True Florida Stories
Most days, getting out of bed before 8 a.m. is completely out of the question, but I made an exception for Kim’s Donut and Deli. The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon. It crept into the sky and cast an orange and gray hue over Titusville, Florida … Read moreTo Florida: The state that’s breaking my heart
I set my phone to a heartbeat vibration a week before I got the call … Read moreIdol lost
The year is 2018. I’m two months shy of my 17th birthday. And I have cancer … Read moreSurviving survivor’s guilt: A five-year journey of remission and remorse
Every morning, my Oma fed the birds. She spread Pindakaas, a thick Dutch peanut butter, on old, crusty bakery bread and set the slices on a splintered wooden birdhouse. I watched the birds feast on the food throughout the day, and soon enough, the bread would be mere crumbles … Read moreGrowing up Dutch: When part of your identity fades to memory
I ran my finger around the edge of my glass, my tongue pressed flat against my front teeth as my mom threw out the same line I’d grown to dread, a song destined to never change tune … Read moreWhen doing well doesn’t mean doing OK