name it. A homeowner can then have fun with accessories and create a home that is welcome to everyone, but home-sweet-home to its inhabitants.


Photo courtesy of Google Images

 Able to Converse with a Prince and a Pauper

Casual elegance can quickly be displayed in a person's behavior, but it also reveals itself in the words and conversations each person involves themselves in. Elegance is having a depth of knowledge to enable you to discuss concepts, ideas, and be informed of history and current events. Being casual allows you to recognize when to take it down a notch and make sure whoever you are talking with is comfortable.



Photo courtesy of Google Images

A Quiet Self-Confidence

A person possessing self-confidence isn't arrogant, but calm. Neither are they boisterous, but even-tempered. Having casual elegance in this case is not needing an audience, but attracting one because of a winsome, honest, and non-threatening quality that piques others' interest.

Ability to be Spontaneous without Losing Control

The term casual elegance is itself a balancing act of two somewhat opposing ideas, and so is this last point. Being elegant suggest that almost everything must be planned and adhered to, while casual reflects a more lackadaisical attitude. I believe that the two ideas, when melded together, create a healthy balance, that if anyone stuck to it they would find themselves taking chances that lead to great discovery and moments of unexpected delight. By being spontaneous for those moments that capture your attention and curiosity, but at the same time being able to notice the difference when the idea is just absurd, you are striking a balance that is the essence of being casually elegant.



Photo courtesy of Meant for Silence