What I have Come to Know

Date 12 August 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
On Knowing Myself I've learned the hard way just how cruel life can be. When I look back on my life up to this point, I can see all the turns I've had to take just to survive. I didn't really understand the turns or what they meant because ...
Read more

Wholeness Includes the Scars

Date 10 August 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
The Whole of a Life People sometimes ask if you’re okay after a loss, and for a long time I found myself saying, “I think I’m doing fine.” It was a strange answer then, and perhaps it still is. Because “fine” was never ...
Read more

Creating Positive Change Through Writing

Date 8 August 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Challenging assumptions and broadening perspectives Personal writing, which is how The CP Diary began, was one person's perspective, but it doesn't necessarily end there. When anyone writes about something personal ...
Read more

Standing In My Own Shoes

Date 5 August 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
The journey from stagnation to self-understanding. People often say, "Walk a mile in my shoes," as a way of asking for understanding. But before anyone else can truly understand us, we must first learn to stand in our ...
Read more

A Childhood Shaped by Silence

Date 3 August 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Before I Had Answers I didn't know there were answers as a child. I lived with the unspoken. I spent time with my thoughts, quietly turning things over, trying to make sense of what I could physically see: little muscle ...
Read more

When the Questions Change

Date 30 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Living with What Happened Understanding is an important part of living with loss and grief. For 16 years, it has been at the heart of my writing. Much of that time has been spent learning about a disability I didn't know I had ...
Read more

Living with Difference

Date 26 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Seen, Misjudged, Rarely Understood For most of my life, I lived in the dark. Not because I didn't know I was different, but because I didn't yet have the understanding to explain why life always felt harder than it seemed to be ...
Read more

The Hidden Effects of Loss

Date 24 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Some consequences aren't immediate, they're cumulative It's five months into four years through twin loss, and I've split another tooth. On its own, it's an ordinary event. But it's an event that made me stop and look back ...
Read more

What Writing Taught Me About Self-Understanding

Date 19 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
How writing became more than a creative outlet When I started writing, I had no idea where it would lead. I simply needed somewhere to put my thoughts – a place to make sense of experiences I struggled to understand ...
Read more

The Courage to Walk Your Own Path

Date 15 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Finding peace through authenticity and self-trust. I have always walked my own path and that takes courage, especially in a world that constantly hands out rule books. Even as far back as a child I was never someone who ...
Read more

Learning to Embrace My Uniqueness

Date 12 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
Different Doesn't Mean Less: Learning to Embrace My Uniqueness "I was born different. It's taken me time to come to terms with that. I'm still learning to embrace my uniqueness – and that's okay." Ilana Estelle Growing up, I often ...
Read more

Finding My Place In My Own Story

Date 8 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle
A personal reflection on identity, late diagnosis and belonging. Six decades is a long time to wait for your own life. I entered the world as a twin. Before we had names, we had roles. Four decades later, I discovered ...
Read more
1 2 3 4 5 … 173

load_more

Subscribe to receive regular updates

Enter your details below to be the first to receive updates on new articles on my blog. 
© The CP Diary • In Dedication of Jesse Bauer | Privacy Policy
Website Design by Fallen Leaf