Joy is a three-letter word that refers to an emotion evoked by well-being, good fortune, or success. It is a feeling, an emotion, or a name associated with happiness, well-being, and a positive outlook on life. My name is Joy, a simple name, only three letters, and yet, it can at times feel like a heavy…
We were married thirteen years before becoming parents. Knowing we had a lot of growing up and learning to do, we first chose to wait. Then, when we thought we were ready, the choice was not ours to make. Years of waiting and longing for this moment, loss of one child by miscarriage, when that…
Recently, my friend Molly spoke at a women’s event. The theme was The God Who Sees You, and she shared the story of the Egyptian slave Hagar. Hagar’s story is found in Genesis chapters 16 through 21; if you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a really challenging story to read. It is tempting to skip…
My Dad has always said, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” as a reminder not to throw something good or valuable away because you are trying to get rid of something unwanted. I’ve been thinking about that phrase and reflecting on how, in our attempts to progress and make improvements, we might…
I held my hands open and released my plans,I told God I’d give him everything and everyone. But let’s be honest,Things were going well that day. Then came the roadblock to my plans,And I closed my hands tightly around those plans as I took them back. Immediately, I began exploring ways to get around, over,…
I recently shared some words on social media that resonate with people. A reminder that in a world that celebrates bigger as better, we have permission to live small and grow deep roots. Later, I was watching my favorite fall movie for the second time this season, You’ve Got Mail, and the words of Kathleen…
![As a task-oriented, get-things-done person, I can find transitions challenging. I know Spring is just around the corner. There have even been days when the weather feels more Spring than Winter making me eager to put away my heavy coat and winter sweaters in favor of spring-like attire. And yet, I am learning the value of sitting in transition, the dance between seasons. I am learning the gift of being fully present in the days of Winter that remain, while also preparing my heart and my home for the Spring that is to come.
As I am learning to live more in rhythm with nature's seasons, I have found myself drawn to books that incorporate seasons into their stories. Often, I pick up a book with seasonal themes I have long ago read and skip to the season we are preparing to welcome. What do I need to remember as I prepare for this coming season?
Recently, I pulled Seasons of the Soul by Michelle Derusha off my dusty shelf, and as I searched for the section on Spring, I landed on words I knew my heart needed to hear. A reminder that my inpatient soul needed, that perhaps your soul needs too.
“The productive, striving, achievement-oriented part of me had no patience for the early March pace of my soul’s rousing. I wanted to get going, put a plan in place, take action, tick goals off my checklist. [] But the soul awakens in much the same way that spring arrives on the Nebraska Prairie—slowly, gently stretching from its long winter's sleep.” Michelle Derusha
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