Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Reading: Psalm 145 As a child, my family didn’t celebrate Advent. There was no candled wreath, no calendars, no nightly traditions. But, in our own way, we still created space. We put together our ancient artificial tree, sprinkled fake “snow” over the tops of bookcases, …
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware – Martin Buber It’s 2009 and I’m a junior in college. In my dorm room, the chill of winter slowly melting into spring, I’m packing a bag. I hold up different items, weighing their effectiveness in keeping me cool. I’m traveling south, spending spring …
I’m kind of all over the place, and I need grounding – Courteney Cox This past weekend was World Mental Health Day. With all that’s happening in the world, mental health has been a hot topic of conversation. And for good reason; 2020 is testing all our limits. Nearly every facet of our lives has …
Grief is the price we pay for love – Queen Elizabeth II Warning: This post deals with the sensitive content of miscarriage and grief. Please protect your heart, friends. A year ago, we were expecting a baby. It was a surprise, and while we had discussed “trying to start trying,” it was still a few …
Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself – Samuel Butler Friends, in the spirit of honesty, I have a confession to make. Writing is hard for me. Ok – so writing is hard for a lot of people. But as someone who feels a tug on her heart to share via the written …
Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action – Peter Drucker Every quarter, I follow Emily P. Freeman’s practice of reflection. It was only in the last few years that I realized how much I learn about myself through reflection. As an avid journaler, I might have …
There are things I can’t force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest changes needed is a change of my viewpoint. – Denis Diderot Whew! You did it! Maybe you flew across the country, or across the world, and are still waiting on your household goods to arrive. Maybe you loaded up the …
With organization comes empowerment – Lynda Peterson Moving seems to attract paperwork. If you’re a military family, that paperwork seems to double, sometimes overnight. It’s imperative during a PCS to stay organized. Inevitably, an office will ask you for a copy of something you didn’t think you needed, so it’s better to be prepared. While …
Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want. – Kristin Armstrong My first PCS move left me wondering why we owned so much stuff. Our small shipment of unaccompanied baggage …
All great changes are preceded by chaos – Deepak Chopra In spring 2018, I embarked on the biggest, and longest, adventure of my life. Husband and I relocated to Japan with the military. Moving is one of the most exciting, and most heartbreaking and stressful parts of military life. As a new military spouse going …
