<![CDATA[Stories by Shayla Renae 💖 on Medium]]> https://medium.com/@shaylarenae?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/fit/c/150/150/1*GYDO3NLBoXzpRfkffXCR-Q.jpeg Stories by Shayla Renae 💖 on Medium https://medium.com/@shaylarenae?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 Medium Wed, 11 Nov 2026 22:21:21 GMT <![CDATA[We Grew Up in the Same Home — We Did Not Have the Same Outcome]]>

My brother and I lived through the same childhood trauma, but it followed us down very different paths.

Continue reading on Know Thyself, Heal Thyself »

]]> https://medium.com/know-thyself-heal-thyself/we-grew-up-in-the-same-home-we-did-not-have-the-same-outcome-c2c75725f761?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/c2c75725f761 Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:06:01 GMT 2026-11-10T19:50:14.512Z <![CDATA[When Love Comes in Breadcrumbs]]>

I spent years trying to understand people who hurt me. Now I am trying to understand why I kept reaching back.

Continue reading on Catharsis Chronicles »

]]> https://medium.com/catharsis-chronicles/when-love-comes-in-breadcrumbs-accdcd81c053?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/accdcd81c053 Thu, 05 Nov 2026 02:01:47 GMT 2026-11-10T19:31:21.977Z <![CDATA[I Thought No One Would Come]]>

Two years later, I can see that the night I expected to feel invisible was one of the first signs I had finally found where I belonged.

Continue reading on Hope, Healing, and Humour »

]]> https://medium.com/hope-healing-and-humour/i-thought-no-one-would-come-4667db66358d?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/4667db66358d Tue, 03 Nov 2026 06:39:04 GMT 2026-11-03T16:40:51.519Z <![CDATA[Six Organs Gone. Am I Still a Woman?]]>

My body changed again. My identity had to catch up.

Continue reading on ILLUMINATION »

]]> https://medium.com/illumination/six-organs-gone-am-i-still-a-woman-2cfbe48bf6c0?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/2cfbe48bf6c0 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 14:48:01 GMT 2026-11-01T15:46:00.655Z <![CDATA[The Distance Between Longing and Belonging]]>

COVID taught me how to stay connected from a distance. I’m still learning how to feel close again.

Continue reading on Middle-Pause »

]]> https://medium.com/middle-pause/the-distance-between-longing-and-belonging-6b5115218a2f?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/6b5115218a2f Sat, 31 Oct 2026 19:33:54 GMT 2026-10-31T22:03:05.655Z <![CDATA[I Wasn’t Just Trying to Prepare. I Was Trying to Feel Safe]]>

One unfinished school schedule sent me into a weeklong shutdown and taught me something about my need for control.

Continue reading on Dancing Elephants Press »

]]> https://medium.com/dancing-elephants-press/i-wasnt-just-trying-to-prepare-i-was-trying-to-feel-safe-1812320c5260?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/1812320c5260 Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:04:27 GMT 2026-08-10T14:56:18.431Z <![CDATA[When Everything Went Wrong at Grammy’s House]]>

Our carefully planned visit disappeared, but something more meaningful took its place.

Continue reading on Hope, Healing, and Humour »

]]> https://medium.com/hope-healing-and-humour/when-everything-went-wrong-at-grammys-house-2e401588b4be?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/2e401588b4be Sun, 02 Aug 2026 04:16:40 GMT 2026-08-03T01:50:52.432Z <![CDATA[Is AI Really So Different From Sliced Bread?]]>

We have always embraced inventions that make life easier. The question is what we give up when convenience starts doing the thinking for…

Continue reading on Dancing Elephants Press »

]]> https://medium.com/dancing-elephants-press/is-ai-really-so-different-from-sliced-bread-d5ad813e9dc0?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/d5ad813e9dc0 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:24:47 GMT 2026-07-27T19:31:33.902Z <![CDATA[I Wanted to Quit When My Teaching Assignment Changed]]>

After the shock wore off, I realized I could not control the decision, but I could control what I chose to notice.

Continue reading on Hope, Healing, and Humour »

]]> https://medium.com/hope-healing-and-humour/i-wanted-to-quit-when-my-teaching-assignment-changed-cbdd49acabf6?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/cbdd49acabf6 Sun, 26 Jul 2026 01:45:05 GMT 2026-07-26T02:31:43.711Z <![CDATA[It’s 12 AM, Put on Your Mask]]>

A Mama’s Midnight Vigil

Continue reading on Modern Women »

]]> https://medium.com/modern-women/its-12-am-put-on-your-mask-eda6b71e7c83?source=rss-895d9b68cb16------2 https://medium.com/p/eda6b71e7c83 Sat, 25 Jul 2026 22:38:46 GMT 2026-07-25T23:37:18.496Z