Last night as we sat on the shore while our kids were ghost crabbing (unsuccessfully btw), I looked up and saw this beautiful sky. It reminded me that no matter how big our troubles may seem, God is so much bigger.
Beyond every sunset is a sunrise waiting to greet us.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
If you are sitting in darkness right now, may we trust that beyond the shadows a new things waiting to rise to brighten our day, like the sun each morning.
With this perspective may we lean into hope in place of fear, anticipation in place of sadness and gratitude in place of discontentment.
💕🙏☀️😊
With love and hope,
Shawn
"It's Not Where But Who You Are With That Really Matters" - DM
New memories being made💝🙏😊
“Turns out it’s not where but who you’re with that really matters.” - Dave Matthews Band
Love him!
Yesterday when I got in the car to move my parents to another state this is what I was greeted by😉
This is what happens when you have a husband who makes you smile - even when you don’t want to😆🙏💝
Road tripping Day 2 here we go.......
🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙
Give Thanks for the Season
One thing I will always be is honest with you. The past couple days were joyful getting out there and sharing the book with others. Yet behind the scenes, the reality is we are finishing packing up my parents to move them in the next couple of days.
This may sound silly for an almost forty year old to be disheartened about moving her parents. Yet the truth is, they have shown up for me in life in so many ways. When I was in the pit of depression and couldn’t get out the door with my two toddlers while Stephen was at work, they were at my door. When I was so low and at risk of harming myself, my dad drove me to my friends baby shower. When my children were born they were at the hospital waiting to meet their grandchildren. They’ve showed up for our children’s activities throughout the years from step up days, concerts to sports events. When I called them on their road trip to tell them I had cancer, they turned the car around and drove sixteen hours to be beside me, Stephen and our kids. They aren’t just my parents, they are love and the people who you want to have around you in life. They celebrate the joyful times with you and sit in the pit beside you. They don’t judge you, they love you for who you are, where you are. They exemplify God’s love and I have been so blessed to have them in town with me for this long. And I know they are a plane ride away but it’s still a change and transitional time.
As I write about in my book I believe The End Is A New Beginning, Life Lesson #53. Although this is the end of this chapter, God is doing something new.
I share this with you, partially for my own therapeutic reasons, and also because we all in one way or another have experienced the end of a season that is near and dear to us.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we give thanks for the season that is now over for what it gave us and taught us. May we open our eyes and hearts to the new beginning ahead of us. Yes, we may need to grieve as we let go of what was, and be okay with not being okay at times. Yet may we trust that God is doing something new and will make good of this ending as we turn the page to the next chapter in our story.
With love and hope,
Shawn
WATR and WTIC Interviews
I am thankful to WATR 1320 and WTIC 1080 for having me on to discuss my book, Our Struggles Have Purpose.
To hear the interviews click HERE
With gratitude and hope,
Shawn
Look Up
I have been uncertain about the path ahead of me. Yet I have found myself in a place of peace this week about my parents upcoming move. Yes, I am at the beach and it is a place of peace but I have come to a place of internal peace.
How?
I fixed my eyes back on God and not the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Also, this week I read how God is at ease right now. He is at ease at all times. Why? Because He knows all is well and all will be well. He can take anything and make good of it. And I wholeheartedly believe that.
I share this with you this morning in case you too have dis-ease within about the uncertainty of your path ahead.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we take our eyes off the problem and put them on God. May the truth that He is at ease right now knowing all is and will be well soothe our soul and give us an internal peace that surpasses all understanding.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Loved People, Love People
On my morning walk yesterday I listened to North Point Community Church podcast. It is my go to to listen to and I always come away with a nugget of wisdom to put into practice in my life.
Today I listened to Part 2 from their series: Three Things I Learned from a Movie I Didn’t Want to See. It’s about the movie Wonder.
The take away I had, and felt compelled to share with you is that “hurt people, hurt people.”
Isn’t that a sad truth?
When someone hurts us, or we hurt someone, it’s usually because there is something within us that has not been dealt with and we pass along the pain.
Clay Scroggins who shared this message, suggested that we learn to “understand others battles so we can love others better.”
I love this because so often we think it is the other person who needs to change for our hearts to be at peace, but what if that’s person who needs to change is us?
We can choose to love or judge others. But what will serve them and our own hearts and minds better? To love.
And when we find ourselves judging I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
And let’s choose to look beyond the behavior and into the heart of the person we are judging. We may never learn someone else’s story but behind every negative word or act is an injured heart.
May we step out of ourselves and into their hurt, even if for a moment, to be able to meet them with greater compassion, kindness and empathy. May we choose to bridge our hurt heart with theirs and see that although our struggles may be different, our struggles have a purpose; and it isn’t to keep us apart, but to bridge our hearts together. May we see each other more transparently and choose to come beside one another with love.
Because loved people, love people💕🙏💕And isn’t that what we need more of in this world?
With love and hope,
Shawn
Another Divine Appointment
After writing my post this morning our family set off for a little getaway. When we arrived at our destination I looked up and saw this street sign next to the place we are staying.
What makes this significant?
My parents are moving to a place called St. James (if you’re still confused, read my previous post).
In my book I call these moments Divine Appointments, when God shows me He is walking this road beside me in life. I am grateful for this lovely appointment that came my way today and made my heart smile knowing God is with me.
I know all is well.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
And remember to keep your eyes and ears tuned in to the Divine Appointments set along your path. God is with you and will speak to you in ways that will resonate with where you are on your walk in faith.
I hope your next divine appointment makes your heart smile like this one did for me today💕🙏😊
With love and hope,
Shawn
A Seed Needs To Break In Order to Grow
I am finding the lessons I wrote about in my book are applicable to the current struggles I am experiencing in life. For example, Life Lesson 18 is A Seed Needs To Break In Order to Grow.
Although my struggle is different currently from when I wrote this life lesson, I am in the process of packing up my parents to move them out of state. I live in my hometown and am currently five minutes away from them. In two weeks, we move them to NC.
I have never lived in my hometown without my parents. At this point in life they are my best friends who are our lunch and dinner dates and my mom is my walking partner. They were by our side every moment during our walk with cancer last year, from driving us to appointments in NYC and Boston to be an extra set of ears to helping keep some sense of normalcy for the kids while I was away.
They are incredible people and I will miss them immensely.
Yes, my heart is broken.
BUT...
If I live there, in my broken heart - which I honestly do some moments and days right now - I am so sad and my heart is too heavy.
What I am trying to see is that God didn't stop this from happening and therefore is doing something new, for them and for me.
Something new is growing. I don't know what but am leaning into God to help keep me upright during this time so I can be beside them and help them pack and move, like they have always been beside me.
I share this with you because although this isn't cancer, it is my truth. And you don't need to share your struggle but please remember, just because your struggle may not be cancer, doesn't mean your truth doesn't matter. Your truth matters here. We are here to meet each other where we each are, with an open, loving heart, free from judgement. This is a place to receive encouragement and be filled with hope.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we all recognize that sometimes we need to break in order for us to grow. Just like a seed, when we are in the pit, God made us with all we ever need within us to grow into what He made us to be. May we use God's love as the sun and His Word as the water that will nourish us and help us grow out of this pit and into that person He made us to be.
I know it is easier said than done but I have found it to be the most beneficial perspective we can take.
With love and hope,
Shawn
P.S. In our Our Struggles Have Purpose book discussion group, we are on Life Lesson 18 today. If you would like to join us, you have time to catch up! We take a break on Sundays to catch up on the reading so you would have the weekend to catch up. They are quick chapters and I have had multiple people say they have read the book in a day, so catching up is definitely possible. It is a lovely group and we'd love for you to be a part of it!
TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION, HERE
AND
TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK HERE
Kate Date
Last summer I read a book that inspired me to give my daughter a special gift for her birthday. I reached out to 12 special women in Kate's life and asked them if they would each take her on a date, one date a month for the year. They all graciously agreed and she has been having memorable experiences every month on her dates with these special women in her life.
Yesterday afternoon I had a moment when I realized that I never set up a date for me with Kate. Yes, we do little things here and there but I wanted to step out of the mundane and pour a little extra love into my daughter's heart.
So last night I surprised her and took her out for dinner and a movie. It was such a special night being able to be just the two of us. I got to listen to and laugh with my girl.
We saw Mama Mia Here We Go Again and man, the second to last scene cut to my core. I sat there quietly crying next to my daughter, grateful to be there beside her, that cancer wasn't the end of our story and that I get to live this life beside her and do things, like date nights with her and pour love into her heart daily.
One of the takeaways from the movie is this quote I want to plant deep in my daughter's heart, "Do what makes your soul shine." These words have such power to them because how many of us get stuck behind the mundane and responsibilities in life and forget that we have a light to offer and shine into the world?
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
And may we all absorb the beauty of this quote. May we remember there is a light within each of us we are meant to shine into the world. May we choose to do what makes our soul shine, and encourage others beside us, like our spouses and children, to do the same.
And if you aren't sure of what it is that makes your soul shine, Ken Coleman shares that "where your passion and your skills intersect is your sweet spot." And I believe in that sweet spot is where you will find your soul shining.
Shine bright friend☀️🙏💕
With love and hope,
Shawn
P.S. The book that inspired me was 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid by Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders. I took a lot more away from this book than this idea in case you are seeking a powerful read as a parent.