Hearts Unfiltered I: The Unfolding

Welcome to Hearts Unfiltered I— the first breath and first edition of what has become an annual offering. This inaugural edition features stories of loss, pain, hope, and mending, shared by four profound storytellers. May you find something here that speaks to you. Enjoy the unfolding.

Every Gift's a Gift by Tealee A. Brown

In this reflection, Tealee journeys through how her perception of life, especially the search for healing, has been altered with time. She explores the implications of centering others as our primary source toward redemption, versus centering the self as the ultimate vessel and gateway through which we attain true joy and healing.

Fragments of Grief by Bill Ivans Gbafore

Bill let's us into the depth of his heart's wisdom with this one. Exploring Loss, Longing, and Renewal, Fragments of grief documents the writer's lifelong interaction with grief and highlights his many different and ever-shifting perspectives on how we are continuously unmade and remade in grief. We are encouraged to reclaim hope, looking to grief as a tool for revival and growth.

Decentring to Recentre by Anne-Sharlene Murapa

Sharing some of her heart's most intimate wisdom, Anne-Sharlene ventures into her relationship with her Father and how that has over the course of her life influenced the development of her person, how she showed up in relationships, and the work she has been doing to disconnect from trauma-informed patterns.

Daughter / Wound by Nkateko Masinga

This author and poet went searching and discovered that there was still a daughterhood poem in her. Daughter/Wound composes of 6 sets of tercets and is titled after Nkateko's latest poetry collection, "Daughter Wound". The piece is a kind of conclusion of her journey to acceptance in navigating complex mother-daughter relationships