The Comeback Special

Friends, Romans, Countrymen…

(Hi, Mom!)

Thanks for your patience this summer as I’ve taken a bit of time away from personal writing. Admittedly, I said yes to too many things this summer, and my website suffered because of it. But I can’t say I’ve been bored, that’s for sure:

In May, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature. That makes U of M—1, Emily’s wallet—0. But it’s an accomplishment I’m happy with. Thanks for the kind congratulations I received that day from many of you. God is good.

So to kick off the summer, I spent four days at the Special Olympics Michigan Summer Games. It’s amazing how warm 75 degrees can feel after a -25 degree-winter! Experienced Special Olympics chaperones know to pack two important things: Tissues, and caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine.

Upon returning from a frigid June camping trip after SOMI, I then threw myself headlong into Vacation Bible School, which always proves to be an interesting chunk of the summer. “Be the VBS Director,” they said. “It will be fun,” they said.” Six weeks later I emerged from the glitter and paper mache, still alive but with an interesting eye twitch that I haven’t seemed to shake.*  (P.S. If you were one of the brave and beautiful to work at VBS, you’re awesome, and I have a stack of thank-you cards ready to go, so keep an eye on your mailbox!)

The week after VBS, I spent a few days at my alma mater, Summit University, during Teen Leadership Conference, to knock out a few pages of work with my friend Sherrie Holloway. And see some of my favorite people, of course! But, I confess: I do not miss being a college kid.

And not to be outdone, for the summer is not complete without the longtime American tradition of paying money to sleep in the woods, I went camping. There’s nothing like a week in the woods, sand in places you didn’t know you had places, and a renewed healthy fear of wildlife to refresh your mind, body, and soul. We are strange beings, are we not?

Oh, and one more thing. I ran the Flint CRIM, a 10-mile race downtown and around the…quaint?…town of Flint, MI. And I didn’t die! I never thought I would ever, ever say this, but I ran ten miles and it was fun. That is so weird to type. In case you ever attempt something of the like—it’s better when you have a sister and a best friend running beside you. And also chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.

That just about brings us up to speed!

I’m still working with Shattered Magazine, which I absolutely love. I’m the Online Managing Editor, which basically means I oversee all things related to web-content: finding stories, writing or finding writers for them, editing the stories, publishing the stories, and maintaining our social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). Here are some stories I’ve written this summer as well as some of my favorites from other writers:

What Not To Say To Single Women In The Church
Dear Pope Francis, Only God Forgives Abortion
Pray For Pastor Saeed Abedini And Persecuted Christians
Dear Anna Duggar, Josh’s Ashley Madison Affair Is Not Your Fault
The Hole of Loneliness Not Even 497 Facebook Friends Could Fill
Finding What’s Missing

Stay tuned—I hope to be writing more here in the coming weeks. Thanks for sticking with me!

*I’m kidding. The eye twitch went away a few days later.