For those of you who have followed me here for a while, welcome to a relaunch of my blog. For those of you who are new, a warm welcome.

I turned 50 years old a few months ago and felt like life turned a pretty sharp corner and I wanted to use this blog a little differently. I will always talk about God here because, well, I love God and all that I encounter as I follow Jesus. And, I want to talk about more than just my spiritual side, I want to talk about all my sides. After 50 years, I’ve got a lot of experiences and sides to who I am and my hope is that you’ll find someone here you can connect with and feel fully accepted, loved and less alone in this big ‘ole world.

I chose the title “Just a Kid from Akron” because that’s exactly what I am…a Kid from Akron. I was born in Akron, Ohio in the summer of 1969, a fantastic summer if you ask me! Actually, 1969 was a pretty fantastic year in general from a historical perspective. I share a birthday with Sesame Street so come on, what could be better than that?? I suppose Apollo 11 landing on the moon, Led Zeppelin releasing their first album, and Woodstock were important too.

I’m not 100% certain what you’ll find here other than this: someone who has experienced deep trauma and has found healing and joy; someone who loves people deeply, especially the marginalized and the misfits; someone who wants to build a community. I don’t have time or interest in arguing with people so everything here is either my opinion or my interpretation. I will never push those things on anyone, I just simply share them because they are part of my story and I love story.

Here are a few basic things to know about me:

* I’m an LBGTQIA ally,

* I have several chosen family members, and some DNA family members, who are drag queens,

* I am a non–drinking alcoholic (sober 8 years now!),

* I am fascinated by people and their stories,

* I love Jesus and attend a Lutheran church.

Whew! Glad to get those things out of the way so you know what you’re getting into should you decide to hang around with me.

Shalom and love,

KA