SOULSPROUTS
The intersection of mental wellness, faith and artistic expression
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence? No poem today. Today I’m just kind of mind dumping away. I hate that I struggle the ways that I do. I want to be free, laying all my cares at His feet, anew I wish… Read more.
We are all made perfect, in God’s image
Welcome to the official newsletter of SoulSprouts! We are launching our new take on mental health this year before the new year to get your… Read more.
A journey within is soon to begin…
Welcome to SoulSprouts, a journey within; may all the silent battles you fight, you WIN
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence? No poem today. Today I’m just kind of mind dumping away. I hate that I struggle the ways that I do. I want to be free, laying all my cares at His feet, anew I wish there was a place for me somewhere, somewhere I can belong.…
Welcome to the official newsletter of SoulSprouts! We are launching our new take on mental health this year before the new year to get your take on what works and what doesn’t. Let us know what you like, what you don’t and what you’re inspired by. Feel free to click on the links and explore…
A reflection on some hopes for the coming new year, as I put the growing pains of 2025 behind me
A LIGHT IN THE SEA OF EMOTIONS by Manji Left/Top: It feels like lighthouses are really far away, so I wanted to create something that felt closer than a lighthouse…I wish I painted a crab somewhere in this painting, maybe even a crab shell. ABSTRACTING THE HOLY SPIRIT by Manji Right/Bottom: When I went to…
This is a short poem and reflection on what sleep does for me, and why even if I didn’t need sleep I would need rest
A look at the complexities surrounding agency and consent in mental illness
How can power structures endemic in society impact the epidemic of mental illness?
Describe a family member. I have the gentlest mama alive She inspires me to fight for life I want to learn how to protect her forever In heaven my siblings and I will take care together She’s not perfect but she’s a warrior All her pain caused by demons She persevered through all the trials…
*Content warning: This post discusses suicidal thoughts, hospitalization, and acute mental health crisis. If you’re in crisis, please call 988* This will be a heavy post. The darkness is where I dwell the most. The shadows deep inside corners of my mind, find their ways to manifest outside. In people all I see is treachery;…
*Content warning: Discussions of self-hatred and depression themes* I’m feeling depressed today – have been for the past several days. I’m taking my medication as prescribed but feeling very empty inside. Ruminating about another life and the people I hurt along the way. I hate myself a lot today, when I’ll feel better I can’t…
What’s your definition of romantic? Someone devoted to me and me alone Someone who brings peace into my home A person whom I can converse with for days at length Someone who unselfishly gives me strength Do you believe in the power of God to heal? My experience tells me the blessings are real He…
What fears have you overcome and how? I find myself today, laying in bed hoping for a better future. One where I don’t have to depend on any substances that aren’t prescribed. I gave up my smoking habits, but clung to the numbing comfort of alcohol. I was afraid to face the memories I didn’t…
Today, I take you through my garden as it is on March 25, 2025 I started out in the basement but it was too cold for the warm weather crops (hot peppers, okra), so I built a set up upstairs where it’s warmer and sunnier! After moving them upstairs, one of my pepper seeds sprouted.…
I’m in an AA meeting online Just ordered a bottle, Bacardi Sadly, I’ll reset my sobriety date Got my work cut out for me I’ve been blessed, beyond blessed To see the ways that I err I pray for guidance above Holy Spirit, keep me here on earth, not under That place of self destruction…
What is the last thing you learned? God is in control of everything I knew but didn’t know God sees us through the pain, the sorrow As long as we head the flow My impatience is not a virtue Unlike the care and support God provides for us in our darkest moments Waiting for judgement,…
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain. “Where are you from? No where are you REALLY from” the dreaded question I hate to answer. I’ve never had a single place to belong to, and I never know what response will come after. Born in the Midwest of the United States to two…
*Content warning: Discusses substance use* May all the Battles you Fight, you WIN
What is your favorite drink? “Something to numb the pain of existence” -BM I wanted to write something more poetic to answer this question, to distill the complexity into something calm for digestion. Maybe a simple “tea is my favorite” or “blessings from above.” Something easy, even fashionable. But this blog is about integrity, and…
If there was a biography about you, what would the title be? She struggled hard With a diction, for the crowd Who would never know exactly how loud Her thoughts were, a billowing shroud Over her conscience, sounds She did not make As she gasped she thought, when does it stop The voice that screams…
Normalizing Mental Health
