I’ve been thinking a lot about time the past few months, especially how I spend my time and if I’m making the most of the time given in each day. Life cycles through seasons of excessive time and never enough time. It seems strange to acknowledge, but too much time, where I wonder how in …
As we enter another holiday season, I’m reminded of the reality that the anticipation of the celebrations and the initial enthusiasm for the traditions can sometimes be derailed by the nuance and contradictions of the season. Excitement can be deflated by stress and unrealistic expectations. The busyness of the holidays can distract from the joy of the season. While navigating this year’s festivities , I took the opportunity to reflect on a past post, “The Little Things”, and to revisit the question of “What is saving your life right now?”
As we mark our third blogiversary of The Unexpected Ever Afters, I’m reminded of our goal and mission for this blog: to establish connections, to share stories of everyday life, to support and encourage one another, to remind that we are not alone in our thoughts, anxieties, hopes, and dream; that together, we can tear down isolating boundaries and build connections. In a way, our mission really is about friendship.
Words have power. In many ways, I believe words have the ability to change the world; I know they have certainly changed me.
We understood that genuine connection with others through shared vulnerability can make a huge difference in combating both comparison and isolation. After thoughtful deliberation, we determined we were ready to dive into a shared blog as an attempt to both share that feeling of connection with others as well as provide an outlet for our interest in writing. Despite my “stage fright” of others reading my writing, I felt a surge of confidence knowing that I was not entering into the journey alone.
Whether it is navigating through writing as a tool to process my experiences and perspectives, sharing my writing with others looking for connection, or opening myself up to feedback to improve my writing, I have found one of the highlights of writing to be GRACE.
Hope has brought renewed opportunities to reflect on and process the past season; to leave the lonely routines of COVID uncertainty and create new rhythms of joy and hope.
As I reflected on this transition to a new season, one question in particular kept repeating in my mind: What might it feel like to grow out of the season of uncertainty and lean into a season of hope?
Even as an adult, I have found that many children’s books offer gentle, hope-filled reminders that I need in my own life.
Every time I hear this question, I think of something that fills my heart with gratitude and supports the shift in my mindset. So, I would like to pose the question to you, “What is saving your life right now?” To start the conversation, I will share some of the things on my list:
the unexpected ever afters 