Amianne Bailey

“most of what I was taught as gospel standards turned out to be optional values abandoned for power, greed, or lies. The church that raised me bears almost no resemblance to the one dehumanizing refugees, defending white supremacy, and aligning with a morally bankrupt autocrat. To put it succinctly: Organized religion, once my happy place, truly confuses me. I am adrift inside it for the first time in my life.”
― Jen Hatmaker, Awake: A Memoir

“an accomplished master gardener, told me: You can’t tug on spring shoots of new plants. You have to wait. They are setting deep roots. You can’t grow a crop by pulling on leaves and stalks. You just create the right conditions… and you wait.”
― Jen Hatmaker, Awake: A Memoir

“The trauma someone else created is not your fault, but dealing with it is your responsibility.”
― Jen Hatmaker, Awake: A Memoir

“It’s almost painful, the way little children just trustingly hold out their hearts for you to look at—the way they haven’t learned yet how to conceal what matters to them, even if it’s just chewing gum or a plush dolphin or plastic binoculars.”
― Catherine Newman, Sandwich