A few years ago, when I was in college, I wanted to work at TWLOHA.  I dreamed of a life sleeping in a van or bus, traveling around the country telling people about this vision I believed in.  Then, I arrived, and my job wasn’t really about traveling at all.  I also learned I’m not really designed for being on tour; it is a life of movement, and I am actually a fan of being still.

But sometimes, I get to represent TWLOHA outside of our small Florida town.  Like a couple weeks ago when I went with Jessica to California to visit four organizations and counseling centers.  It’s really important to us to create and sustain a relationship with the organizations and counseling centers we recommend to our supporters.  We hear from people working with resources, and we were very fortunate that last year, four separate centers in California reached out.  I worked with them for months to organize a trip where we could visit all four places in just a few days to get a sense of the work they do and who they are as teams.

I should tell you about the amazing people I met, people who are changing the world with the care they are providing on the west coast.  I should talk about how I met a couple of people who are a part of TWLOHA’s story, people I have heard about for years and finally met in real life.  I should explain how awesome it was to travel with Jessica, who understands when I need to just read a book and not talk to anyone.  I should detail my love for California’s mountains and how its slightly cold weather made a smile spread across my face and stay.  I should tell you about the peace I felt looking out at the Pacific for the first time in my twenty-four years, the quiet way the wind whipped around, and how grateful I was just to be breathing.

But this what I want to share:  “Home is: where I will lay my bones when I die.”

I saw this quote at A Home Within, the first organization we visited.  It was on the first page on an art book, with “Home is:” as a prompt at the top, and there were several sentences that followed that line, scrawled by a child in the foster system, whose age I don’t know and whose face I will never see but whose words stayed with me all the same.

I was reminded that we bring our lives, memories and baggage and aches and chances and expectations, to the table when we color in the lines and add definition to our stories. What would the world look like if we encouraged the differences and appreciated them in each other?  If we made an effort to look at the world from a perspective we may not understand at first?

I don’t know what it’s like to be switched around from family to family without feeling like I belong to one or becoming attached to people only to be taken away from them without warning.  I don’t know what it’s like to live in a group home with other kids who are in the system.  I don’t know what it is to live a life of movement with change an ever-present reality on the horizon.

But I know what it’s like to long for home, a place to feel rooted and safe.

That’s the beginning, this tiny common ground, a small overlap, a thread that connects my story to this stranger’s story, a signpost to remember to share grace.  I am a fan of being still, but these moments on the road are some of my favorite TWLOHA memories, the moments when I remember that sometimes our stories run together.  Thank you, California, for letting yours run into mine.

--whitney

Comments (1) | Posted in General, Journal by Whitney Wilson

In a world where many people wear masks as a way to feel safe, honesty is sometimes hard to find, especially in the world of social media where we can paint our masks carefully. We allow people to see only what we want them to see, except when we have the courage to be vulnerable. Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) writes with such boldness, telling a part of her story with honesty because she believes it's a part of healing. We hope the words below give an invitation for you to do the same.

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If you follow me on twitter you already know that I’ve been battling off one of the most severe bouts of depression I’ve ever had. Yesterday it started to pass, and for the first time in weeks I cried with relief instead of with hopelessness. Depression can be crippling, and deadly. I’m lucky that it’s a rare thing for me, and that I have a support system to lean on. I’m lucky that I’ve learned that depression lies to you, and that you should never listen to it, in spite of how persuasive it is at the time.

When cancer sufferers fight, recover, and go into remission we laud their bravery. We call them survivors. Because they are.

When depression sufferers fight, recover and go into remission we seldom even know, simply because so many suffer in the dark…ashamed to admit something they see as a personal weakness…afraid that people will worry, and more afraid that they won’t. We find ourselves unable to do anything but cling to the couch and force ourselves to breathe.

When you come out of the grips of a depression there is an incredible relief, but not one you feel allowed to celebrate. Instead, the feeling of victory is replaced with anxiety that it will happen again, and with shame and vulnerability when you see how your illness affected your family, your work, everything left untouched while you struggled to survive. We come back to life thinner, paler, weaker…but as survivors. Survivors who don’t get pats on the back from coworkers who congratulate them on making it. Survivors who wake to more work than before because their friends and family are exhausted from helping them fight a battle they may not even understand.

Regardless, today I feel proud.  I survived.  And I celebrate every one of you reading this. I celebrate the fact that you’ve fought your battle and continue to win. I celebrate the fact that you may not understand the battle, but you pick up the baton dropped by someone you love until they can carry it again. I celebrate the fact that each time we go through this, we get a little stronger. We learn new tricks on the battlefield. We learn them in terrible ways, but we use them. We don’t struggle in vain.

We win.

We are alive.

Comments (39) | Posted in General by Jenny Lawson

For the second year in a row, TWLOHA was chosen as the featured charity for the Secret Rooms Golden Globes Gifting Suite. Chloe and I were able to introduce TWLOHA to the celebrities who attended and ask them to be a part of our Fears vs. Dreams Campaign, and thanks to our awesome photographer Jered Scott, we have photos to share with you.

No matter what someone's social status may be, at the end of the day, celebrities are people like us, humans who struggle with an array of different things. Admitting what scares us or what makes us feel alive might be intimidating or embarrassing, but there is power and strength in owning who we are. We're thankful for the attendees who were willing to share their fears and dreams.  May reading them be a reminder that grace is free and everyone deserves it.

--Katie

Comments (1) | Posted in General by Katie Nakken

At the end of our HEAVY AND LIGHT intro video, the crowd stood looking toward the stage, expecting the curtain to open to the first song of the night. Instead? An invitation from a very special poet in the balcony.





Did you know we collaborated with Anis on this special shirt based on another one of his poems? The words to "Shake the Dust" are printed inside the shirt. Watch Anis perform the poem at HEAVY AND LIGHT 2010 by clicking HERE.

To view the shirt in the TWLOHA Online Store, click HERE.

Comments (7) | Posted in General by jamie tworkowski

Did you know that we've released four new videos in the last two weeks? 

Comments (22) | Posted in General, Music by jamie tworkowski

Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.

The ball drops and fireworks. Resolutions are made.
People scream and people kiss and is it possible to change?
Is it really truly possible to leave the past behind?

Welcome to Midnight.

Another year comes to a close. Another year begins.
With a moment in between.
Why the fuss?
Why the fame and fireworks?
Is it more than hype? More than something else to sell us?
Is there something to this holiday? Something true inside it?
Because isn't there something inside us that aches for change...
Dreams it to be possible...
To let go.
To hold on.
To leave it behind.
To start again.
To be new.
Is it possible?

If you're reading this, if there's air in your lungs, then you're alive today tonight right now.
And who can know how long we have here...
And is it a gift? Was it ever a gift? Did that ever feel true or could that one day feel true?
Are there things to fight to live for?
Moments and people... Weddings and children and all your different dreams...
Love...
Is your life more than just your own?
And are there broken things you were made to fight to fix?
Broken families, broken friends... Injustice.
Will you move for things that matter?

Wouldn't it be nice if change took just a moment?
Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy?
Midnight and we're new. Midnight and the past erased. Midnight and we're free.

It seems to come slow. It seems to be a surgery.
Forgiveness. Healing. Sobriety. Letting go. Starting over.
It seems to happen slowly over time.
One day at a time, the choice made new each morning.
Will you fight?
Will you fight to be healthy?
Will you fight to be free?
Will you fight for your story?
Will you fight to get the help you need?

Change takes more than a moment, but maybe there's also something to this celebration of a moment, something to the way it speaks to us, something to the way we fear it, and dream it to be true. Maybe it's the most honest moment of the year.

It's possible to change.

Welcome to Midnight.

Here's to the possibilities.

Peace to You.
jamie

PS: Join the conversation at #welcometomidnight on Twitter.

We're getting together a week from tonight to sing some songs and talk about it. You're invited.

Comments (119) | Posted in General, Music by jamie tworkowski

On October 1st, we started accepting applications for our first ever high school campaign The Storytellers. Below is Part Two of a blog from our coordinating team for The Storytellers. Katie shares a bit about a high school friend and why co-leading The Storytellers matters to her.  (To read Part One, click here.)

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During my junior year of high school, I went to a basketball game with a group of friends. After the game, a bunch of us went to my friend Jessi's house. I had never talked to Nick before. I knew who he was, and we had friends in common, but our paths hadn’t crossed until that night. I spent the better part of the evening sitting on a couch, talking with and getting to know him. He was unbelievably genuine and incredibly funny.

It was the first and last conversation I’d have with Nick—six months later he died by suicide. I’ll never forget receiving that phone call just a few days before starting senior year. His death came as a surprise to everyone. I couldn’t piece together anything that made sense. Nick’s close friends knew there were some problems at home, but no one knew the deep loneliness he felt.

Losing him made me fully understand the concept of what’s going on in someone’s heart may not reflect what we see on the outside.

I’m passionate about The Storytellers because it’s a way to encourage your friends and classmates during a time that can be really difficult. It’s a starting point to a conversation that may otherwise never happen, a conversation that can change, and sometimes even save, a life. My hope for The Storytellers is that it helps high school students connect with each other beyond the superficial layers seen in the hallways.

—Katie

--

We believe in the power of high school students. You all have a voice that can change your communities. We hope you will join us for the first term of The Storytellers or pass this along to someone you know that might be interested (in case you’re not in high school anymore). 

The idea is simple: invite people who are passionate about TWLOHA, who have a unique platform every day of the school year, to tell our story.  You, the high school students, get to use your creativity to decide how to tell the story, and we give you the resources to raise awareness and funds for an organization that matters to you. 

Applications can be submitted here until January 15, 2012. The first term will begin on February 1, 2012 and conclude on May 15, 2012. You can find more specific information here. For any questions, please read our FAQ section, and if you don’t see an answer to your question there, please email thestorytellers@twloha.com. 

With Love,
Chloe and Katie

P.S. We’re proud to announce the first 85 high schools accepted into The Storytellers. Two countries and 30 states, as far as Alaska, are represented in the list below. 

Welcome, Storytellers. : ) 

North Mac High School
Mauston High School
Topsail High School
Gulf High School
The Visual and Performing Arts Center High School & Early College
Minarets High School
Western Reserve Academy
Bradford Area High School
Canyon Ridge High School
Eau Gallie High School
Buchholz High School
Regina High School
Hulett High School
Franklin Community High School
Alamogordo High School
Bluefield High School
Licking Heights High School
Soddy Daisy High School
Pueblo Central High School
George Washington High School
Hemet High School
Putnam County High School
Alvirne High School
West Islip High School
Andover High School
East Hall High School
Wrangell High School
Richmond High School
Coopersville High School
Dysart High School
Colorado High School
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School
Marengo Community High School
Bergen County Academies
Morgan County High School
Decorah High School
Portal High School
Positive Outcomes Charter School
St. Elizabeth High School
Keith Country Day School
Mountain Vista High School
Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
Kennett High School
River Hill High School
Perrysburgh High School
John Paul II Catholic High School
Felicity-Franklin High School
Hermitage High School
Charter School of Wilmington
Bloomfield High School
Milton High School
Mountain View High School
East Rutherford High School
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Cole Valley Christian High School
Oakville High School
Pinckney Community High School
Scranton High School
AlWood High School
Celebration High School
Sherman High School
South Sumter High School
Oklahoma Christian School
North Davidson High School
Western Branch High School
Methacon High School
Udall High School
Billerica Memorial High School
école Secondaire Cochrane High School
Mackenzie Mountain School
Central Collegiate
Delta Secondary School
Serrano High School
Camden County High School
The Athenian School
Woodland Regional High School
Sebring High School
Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy
Waterloo West High School
Benjamin Franklin High School
Lawton High School
SOAR High School
Sanborn Regional High School

Comments (11) | Posted in General by Katie Nakken

On October 1st, we started accepting applications for our first ever high school campaign The Storytellers. Below is Part One of a blog from our coordinating team for The Storytellers. Chloe shares a bit about her own high school experience and why she is so excited to co-lead the program.  Check back next Wednesday to hear from Katie.

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My first day of high school was in August of 2001. I feel old just saying that, even though I’m only 24. Despite the fact that it has been a decade since I started high school and six years since I graduated, I can still remember what it felt like to be a high school student struggling with anxiety and depression. I remember how even with my close group of friends and loving family, I didn’t feel I could share with them what I was going through. I didn’t understand why I felt anxious and sad when, for the most part, my life was good. I had great grades, played sports, spent the majority of my free time with friends and family. I had a car, two jobs, and a boyfriend.

And yet I was uncomfortable in my own skin.

I was scared. Unsure. Frustrated. Confused.

I also didn’t know this was something a lot of other people were going through. For some people, high school is a place where they feel alive, flourish, and achieve. For others, it’s a struggle, a land of bullies and loneliness.

TWLOHA has answered thousands of messages from high school students over the years. There have been sad stories and happy stories. Our hearts have both ached and rejoiced. Your words motivated our team to create a program specifically for high school students. The Storytellers is important because it actively engages high school students to share their story, talk about the things often kept in secret, bring the TWLOHA message to their campus, and most importantly, live life with other people. I feel lucky to be a part of making those things a reality.

—Chloe

--

We believe in the power of high school students. You all have a voice that can change your communities. We hope you will join us for the first term of The Storytellers or pass this along to someone you know that might be interested (in case you’re not in high school anymore).

The idea is simple: invite people who are passionate about TWLOHA, who have a unique platform every day of the school year, to tell our story.  You, the high school students, get to use your creativity to decide how to tell the story, and we give you the resources to raise awareness and funds for an organization that matters to you.

Applications can be submitted here until January 15, 2012. The first term will begin on February 1, 2012 and conclude on May 15, 2012. You can find more specific information here. For any questions, please read our FAQ section, and if you don’t see an answer to your question there, please email thestorytellers@twloha.com.

With Love,
Chloe and Katie

P.S. We’re proud to announce the first 75 high schools accepted into The Storytellers. Two countries and 29 states, as far as Alaska, are represented in the list below.

Welcome, Storytellers. : )

North Mac High School
Mauston High School
Topsail High School
Gulf High School
The Visual and Performing Arts Center High School & Early College
Minarets High School
Western Reserve Academy
Bradford Area High School
Canyon Ridge High School
Eau Gallie High School
Buchholz High School
Regina High School
Hulett High School
Franklin Community High School
Alamogordo High School
Bluefield High School
Licking Heights High School
Soddy Daisy High School
Pueblo Central High School
George Washington High School
Hemet High School
Putnam County High School
Alvirne High School
West Islip High School
Andover High School
East Hall High School
Wrangell High School
Richmond High School
Coopersville High School
Dysart High School
Colorado High School
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School
Marengo Community High School
Bergen County Academies
Morgan County High School
Decorah High School
Portal High School
Positive Outcomes Charter School
St. Elizabeth High School
Keith Country Day School
Mountain Vista High School
Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
Kennett High School
River Hill High School
Perrysburgh High School
John Paul II Catholic High School
Felicity-Franklin High School
Hermitage High School
Charter School of Wilmington
Bloomfield High School
Milton High School
Mountain View High School
East Rutherford High School
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Cole Valley Christian High School
Oakville High School
Pinckney Community High School
Scranton High School
AlWood High School
Celebration High School
Sherman High School
South Sumter High School
Oklahoma Christian School
North Davidson High School
Western Branch High School
Methacon High School
Udall High School
Billerica Memorial High School
Serrano High School
Lewis and Clark High School
école Secondaire Cochrane High School
Mackenzie Mountain School
Central Collegiate
Delta Secondary School
Burnaby North Secondary School

Comments (18) | Posted in General, Journal by Chloe Grabanski

This weekend, the TWLOHA team said goodbye to a very special group of people. It’s hard to even know what to write about the Fall 2011 Interns leaving; their contribution to TWLOHA as an organization and to our team has been monumental. They walked with us through a major transition, moving our office from Cocoa to Melbourne; they were our nomad interns, living in three very different houses between August and December; they answered a total of 1,814 messages during their time here, sharing a message of hope each time they clicked “send.”

And they just helped us win a $1 million grant that will help provide countless individuals with hope and healing, as well as treatment and recovery.

The Fall Interns were arguably the most diverse group of interns TWLOHA has ever hosted. But even though the six of them grew up on four different continents, they put their hearts and souls into this idea of community that is so important to this internship, and they have created something entirely unique and special for themselves: a group of people that will fight for each other and continue to choose to do the hard work of loving one another. And they have the tools to take the principles of building healthy community back to their homes.

Thank you Raquel, Abi, Barry, Joel, Lindsey, and Jeung Hwa for spending these months with us. Our hearts break as you leave us, but we take joy in knowing that you have become a part of our TWLOHA family during your time here. Even as we say goodbye, we know that you are not leaving entirely. The effect you’ve had on us cannot be erased, and we’re definitely okay with that.

Emmi
Intern Program Director

Comments (2) | Posted in General, Journal by Emmi Scott

Four months ago, a 14 year-old named Jonah Mowry made a video. He wrote on index cards and held them in front of the camera, one after another, owning his words bravely for the world to see. The world is seeing it. The video is seemingly everywhere this week, and we think it's great. We are proud to share it with you.

Jonah is in eighth grade and no stranger to being bullied at school. He shares his journey through school, how bullying started in first grade and never stopped. There at the end, he acknowledges that things can't keep going the way they've been going, but his recognition doesn't imply defeat, rather it fuels his fight for his own story. He is stronger than giving up. He is worth more than giving up. He has a million reasons to live. In the dark, tangled up in his fears, Jonah seizes his own strength.

It is a hard road to find and hold on to the truths Jonah finds and holds in his video, and some of us don't know how to get to the strength locked within ourselves. And it is in this place that I'm reminded that we need each other, that hope and goodness and truth and love, definitely love, can change a life.

People need you.
You need people.

What would the world look like if we lived like we believe in that? What would the world look like if we helped each other find the strength locked up within us? If, instead of tearing each other down with hate, we built each up with truth and love?

What would happen if we simply used our words for kindness?

Your words have power, and the way you shape them matters. Use them carefully, and use them often.

Wishing you hope and grace.
whitney

Comments (41) | Posted in General by Whitney Wilson