Today's Liberal News

Emma Williams

Some of Our Most-Read Stories of 2025

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The stories that resonated most with our readers this year include reporting that led the political conversation, analysis that unraveled deep mysteries, and meditations on our evolving culture. Spend time with some of our most popular stories of the year.

What It Means to Be a Mystic Girl

When I was little, I asked God for straight hair. I begged him to persuade my ballet instructor to let me dance en pointe instead of holding me back to give my ankles another year to strengthen. And I prayed that my parents would send me to Camp Mystic.
These are the kinds of things girls think about and talk about with one another, and with God. I grew up in Austin, Texas, and every third girl I knew went to Mystic, the Christian girls’ camp that was devastated by flooding last week.