A very serious montage of what my face looks like when I take a selfie. It is an art form I am certain.
Selfie Face
I naturally long for intensity. Every fiber of my being cries out for MORE. But in this season my body needs less. Less jumping and running less of that ever glorious heart rate spike. And it’s hard. I’m learning the art of slowing down. The beauty of being aware of my breathing, feeling the stretch of a simple stance. The sweetest surprise in this journey is my tiny humans enjoying and having the attention to join me.
I miss my hiit workouts. But know this is only a season. And I enjoy yoga a little more each time I do it. #30dayyogachallenge #hiitworkout #stretch #adrenalfatigue #healing #yogawithlittles #wellness #raisingasisterhood
Yoga on the sun porch on this magnificent fall day. At church today we talked a bit about what it looks like to live in the wilderness. This is a term that I have used for years to describe where we are in our lives as we parent Emmaus. The Bible gives an amazing example of God leading his people out of slavery into the wilderness- a hard, desolate place- where He never left nor failed to care for them. But He let them be there so they would learn to remember his Goodness. Today we discussed learning to contend with the wilderness- and not simply complain in it.
Y’all- that’s some deep, good stuff. Learning to contend with the wilderness is exactly what Dan and I have spent the last 8 years doing. Sure we complain sometimes, but we have found such beauty and growth in these hard seasons.
This year I have felt God calling me to a place of capacity. To the promised land if you will. But it is a major switch in mindset. It allows for more choices and more space in our lives. It means having the time to get healthy and let ourselves heal fully from the hard we have contended with. It has been a journey years in the making, but it also takes courage to brave a new season. It is so good but stretches muscles we’ve forgotten we even have. (Like said porch yoga)
So if you find yourself in the wilderness- learn to contend, and remember the goodness of the Lord is with you, “in this vast wilderness He has guarded you”. And the promise land is coming. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” @gatheringnetwork #contendingthewilderness #communityovercompetition #specialneedsmom #learningyoga #learningtobreathe #Godsgoodness
There is a rich thread that had been woven through my life. A thread of deep friendship. When I think back on the hurt in my life Friendship has caused some of my deepest pains, but it also has brought fourth really rich relationships with some amazing women.
Women that are willing to work through the hard stuff, and be committed to community. Women who challenge me and love me well. I’m missing a few pics of key players- you know who you are. But man- I’m grateful for this sisterhood of women who surround me, encourage me and push me deeper.
#raisingasisterhood #enneagram8
#christianeducation #rodanandfieldsfriendship #rodanandfieldsconsultant #badassmomtribe #tscwarriormamas #BAMT
I was reminded this weekend about the importance of healthy boundaries in relationships- especially the really important ones. I once I had a good friendship completely deteriorate due to the lack of boundaries on both of our parts. It truly was such a painful experience for both of us and in the end the relationship couldn’t be salvaged. The truth is this- IF YOU CARE ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP SET SOME HEALTHY BOUNDARIES!
A BOUNDARY vs a THREAT
Boundary
*guideline to protect the relationship. *a healthy limit
*built out of respect with both parties in mind *end goal is relational health
Threat
*Made out of frustration *Often is punitive *Comes from a place of retaliation. *Single person focused
#relationalwellness #healthyboundaries #friendshipgoals #selfawareness #communityovercompetition #enneagram8 #bewell
Let’s be honest daylight savings time is the worst. But today we took advantage of the extra hour and the beautiful weather and got A TON of yard work done. Tonight we distracted ourselves with good friends and Brinner to make the evening pass quickly. I’d call it a huge success of a Sunday. #daylightsavings #brinner #community #yardwork #raisingasisterhood
It is a big job to be the sibling to a child with a disability. I have always had the philosophy that we had more kids to give Emmaus the gift of siblings- something we knew would be so good for her development and life. And we knew it would also be a gift to have Emmaus as a sister- as she teaches us all lessons we wouldn’t have otherwise learned.
While all that is true I am also very sensitive to the fact it isn’t easy to be consistently patient, kind, and take the back seat to your sister with a disability. Not to mention being on the other end of Emmaus’ meltdowns- cue hair pulling and hitting. We give our other girls lots of 1on1 time and encouragement when it gets especially hard. We aren’t perfect, but we try to stay consistent with the theme that Emmaus is a joy in our lives and it is our job as her family to love and protect her. I am thankful I get to cultivate a culture of sisterhood among our girls- and pray that God truly binds them into a cord of three strands that isn’t easily broken. #raisingasisterhood #bringingupgirls #specialneedsmom #specialneedssiblings #communityovercompetition #cordofthreestrands
Always a fun night spent with friends and family. Yummy chili, excited kiddos, lots of fellowship. Thankful for this crew. My gma came dressed up like a Russian doll. She’s my fav and teaches me everyday that age is a mindset not a number.
