I've lost count of how many pity parties I've thrown for myself through the years. It seems on any given day, I can easily create a mental list of things that didn't go right, problems I didn't deserve and blessings someone else received instead of me. It doesn't take much. When I'm vulnerable, emotional or tired. When I've been so busy spinning my wheels that I forget to slow down and breathe. Or when I'm stuck in the muck of comparison. My thoughts carry me to dark places before I even realize they're in control - instead of me. During these times, I'm not a good judge of all the good in my life. Because I've spent too much time focusing on all the "less than" in my life. And I have a feeling I'm not alone in this. Sometimes those "less than's" take up so much space in our Continue Reading
7 Perfect Fresh Start Scriptures to Reset Your Soul
Summer is the perfect time for fresh starts. Everything around us is spilling over in full life, and it’s the time my heart is most receptive to growth. I’m not striving to keep up. I’m not hustling to get to the finish line. My reset takes place during the slow, quiet exhale of summer. I feel it in the warm hugs of sunshine and in the cool rumbles of afternoon thunderstorms. It’s a soothing, open awareness of all that’s alive and new around me and in me. I think of summer as my seeding season. The time that aligns with my soul’s most natural active growth. I’m sure it stems from motherhood and intentionally protecting the summer for both myself and my kiddos to completely decompress. To hang loose and do whatever felt right at the time, We woke when the sun was higher on the horizon Continue Reading
3 Questions to Get Back to Your Happy Place
I'm back from China, and #SummerReset is back on track with 3 happy place questions I think are vital for discarding the unnecessary baggage from the past seasons and resetting our frame of mind and perspective. When I think of my happy place, several things come to mind...family gatherings, music, books and good conversation. I feel most at home with a full house, plenty of good food and lots of chatter. But I need time to pull away, relax and recharge. What stops me is usually my own clutter. Lists unchecked. Mistakes unresolved. Dreams unmet. Unlike some, my timeline begins with the school year. It's always been that way. All of my pouring out and expending of energy takes place from August through May. By the time June arrives, my brain needs as much decluttering as my Continue Reading
8 Ways to Create an Out-of-the-Ordinary Summer
There is something to be said for "out of the ordinary." It brings a certain freshness and spontaneity that is so necessary in resetting our life, especially during the summer months. As much as I love intention and routine, my creature of habit tendencies carry me into ruts before I'm ever aware I'm there. My days become predictable, my disposition is snarky, and life, in general, feels stale. I know the signs when my energy drops and my creativity dries up. It's time to change things up. It's time to reset. Seven months ago, after living in the same home for 22 years, we sold. It was a whirlwind sale, and it sold to the first family who came knocking. I didn't have time to second guess or cry over painted covered measurements of each child's years of growth. We pitched, we Continue Reading