-
Peace
There are daysI think peace is a place other people were given directions towhile I was handed endurance instead. I have searched for itin sanctuaries stained with sunlight,in the silence after midnight prayers,in the hollow ache of hotel rooms,in the sound of waves folding themselves against the shorelike God still believes in repetition. I have…
-
When Coming Out Hurts More Than Hiding
For decades, the story around coming out has focused on liberation, freedom, and the happiness of living authentically. Pride campaigns display smiling faces, supportive families, and rainbow flags flying proudly. “It Gets Better” became a rallying cry, a promise to those still hiding that stepping into the light would bring relief and joy. But what…
-
To the One I Am Learning to Love
I used to think love was something waiting for me in another’s hands,a gift wrapped in someone else’s approval,a tender look across a crowded room,a whisper at midnight telling me I was enough.I thought love would arrive dressed in someone else’s voice,carrying me away from my own silence.But here I am,after all the years of…
-
To The Companion I Never Chose
You have been my most faithful companion.Not the one I prayed for.Not the one I wanted.But the one who keeps showing up anyway,uninvited,unapologetic,unyielding. You are with me when the room is full.When the laughter rises.When glasses are lifted, and plates are passed,and conversations hum like fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.You arrive then, when I am surrounded.You…
-
To the Day I Stopped Pretending I Was Okay
I remember you.Not the exact date on a calendar, but the feeling—like something inside me gave way.Like the scaffolding I had built to hold everything togetherjust… buckled. I had been holding so much for so long.The grief.The fear.The shame.The exhaustion of smiling through pain,of showing up for others while disappearing inside myself. I wore “okay”…
-
The Joy of Living
There is a particular kind of joy that cannot be faked, forced, or fabricated—the joy that comes from living authentically. It’s a joy that rises from the soul, not dependent on circumstances or applause, but on the quiet, powerful truth of being who I truly am. For years, I lived behind a mask, playing roles…
-
“Why Physical Transition?”
The question for me was startling because I had never been asked it in search of my answer. I have been asked in an open-ended way, with a “what are you thinking” mentality, which would require me to explain why I would diverge from my decades-long norm, but I would actually be interested in how…
-
I Wasn’t Born Yesterday
“I didn’t just survive. I became. And I’m still becoming.” 🌿 I Wasn’t Born Yesterday I was born again… at fifty-eight. But the world only sees what’s new — the name, the hair, the linen clothes, the long-overdue freedom. What they don’t see — unless I tell them — is what it took to get…
-
The Weight of Silence
Hello darkness, my old friendI’ve come to talk with you againBecause a vision softly creepingLeft its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brainStill remainsWithin the sound of silence– Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel As I prepared dinner tonight, I listened to a special version of Simon and…
-
Un-Inventing Shame
If I, Ava, could un-invent something, it would undoubtedly be shame. For decades, I lived in a world crafted by its heavy, suffocating hands, a world where I felt compelled to hide my true self in the shadows of fear and misunderstanding. Shame became an unwelcome companion, whispering lies about who I was and convincing…
-
My Journey from Codependency to Self-Rediscovery
My life has been a patchwork of transformations—some I chose, while others I barely survived. Growing up, I carried the invisible scars of childhood trauma, the kind that seeps into every corner of your being and whispers lies about your worth. My coping mechanism was codependency. I learned early on that if I could anticipate…
G R A C H E K
Dee Grachek is an author and Presbyterian pastor whose work explores faith, authenticity, identity, and hope through fiction, memoir, and spiritual writing.
Drawing on a life of ministry and personal transformation, Dee writes emotionally honest stories that invite readers to discover grace, courage, belonging, and the enduring power of unconditional love.
Dee is passionate about helping others find the courage to live authentically and discover a God whose love is wider than our fears, with writing marked by emotional honesty, theological depth, and an abiding conviction that every person’s story matters.