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November 2019

Come as You Are

I’ve just arrived at my sister’s house today after traveling halfway across the country for Thanksgiving. I’m so happy to be here! My family, her family, our parents, brothers and sisters-in-law are coming together to celebrate the holiday. As our families come together this week, it has made me think about how valuable and important it is to accept people for who they are. No family is perfect, and no person is perfect, but each one is who they’re meant to be.   Of course, I’ve grown in this area, and self-care is still important. Sometimes we have to take time for ourselves and set our boundaries. But today, right now, I’m really happy to have the kooky cast of characters that is my family. I love...

Hope in Things Unseen

In times of sadness or confusion, it helps me to remember that we are part of a greater, Godly reality. This week I've felt the pressure of parenting, career, finances, marriage, and holiday stress. It's easy to get lost in the tangible world and lose the tether to our greater reason for being here. While I love the bliss I experienced when I initially had my encounter with the Divine, and I attempt to connect to that peace regularly through prayer and meditation, I'm just not always going to feel that connected, joyful, and peaceful. This week was one of those times. I have felt stress. I have worried. I have wished for peace. When that happens, as it does, it helps me to get still, breathe,...

Doing Things you Love

When the world seems to be mired in suffering, it can feel selfish and a little pointless to do the things you love, but it is at those times that your joy is most important. The world benefits as much as you do from your healing, loving, shining heart. What brings you to that place of joy? What helps you feel love? When I was at my most depressed, I didn’t even know what joy felt like, much less what could help me feel it. I remember for a while, the only thing that helped me feel better was singing Christmas carols. So I did that. Over time I’ve found more and more things that bring me joy. Healing has been an interplay of moving towards joy,...

Forgiving Yourself

What does it mean to forgive yourself? In my life, forgiving myself means returning my heart to the true love of God, stopping the negative self-talk reels that can loop again and again in my mind, and having a soft approach to myself and my heart. It can be so easy to be so hard on ourselves when we’re faced with past mistakes and let downs, but we all need to remember that we’re all here to learn, grow, and become. We weren’t born knowing everything – that’s why we were born. “Hurt people, hurt people.” – Will Bowen This wise quote has truly helped me to remember that the times when I’d acted out and hurt others in the past were truly out of my own...