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jessa

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Everyday Stories, Lived

Blog

This is a collection of stories and daily musings.

  • Some stories take too long to write

    So I write and write and write until I see the end of it. Full stop. Then I go back to where I began to rearrange ideas and edit, edit, edit (because being lazy at editing makes you question my writing, right?) You know, aside from celebrating a 30-day streak of blog posting, I’m just… Read more

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  • What it feels like to grow up without a father

    Death confronted me when I was four years old.  I didn’t know what death or absence was until I learned I do not have what others do—a father. From the wide eyes of a child, I began to see families with mothers and fathers, and then I started to wonder why I don’t have somebody… Read more

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  • Can it be better?

    Asking ourselves this question quite a number of times yields better outcomes—especially in the work we do. This reminds me of a friend who never stops at good when you can give the best. And “best” keeps changing so the work for making things better never stops. And earlier in my class (which I told… Read more

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  • Finding peace in our struggles

    There are lessons you learn only in the battle. David E. Sumrall As we go through a challenging season, relying on our abilities may feel like the surest way to overcome the struggle. But what I have learned is that having a posture of surrender—putting our hope in the Lord—is what makes the burden light.… Read more

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  • Having somebody to share the yoke with

    While folding laundry, I smiled, thinking about how nice it is to be married. At the moment, I couldn’t specify why, but at the top of my head is the experience of having somebody to share the yoke with. While I am folding all these clothes, I don’t think about what to cook because my… Read more

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  • Visiting Utrecht University, Netherlands, virtually once a week

    I wouldn’t have imagined attending a class in Utrecht, Netherlands, without leaving my house. And I wasn’t even in my house but in a rented apartment empty of household pets which I had dreamed of having. But here I am, listening to internationals talk about global earth system governance and learning about the reality of… Read more

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  • Coffee jelly recipes (from Dolci)

    ☕☕☕ ☕☕☕ Backstory I really wanted to buy the ready-to-eat coffee jelly I saw on a grocery shelf one day, but my husband said no (because I’ve been eating too much sweets lately). So, whenever I go to that grocery store and see the product on the shelf, my heart sinks every time. But one… Read more

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