Here's the thing: we all have a story. Chapters full of shaky and unsure first steps, chapters full of sprints you won and hurdles that tripped you up, chapters full of starting lines and finish lines, victories and losses.

Your story deserves to be told. You may think it's not unique or important, but it is. Your story is so distinctly yours, so perfectly crafted for you and you alone by a the most exquisite Author. My pen, my words, are just tools. My heart is just a vehicle. Your story is extraordinary.

Story Seeker started in 2014.

I met with normal people and we swapped stories. I sat in coffee shops with friends and strangers alike, pouring out my heart and listening earnestly in return. I swapped endless emails with people far away who became dear friends through the process.

And then, together, we shared their stories.

I wrote about these people I met... kind of like you would if you were at a funeral except they are alive and able to hear my heartfelt appreciation and adoration for their bravery and their words and their openness. It was my favorite kind of writing. It was a gift to use my space here to shine a light on these incredible people. I shared pictures of their hands, because hands are fascinating and telling, and I asked them to sum their story up into three simple words. No small task.

Then, they shared their own stories, in their own words.

And it was beautiful.

22 stories of hope, redemption, growth, love, courage, strength, overcoming adversity, achieving the impossible, dreaming, and daring greatly.

22 stories from 22 people.

Honest.

Powerful.

Real.

To each and every one of you 22, thank you. From the deepest part of my grateful heart.

the truth of the matter is: our world is broken, and every day we are fighting a battle against the voices in our heads telling us we are alone, we are unworthy, we are undeserving, we don't have a story. But we do have stories.

And when we tell our stories, we push back the darkness and declare the truth like a bright light: we are brave, we are mighty, we are not alone, and we are all in this life battling the hard stuff and celebrating the good stuff TOGETHER.