July 9, 2026
Epilogue
July 9, 2026
“Only but for the Grace of God go I. I am so grateful to be alive! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!”
I have whispered some version of this prayer thousands of times since that terrible night in August 1993 when I took a razor blade to my wrists in The Dome.
Today marks one year since our family home burned to the ground — the house that held so many of my memories, including the box of journals and negatives from this very trip.
“Thank you God, that everyone survived! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!”
That desperate, lost 22-year-old kid who bought a one-way ticket to Europe in 1994 had no idea that the journey would become the foundation of the life I get to live today.
Because of those 100 days, I found my way back to myself. I found God. I found purpose. I found the courage to keep going. I reconnected with old friends who have now walked beside me for more than thirty years, and I made new ones who changed me in quiet, lasting ways.
One year after the fire, and thirty-two years after that night in The Dome, I am more grateful than ever.
I have turned my passion into my profession! I am doing work I love! My body and mind are strong!
And I have the privilege of contributing now, sharing my stories, creating photographs, and supporting McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation, right here in my hometown.
There is always hope.
If you are hurting right now — if the darkness feels too heavy and the voices are too loud — please know this: Your story is not over. You are not alone. There is help, and there is another chapter waiting for you.
Call or text someone who loves you and tell them how you feel. Or call or text 988 right now.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking this journey with me. With all of my heart, thank you.
Let me know if this story touched you. Send me an email or call me. I would love to hear from you!
Dear God,
Thank you, for the Grace that has carried me every single day since my really bad night in The Dome oh so long ago.
Thank you for protecting me from the internal fire that nearly consumed me.
Thank you for giving me a second chance at life!
And thank you for protecting these stories from the very real fire that could have destroyed them forever.
Amen