Kristen Yoder
How big of a deal is loneliness? Dr. Vivek H. Murphy, the current Surgeon General, said in the 2023 report “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation”: “social disconnection was far more common than I had realized.” He goes on to state that half of American adults experienced loneliness, which is … Read More
ABUSE AND COMMUNITIES No matter what our upbringing is, we all have ingrained beliefs about abuse, church structure, authority, and victimization. Maybe you’ve seen this book lying on a friend’s bookshelf or advertised on social media and you’ve already decided your response without reading it. Dylo Cadet’s story of abuse … Read More
The first day saying “My pleasure!” The first day I walked into my new job at Chick-fil-A in Queens, New York, I realized just how out-of-place I felt. Even though I had grown up in Elmhurst, Queens, nothing could prepare me for working in a tiny, sometimes-crowded-on-Saturday-shift-changes, fast-food restaurant. I … Read More
Introduction Maybe the title of this article conjures up memories of your middle-school English teacher forcing you to write out your entire spelling list for homework, every night! Or maybe you remember sitting in 11th grade grammar class listening to the voice at the front of the room drone on … Read More
If you’re like me, you bought a brand-new planner at the beginning of 2022, full of empty boxes and white spaces to make new plans and new goals. It can be a confusing topic: to set goals or not to set goals—that is the question of the new year. However, … Read More
While avoiding the thought of my long shift and the inevitably grumpy customers ahead of me, my mind swirled as it tried to organize my long to-do list. Don’t forget about this assignment for that class. You need to message her about youth tomorrow. Oh snap, I need to exercise this afternoon.
Introduction Over eight million people live in my hometown. Many call it the Big Apple, a financial hub, an artist’s inspiration, a tourist’s destination. I call it home. When I think about New York City, I don’t picture the Brooklyn Bridge, the World Trade Center, or yellow cabs. My mind … Read More
Feast and wilderness. These two words create an antithesis. Two words that create confusion in our minds through their dissonance. A wilderness is “an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.” A feast is “something that gives unusual or abundant enjoyment.” We only think about them simultaneously when we are longing for … Read More
While higher education is becoming more common among Anabaptist women, many people, including myself, still have questions. Is college worth the investment? What if I get married and don’t use my degree? Should Anabaptist women even think about careers? In my first article, I told my story and explained some … Read More