Baking Pies for Others Led to a Life-Changing Gift I Never Expected

Some stories begin with triumph. Others begin with tragedy. Mine began with fire.

When I was sixteen, one bitterly cold January night, my entire world went up in flames. In just a few hours, I lost almost everything — my parents, my grandfather, my childhood home, and the sense of safety I had always taken for granted.

I was pulled from the fire in nothing but my pajamas and bare feet, shivering in the snow while I watched smoke and ash swallow every piece of the life I had known.

I survived. But survival is not the same as living.

Drifting in the Aftermath of Loss

Continue reading…