Self Discovery Journey

  • The Illusions – Chapter 13

    On a Saturday morning, Jeff sends me a selfie: his hair wild, sticking up in tufts, his undershirt creased, glasses askew, and that lopsided grin splitting his face. He wishes me a good morning, and I can’t help but laugh,… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 13
  • The Illusions – Chapter 12

    Jeff, who is out of state for work, texts me a photo of a rental Jeep Wrangler, the kind with the roof panels popped out so the sky and wind rush in. A fun car, he calls it, grinning behind… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 12
  • The Illusions – Chapter 11

    The days blur together. Somewhere between the text threads and the nightly FaceTime calls, Jeff has become a rhythm I don’t question, especially the prayers. I wait for them now, expect them, the way I expect sunrise. Each one layers… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 11
  • The Illusions – Chapter 10

    …constant liars…constantly stir up trouble… broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.…a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong…a person who sows discord in a family…obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction…It… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 10
  • The Illusions – Chapter 9

    The soft rock music playing is a relief, filling the silence in the car on the way back. It feels like we’re both running on low battery, neither wanting to admit it. At home, I collapse onto my back patio,… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 9
  • The Illusions – Chapter 8

    My phone buzzes with a selfie from Jeff, lounging at the airport gate. He’s wearing that same athletic-style top, the one he had on Friday evening, and I can’t resist teasing him about it. How he always gravitates toward the… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 8
  • The Illusions – Chapter 5

    My phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I reach for it. “My quote of the day from my current book.” A text from Jeff arrives as I linger in bed, sunlight pooling on the sheets. “‘We inflate ourselves with a… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 5
  • The Illusions – Chapter 4 – Lizzie

    The slam of a door startles me awake, slicing through the foggy residue of another fractured night. My head is heavy, my limbs still sunk in the mattress, but somewhere between sleep and waking the word run flashes through my… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 4 – Lizzie
  • The Illusions – Chapter 2

    Early the next morning, my phone buzzes—a text notification. Waking up at 7:30 AM on a Saturday feels like a cruel joke. I grope for my phone and blink at the screen. Jeff: “Donuts at Giant bakery were excellent. I… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 2
  • The Illusions – Chapter 1

    The weather is perfect — warm sun, light breeze — the kind that tricks you into believing things could be easy, that life might be simple. Yet it’s another busy day at work. I come back to the office after… Continue reading

    The Illusions – Chapter 1