(M) About me!

Hi! I'm the author of this book, McKayla Osborne. I'm 14 years old and I'm becoming a sophomore this year! I ended up writing this book because of something I was going through with my friend and myself. At first this wasn't supposed to be a book at all and was just a journal for how I was feeling when I was on break with that person. But I read a bit of it to my mom (chapter one, chapter two and a little bit of chapter three) and she encouraged me to make it into a book! This was my first book, and honestly, I probably did this really out of order but this is more about sharing my story than anything else. 

During my break with my friend, I became closer to God than I ever have been before. I'm a follower of Christ and of course, I'm still working on myself and trying to walk through my faith, and honestly, me going through this situation with this person made me closer to God. I've experienced a lot of emotions throughout all of this and if I went through this whole thing without God, I wouldn't be here today.

Jesus has become an important figure in my life due to the people that encouraged me to continue my walk with Him. My church family has provided me with God given advice when I was going through this and I thank them so much for being there for me.

Some questions may arise as to why I ended up name dropping.. and honestly it's because I don't really care that much as to what could come up if it's by him. I'm sharing something that has influenced my life so heavily to where this whole situation was my last straw. 

Another question may arise as to how this can be so profound for a 14 year old in ways of experience or in writing. Well, I've been through a lot; experiences, emotions, situations and I've never been good at expressing my feelings with anything or anyone, such as family or friends. Which I guess made me able to express it in this way; writing! A few of my friends have gotten a glimpse of a few chapters and I've seen a lot of them get emotional from it and some of them relate. I want to share my story so people realize it's ok to talk about how you're feeling and speaking up for yourself isn't always as bad as you think it might be! Even if you think other people may assume it's not that big of a deal, remember the experience you went through, it wasn't them that went through it. God knows all of your hurt and pain of the things you've experienced. And what you experience can show, tell, and even help someone go through something themselves.

Also some metaphors, phrases, references from other chapters, explanations of chapters, and other things might have not reached some people! So I'll also be explaining that in the next few pages if you would like to know more about why I used these metaphors or anything, feel free to continue reading!

Writing this book was both challenging and at times, extremely fun. I often wrote late at night when I felt the most reflective. As I had said before, this was a journal at first, which helped me organize my thoughts and emotions, turning them into the chapter you read now! 

I'm currently working on my next book, which will explore the theme of growing up too fast and the emotional toll it can take on a young kid. Some kids don't understand how much of a mental change in maturity happens when a young kid is forced to grow up sooner than actually allowing the kid to be a kid. This isn't just about the responsibilities some kids have to take on as young teens. Such as taking care of their siblings, becoming the adult in the house when their parents weren't, or high expectations of the parents or people around them. It also covers how experiences can really change people. How much of an impact, unknown or even known trauma, has on teens. Although, it is from my own standpoint, I hope it reaches people in some ways, just like this book!

As a reminder to everyone who has gone through a similar experience, hasn't gone through it at all, and people who just need to hear it: Remember that it's okay to prioritize your own well-being and emotional health. It's important to recognize your worth and not let someone else's actions define your value. Although healing does take time, don't rush it.

 It would be like just covering a wound with a bandaid without thoroughly cleaning it first. It's crucial to be kind to yourself during the process of being healed. Yes, that is easier said than done, but when you get to know Jesus, give your life to Him, it becomes so much easier because He becomes the source of your joy. 

Not just your happiness, but His joy starts to fill you. You'll feel loved, unconditionally. You don't have to rely on someone else to bring you happiness when God becomes the center of your life because He WILL show you what it's like to be loved properly, He WILL show you how much joy can fill your life when you accept Him and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, He WILL show you how much He can heal you when you never thought you could be healed from that experience, He WILL show you the wonders and miracles He can and WILL do in your life.  

I don't even know the half of it, but I can tell you that, I'm so excited to experience it and for anyone who is reading this and wants to accept Jesus Christ into their life, I'm going to be so excited with and for you. 

Thank you for reading and giving me support just by reading. You listened to my story and I'm grateful for it. God bless you! And have a wonderful day or night! 

(thank you so much for reading! I'll post the extra part if you guys would like. Also please give me feedback and how this made you guys feel for people who finished it!🫰🏽🫰🏽)