– ijk –

at 3 years old, i was verbally abused for spilling a glass of milk on the table during dinner. at 4 years old, i was locked in a room with a jar as a ‘toilet’ when i defended myself against an angry parent. at 5 years old, my parents’ friends referred to me as a […]

lately, i’ve been exposed to a lot of desires to go back to what once was, expectations for what could be, and disappointment from lack of recognition, value, apologies, or love from others. it’s making me realize the importance of holding fast to the Truth that God is perfect, God is love — i am […]

21 things learned at 21: people act differently when they’re hurting always assume positive intent never disagree with a bts fan every season matters if you make it matter i am capable of so much more than i know… …but can do nothing without Jesus move on quickly if you can’t change the situation be […]

it’s almost 2020. every year, it feels like january 1st hits me out of nowhere. every year, i sit back and consider my growth. i revisit my greatest challenges, think back to the lowest points of my life, celebrate my highest peaks, appreciate my dearest loved ones, mourn over heartbreaking memories, etc. i’m fairly confident […]

i reached into my sock drawer and grabbed the first pair of socks that touched my fingertips. i pulled the pink and green striped socks over one of my feet. “ugh… these socks are so worn out… why do i still have them?” then it hit me – i remember pulling these socks out of […]

“what’s the worst feeling in the world?” this question has always been easy to answer. no doubt. disappointment. it goes both ways – i don’t want to be disappointed, and i sure as hell don’t want to be a disappointment. and yeah, that also means i don’t quite allow myself to feel happy — it’s […]

honestly, this entire year has just been constant hurt.. followed by more hurt. october is almost at an end, God, and only three words continuously come to mind – what the hell? why the hell have i felt like this for SO long? why has it been so long since i’ve just been able to […]

[no content]

those who have come to know me post-2015 probably share a similar image of me: deeply thoughtful, academically successful, bubbly, with high expectations/goals for myself. it’s absolutely absurd to think that i’m seen in that way by others. pre-2015 irene was petrified by the hard realities of life. depression consumed every aspect of life from […]

over the past year and a half, pastor don denyes from south church has spoken an overwhelming amount of wisdom into my life – lessons and questions i challenge myself with each day. several months ago, he started off a sermon by comparing christians to dorothy’s friends. according to his observations, we resemble at least […]