the church freed me tonight. i am glad to have felt safe in a candlelit place that i only visit once or twice a year. i used to feel scared in church, but tonight the singing congregation and choir soothed my pained heart. and i prayed for beauty and understanding in myself and the world around me while i took communion. i felt dirty there but the god i believe in watches me and waits for me to figure it out. because who am i if i cannot take the consequences of my actions?