Just Me By Nissi

I LOVE road trips. It was somehow always easier and cheaper for my family to travel by car. So, I’ve been on countless car rides across the country. We have driven all up and down the eastern seaboard at least twice. Unfortunately, we’ve only driven as far west as Idaho. Idaho is probably one the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. That drive was incredible! My dad drove all through the Night in one of the most treacherous and unpredictable highways in Idaho.  My mom drove us back home. I was the navigator so naturally we got lost a few times. The drive back home seemed so long I didn’t want to be in a car for at least a month.  The trip from Idaho back home was probably one of the only times I have ever been tired of looking at mountains. I never thought that would happen. But, when I think about it now, I can’t wait to see mountains again. But, one great memory of the drive home is we got to stop by Yellowstone park. I will never forget our beautiful night sleeping i...

We all battle with lies and the voices in our heads telling us, "You can't succeed, give up!" And, of course, "You're not beautiful. You'll never have true friends." Etc. etc. etc. By the grace of God, battling anxiety for three years taught me how to say “NO” to the lies. Nevertheless there are several lies I still with struggle with today: "I can't do this alone," and "Why me, Lord? Why me? Why did you allow this to happen to me?  Why am I in a wheelchair? Why do I have to suffer?” Screaming at the top of my lungs. Crying out to God. Pleading with him to take away the pain and everyday battle. I can't do this alone. I can't be what people want me to be. I'm not strong enough. I'm not brave enough. I'm a fraud. These are the thoughts that go through my mind. All daisies and roses, huh? And just like that, the Lord meets me where I am. “Baby girl, Who told you you're alone? I'm here when you're cry...

I think it's beautiful the way people are rallying around the devastation in Texas: Rockport, Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Houston and dozens of other communities. It's a testament of our great state and our great nation in general. But, it's been particularly heartwarming for me to watch, because I  experience this kind of love and compassion on a weekly basis. I feel blessed to live in a community that makes me feel loved and safe. In a way, this community has shaped me and helped me realize my full potential. I don't remember when it started: Maybe when I was five years old walking into the old Bulverde library or maybe more recently. But that's beside the point. I live in a community where there are more trucks than Cowboys. You're bound to be called darlin', and if you go to H.E.B. (the “official” grocery store of Texas) and don't run into someone you know, it would be a freakin' miracle. I remember about a year after I started walking to chu...