Brianna da Silva

Category: Faith

Brianna da Silva written by Brianna da Silva
February 24, 2021 2

Reclaiming the temple: Chapter 7

This is Chapter 7 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith. Read Chapters 1 — 6 first.

I saw the boy and his family many times in the next few months.

Here and there, I learned little things about him — examples of his character, personality, and interests — which I hoarded and guarded closely, like a silent dragon clutching treasure in her cave.

I even learned his name.

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Brianna da Silva written by Brianna da Silva
April 18, 2019 2

Reclaiming the temple: Chapter 5

This is Chapter 5 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith. Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 first.

I never really liked calling myself a Christian.

The word felt stuffy to me. It evoked images of stained glass windows, priests in formal robes, and strict rules, none of which were my experience. In short: It made me think of a religion. 

I quite disliked religion, and didn’t think of myself as having one. What I had was a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

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Brianna da Silva written by Brianna da Silva
March 31, 2019 1

Reclaiming the temple: Chapter 4

This is Chapter 4 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith. Read Chapters 1, 2, and 3 first.

In my Spanish 1 class, there was a boy named Daniel.*

Daniel was a smart, redheaded guy who quickly stood out to me. Admittedly, he wasn’t all that physically attractive — largely because adolescence had not been kind to him yet — but unlike all the other boys in my class, who irritated me with their outbursts of immaturity and disrespect, he seemed to have a decent head on his shoulders. He actually cared about learning.

In my book, being the studious, self-righteous snob that I was, such maturity counted for a lot.

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Brianna da Silva written by Brianna da Silva
June 8, 2018 0

Reclaiming the temple: Chapter 3

This is Chapter 3 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith. Read Chapters 1 & 2 first.

I first noticed boys when I started high school.

For me, as a home schooler, “starting high school” meant going to a new co-op (much like a mini private school), where I took classes with other home school students.

I was a hopelessly awkward, unstylish, bumbling adolescent that freshman year, hiding behind mismatched layers and baggy flaring jeans that guarded my figure like an embarrassing secret. My long, curly hair was an unruly tyrant, and a constant source of insecurity.

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Brianna da Silva written by Brianna da Silva
February 3, 2018 2

Reclaiming the temple: Chapter 2

This is Chapter 2 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith. Read Chapter 1 first.

Sex ed is rather straightforward when you’re home schooled.

As the oldest of six kids, I was the first to experience the “Passport to Purity” tradition. (As my mom always joked, I was the “guinea pig” of the family.) When I turned eleven, my mom took me on a special weekend getaway, just the two of us. We watched The Polar Express in the theaters, awestruck by the lifelike visuals. We stayed in our own hotel room.

And we spent long car rides listening to some very intriguing tapes about puberty and… human reproduction.

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Brianna da Silva written by Brianna da Silva
January 27, 2018 0

Reclaiming the temple: Chapter 1

This is Chapter 1 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith.

Since I was a young girl, I always felt something about me was different.

It wasn’t the fact that my personality, interests, and play style were unique among the girls I knew. Luckily, for the first decade of my life I had almost no exposure to the concept of gender roles. I never thought twice about my passion for digging in the dirt in search of worms, my unending itch for adventure, or my fascination with science and history.

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