First of all, you describe childhood crushes so beautifully. But I'm heartbroken by your experience. I was actually just thinking today about all the horrific things I learned in my Christian education. Things I would never repeat today because they were so hateful.

I am so grateful that I had parents who constantly kept me grounded, telling me simply that some of the things I was learning were ignorance and bias. I believed them more than my teachers, and as such, even at the age of 10, I remember silently rebelling against some of the things I was told. I kept thinking: That's not the God I know.

But I was wondering today how many other kids in that room weren't as lucky as I was. How many of them walked out of there hating others...or themselves? I had never thought about that until recently and it's a horrifying thing to imagine.