As someone who has only recently begun contributing to Odyssey, I can honestly say that this is one of the more daunting things I have ever had to do. I pull up the website frequently to look at what people are writing, looking for inspiration and encouragement. But more often than not, I come away thinking to myself that, amid all of the political write-ups and "Open Letter To . . . ", I have no place. That surely there is no room for me amongst the great young writers of my day.

But the incredible thing is that here on Odyssey, it isn't just about who is cut out for this type of stuff. It is about communities, using our words to form the bricks. When I signed on with Odyssey, I was introduced to a team based out of my own hometown. Which means that alongside our discussion over article topics, we talk about local high schools and share family photos.

Odyssey is something so different from anything I have ever experienced. I have blogged for a while now, and blogging can often feel like a lonely sport when one is sitting quietly in a coffee shop, writing for themselves. I have journaled for as long as I can remember, and I have scribbled musings for years, but Odyssey provides writers with a totally new field of opportunities because they have something that no other writing platforms have:

Family.

I know it may seem like a stretch. It may seem overly-sentimental. But I love opening up all of the messages from my team, seeing the encouragement and feedback. It feels like family, the way we talk and encourage and listen to one another. While opening Odyssey on my laptop can make me feel small, this group of like-minded people reminds me that Odyssey isn't for the politically accurate and college-degreed of society.

Odyssey is a place for all of us - experienced, or not; studied, or not; professional, or not. It is a place where so many of us with voices can be heard. It is far from lonely, and it is far from corporate. Odyssey is community and family and people. Real people. We don't get everything right all of the time, and we are still learning how to juggle life and family and school and work. We mess up, and even though many of us feel like Misfit Toys, Odyssey is the island that we all rest upon.

So, thank you Odyssey, for everything. Thank you for the new friends. Thank you for broadcasting our voices. Thank you for opening up avenues that many of us didn't know existed. I think I can speak for all of us when I say I am forever grateful for the family of writers that Odyssey has given me.