It’s Not Me, It’s You

If you’re a human with the capacity to love, then you have experienced betrayal. You have felt the words that people have spoken to you and believed them with all that you have. You have trusted those whom you once could rely. However, in one brief moment out of nowhere, they pulled the rug out…

Do I REALLY Need Girl Friends?

Sometimes it seems easier to have all guy friends than to invest in relationships with other women. Let’s be real, they’re usually less drama, their words are never veiled with hidden meanings or insults and if they do get into an argument, they throw a few punches and then are back to being best friends…

I Am Not the Sum of my Achievements

What’s your name? Have you ever stopped to consider how something as simple as your name can carry so much significance? We don’t choose it, we don’t assign it a meaning, but we do recognize the weight it can carry. My full name is Erick Omar Marquez. The name Erick has Norse roots and it’s…

If you aren’t yourself, then who are you

Have you ever experienced someone making fun of the way you simply are? Maybe it’s the way you dress, talk, smile, laugh, or maybe you’ve been made fun of for the things you enjoy doing?  Being disrespected can form hurtful wounds that may cause you to want to hide; not only from those who have…

How to Reclaim Our Identity and Beauty

“In my deepest wound I saw your glory, and it dazzled me.”  St. Augustine If you are anything like me, I love chick flicks and Disney movies! For so many years my expectations of love and men came from what I learned from, The Wedding Planner or my all-time favorite How to lose a guy…

Reality Check

Have you ever walked out of a movie theater feeling like you don’t know where you are anymore? It’s pretty confusing! You’re suddenly thrown back into the real world with no way to process all the images and emotions you just experienced. Usually that makes me want to just go home and take a nap…

Abortion: Is It a Man’s Issue or a Woman’s Issue?

The landmark case of Roe v. Wade—which granted women the legal right to terminate a pregnancy—was decided with the intention to “free” women. Today, however, this is far from the truth. Paradoxically, the opposite is true. Men are freed from their actions and responsibility, and in turn women are enslaved. Abortion removes responsibility from the…

Masculine Femininity?

I have always been a self-proclaimed tom-boy. I played soccer on the playground with the boys every day of elementary recess, gym class has always been my favorite, and I’ve never been one for dressing up. I’m not going to lie – there were many times as a young girl that I wished I could…