Somedays I feel like a pile of dry bones. Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever look in the mirror and wonder if you have the strength to make it through the next season of life, the next day, the next hour? I think if we are honest, we all have moments like those. Life can be overwhelming and sometimes it doesn’t take a lot for our heart and soul to become dry. We live life at such a frenetic pace and are often rushing from one thing to the next, we don’t prioritize our own soul care and inner spiritual formation. Sometimes the storm rages in us, and sometimes it rages all around us.

The best part of being a poet is that discomfort and difficulty needn’t ever go unused. In that sense, we can face even the hardest things with the comfort of knowing, “At least I’ll get a poem out of this.” And so I wrote my debut chapbook The Shape I Take as a sort of consolation prize in the final days of my third pregnancy (as I experienced the purgatory called prodromal labor), at the hospital between contractions, and at home in the weeks that followed, pressing my lips to the baby on my chest and pondering mortality, my changed body, and the various shapes that we all take in the course of a day, a night, a life.

It was supposed to be one of the most exciting times of my life, but I was paralyzed with fear. After graduating from a Christian university with a degree in English that emphasized creative writing, I couldn’t bring myself to write. Already pregnant a month after graduation, I began looking for a job where I could “put my degree to work.” But we were moving in two short months for my husband to attend graduate school, so applying to jobs out of state with the added complication of impending motherhood made things impossible.

The Way Back to Ourselves is excited to present our feature series, The Artist’s Interview. Each month, we talk with amazing creatives about life, faith, art, and everything in between. Check out this interview with Seth Coulter of Saint Brigand, artist and writer of www.SaintBrigand.com and the popular Instagram @saintbrigand. Seth is a faithful creative who explores philosophy, theology, and the deeper meanings of the human experience—all with the intent of facilitating meaningful conversations and connections about faith. You don’t want to miss this interview, where we deep-dive about these complexities and the meaning behind his stunning art.

The Way Back to Ourselves Literary Journal is proud to announce that our SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN for the Spring Collection 2024: RENAISSANCE, which will be published in April. Come learn all about our theme, details, and submission window. Questions? Email us at thewayback2ourselves@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to submit to our new email: editor.twbto@gmail.com.

For years, I craved a new life. Over and over, I’d pray, "God, please give me peace and a new way of life." At times, I wondered if he even heard me. In childhood, I remember the inklings of anxiety and the darkness of depression. I didn't possess an ounce of confidence because I always felt different. I never felt good enough; in fact, I always felt like the ugliest and dumbest—and most certainly the one with the most annoying personality and voice. I still remember the sheer emptiness that enveloped me in every room of confident and cheerful people I encountered. Even today, as I pen these words, I am haunted by those heavy feelings…

Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday of 2023, I wrote the first draft of my poem “After the Last Supper.” The poem changed very little in ensuing drafts, with only slight additions. This poem presents a very real “human” Jesus of Nazareth, stepping outside in a twilit Jerusalem after his final meal with his closest companions, prior to his capture in the Garden of Gethsemane. In “After the Last Supper,” readers witness Jesus struggling with the relatable emotions of doubt, uncertainty, and fear, as he knows the suffering and sacrifice soon to come.

Everyone is asleep after such an intense journey. Walking the last few miles in total darkness exhausted them. So, when the sun finally peeked out over the eastern mountains, it warmed the young mother and father. They left their home and community in anticipation of a new chapter of life—not knowing who would oppress them on their path or which government official would require some payment from them for simply existing. I am not describing Joseph and Mary coming to Bethlehem to birth their baby Jesus, as you may have first thought. I am painting a picture of many people’s stories…

The sun dipped past the horizon and the evening glow filtered through my windows. I sat in stillness on the side of my bed watching the evening light fade and listening to birds chirp and chatter away. Their cheery conversations distracted from the lingering sadness weighing heavy in my soul that night. Through years of suffering, birds had become a reminder to me of God’s presence in my life — that his eye is on those sparrows, and I know he sees me, too. But did he, really?

The Way Back to Ourselves is excited to present our feature series, The Artist’s Interview. Each month, we talk with amazing creatives about life, faith, art, and everything in between. Check out this interview with Steve Veasey, writer and illustrator of www.SteveCanDraw.com. Steve is a faithful creative who explores doubt, mental health, and his personal mantra of “created to create”—all with the hopes of helping others feel like they aren’t alone! You don’t want to miss this interview, where we deep-dive about all things creativity, mental health, and the complexities of faith. Steve is also a contributor here at The Way Back to Ourselves.

I stand in the doorway leading to my kitchen, old tears streaming fresh down my face. I think of the tasks of the day, the smiles I will have to dig out, the “how are you’s?” that will demonstrate I am a mutually benefiting member of society… I have lived through a trauma, though I don’t know it yet. I don’t have words for the abuse I have experienced, and I hadn’t had a word for the spiraling that keeps happening in my heart—until yesterday.

Where to start? That’s often the question that plagues a writer. The blank screen can be the last thing you want to face. When Kimberly, the founder here at The Way Back to Ourselves, invited me to write a post about belonging, I created multiple introductions—starting and stopping with each one—thinking the next one would be the right one. Maybe you can relate to this desire to show up. But then folks look at you and say, that “so-and-so” has it “going on” (and you do not). Maybe that same desire to be accepted—maybe even revered… and maybe even cheered—is the same cry of most of our hearts. We all want to belong—to be enough.

Come journey with poet and TWBTO founder Kimberly Phinney and painter and artist Erin Stinson, as they collaborate on this mediative piece about “becoming” and finding the “home” inside ourselves. We promise you’ll breathe more deeply and feel inspired as you contemplate your own journey toward self-discovery and spiritual homecomings.

Months after my divorce was finalized, I resettled away from my old life as I looked for a new church home. One of those first Sundays, a friendly couple turned to me inquiring if I was new and where I lived. I stumbled over my words, trying to answer—trying to remember simple things like my name, where I was from, what brought me there. My brain froze as shame washed over me...

The Way Back to Ourselves is excited to present our feature series, The Artist’s Interview. Each month, we talk with amazing creatives about life, faith, art, and everything in between. Check out this interview with Kate Lab, poet, artist, and the founder of the popular Kate Goes Creating. Kate is a faithful creative who marries her poetic and illustrative talents to create stunning books, graphics, and keepsakes—all with the hopes of exalting God and beautifying the world. So, click, read, share, and enjoy! You belong here.

Plummeting over 411 feet, Whitewater Falls is the kind of majestic force that demands an audience. Located in Sapphire, North Carolina, and considered the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River, the falls are both awe-inspiring and deadly. When you first arrive, it’s obvious that this natural wonder brings on-lookers of every kind: the young, the old, families, lovers, and friends. It’s often you see them picnicking, strolling, and snapping photographs, but as you venture further along the trails, the masses peel back, leaving the young and old behind. Soon you cease to hear their voices or feel their company, as the rustling leaves and distant roar of the falls replace them. With each step, you know you are getting closer.

I breathe deep. The words on my screen fill me up with inspiration and hope as I scroll through the newest publication of an insightful and culturally paradoxical journal I have grown to love. It is so beautifully written and represented by the photos chosen to accompany the words on the page. I get lost in it. Just reading it makes me want to dig deeper into my own soul and unearth what profound truths lie just below the surface. Suddenly, I want nothing more than to be in a forest somewhere, listening to the sounds of nature breathing in, breathing out…

The Way Back to Ourselves is proud to announce our THIRD workshop, The Poetry Hour 301! Come join us for a night of learning, community and creativity, as we learn about building an AUTHENTIC writing platform and improving our craft on OCT. 23 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Register NOW! Seats are limited. Questions? Email us at thewayback2ourselves@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! Can’t wait to SEE you again! YOU BELONG HERE.

The Way Back to Ourselves is excited to present our feature series, The Artist’s Interview. Each month, we will be talking with amazing creatives about life, faith, art, and everything in between. Check out this interview with the founder of Calla Press and Publishing and published writer, Samantha Cabrera. Samantha is a faithful creative who has endured a great deal of suffering, and Calla Press is the direct result of God’s beauty from ashes story in her life. Samantha is a kind leader and inspiration who has a story to tell. So, click, read, share, and enjoy! You belong here.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way!” I said aloud to God as I drove home from doing the school run. Deflated, annoyed, and disappointed—like steam wafting from a boiled kettle–I was pouring out my heart to God as I released the emotional pressure that had been building up within me. When I arrived home, I nestled my exhausted body into the sofa and allowed my gaze to turn toward the tips of the trees in our garden and then beyond into the blue sky. There, I watched these strong trees gently sway as fluffy billows of white clouds passed by. Unlike me, the nature around seemed completely at ease with the rhythm of patience needed between seasons.