On this couch to marathon journey, I am realizing so much of the battle is the first step out the door. There are so many reasons not to go that are loud in my mind. I find that noise sometimes makes it hard to tune into the reasons to go.
I share this with you today because this truth isn’t just about running, it applicable to life.
Often when we step into an unknown, something that is hard or something where we may fail, there are thousands of reasons not to do it.
Can you relate?
If so, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let’s pray to tune out the noise and instead tune into God. Let’s pray for Him to lead us and give us what we need to take that step of faith forward unknown. For when we do, we may experience an inner refinement that is transformational, as I am experiencing on this running journey.
With love and hope,
Shawn
A Prayerful Walk
For years I sat beside this group of moms on the sidelines of baseball fields. Friendships grew and through the years we’ve become like sisters; not seeing each other all the time but we know we are here for one another.
One of these wonderful moms, Maria, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. She is in the midst of her radiation treatments right now. Maria is a listener, a giver, a gentle soul with a strong of heart who loves others so well and who has the best laugh. When she was diagnosed, this beautiful community of women showed up for her. The day we took this picture we had surprised her with a bunch of us waiting for her on the trails to let her circles of love become visible to her. One friend who has moved, even FaceTimed in.
I share this with you today to ask for healing prayers for Maria and for her family as they journey through this with her.
I also share this as a reminder that even when our lives may be filled with activities for our kids, it may not only be about them. We may find that God places people on the sidelines beside us who become like family, who will prayerfully walk beside one another through the ups and downs of life - as He did for me with this loving group of baseball moms.
With care and hope,
Shawn
Let's Pause. Breathe. Pray.
I invite you to join me to…
pause.
breathe.
pray.
Then, let’s choose to live out love towards one another through our words and actions.
This may not make a difference…
but what if it does?
With love and hope,
Shawn
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
- Romans 12:10
Follow His Path, Not our Own
On one of our hikes we ended up being hit by a hail storm. We were another half mile or so from the peak hike and with the dark skies ahead, we decided to turn back and not finish the hike.
For people who know me well, and who have walked (and now run) with me, know I am the girl who needs to hit the end line and then turn to go back to where I started. Stopping short of the mark makes me feel uncomfortable on the inside. I knew not finishing this hike was not what I wanted but what was what we needed to do.
On the walk down we came to a section the trail that was steep, narrow, and slippery. As we turned the corner there was a woman on the ground. I asked if she needed help and she said yes. I held her hand and guided her to her feet. Then she told me her daughter was stuck too. So Stephen helped the woman and I helped the daughter walk down the slippery slope.
(Please know I am not sharing this because we helped them, but because of what God taught me through this.)
If I had followed my pride, we would have continued on the hike to get to the end. But wisdom won and we turned around, as humbling as that was for me.
By following wisdom instead of my own desires, we were able to be there to help this mother and daughter navigate their way down after they had been stuck there for a while.
I share this with you today as we all get detoured from our plans. Yet what if our detours were God’s way of allowing us to be His hands and feet to lend a hand to someone else who had a need?
I invite you to join me today to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
When our plans get derailed or we need to take a detour, may we take a deep breath and let go of the tension that causes within us. And in its place, may we turn to God and pray for Him to show us on this new path if there is some place He is guiding us to be a vessel of His love towards others.
With love and hope,
Shawn
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps- Proverbs 16:9
Let's Go Slow
This morning I was at the grocery store. I had a small cart of items. There was one lane open and I figured I’d go to it. When I turned the corner, I saw a man with a cart full of items. I quickly turned away to head to self checkout.
On the way I paused.
Why was I rushing to check out?
Reflecting back to book I read about slowing down, I realized I had time to stand in line and wait.
So I did.
I stood in line.
My mind took a moment to be present.
Then I was there, watching, listening, and even offered to help the elderly man in front of me pack his bags. He declined saying he needed to pack his own bags so that he knew if he could handle the weight of them when he got home, which makes sense.
I stepped back.
The woman behind me said hello. She started taking with me about the heat and humidity. She was lovely.
Eventually I checked out.
On the ride home I realized that going slow and delaying my checkout, gave me opportunities to be present, and even engage with people I otherwise wouldn’t have.
Yes, sometimes the self-checkout is convenient, but is it always necessary? Are our lives that busy that we don’t have time to wait in line anymore, really? Or is the busyness perceived rushing us through moments that are life giving, like having a conversation with strangers about their age or the weather?
Maybe life isn’t going too fast but we are going too fast through life. I know I can, as my time at the store showed me. If you would like to be more present and experience time tick slower, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we consider taking the slower path. Maybe that means taking the back road with the views over the highway, making the phone call instead of writing the text, skip the self-checkout and go into the line at the store to check out, etc. May we make choices that help us go slower. And while we slow down, let’s stay unplugged so that we can remain present where we are, with who we are with and have life giving interactions, as I did this morning.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Be still and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10
Insights from our family adventure
Banff and Glacier were beyond our expectations💚 We’ve been wanting to go for years and finally made it happen!
I have so many insights from our family adventure. Here are a few I pray will bless you too.
- Unplugging helps us connect deeper with ourselves, God, and others.
- Stillness and silence quiets the mind and speaks volumes to the soul.
- Courage is often experienced when taking the first step towards an unknown.
- It’s important to do something that takes our breath away everyday.
- Surrendering isn’t giving up, it’s finding the end of our ability and then becoming fully reliant on God.
-An hour in God’s creation will give us answers that most books or people are unable to.
-To be heard isn’t about getting louder, but becoming a better listener ourselves.
-Patience is learning to go at someone else’s pace rather than your own.
-What we give our attention to is what will fuel us or deplete us, let’s choose wisely.
With love and hope,
Shawn
To view more pictures from this amazing place visit HERE.
Celebrating our 20th Anniversary!
Yesterday we celebrated our 20 year anniversary! I love being married to this wonderful guy! It’s been an adventure from mountain top moments to valley experiences and everything in between. And through it all Stephen has been my calm, my rock and the one who always knows how to make me laugh, even when I don’t want to! I am grateful to God for this patient, thoughtful, clever guy, and this wonderful family we have. Here’s to fifty more years of adventuring through this beautiful, wild life together💝🙏🥳
The Gift of God's Creation
What I love about being in nature is that we bring nothing into it but ourselves, we are welcome as we are and although it gives us nothing, it provides us with everything.
I share this with you today in case you too need a renewal of mind and rest in your soul. I invite you to join me today to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we take a step out of ourselves and into God’s creation. And may we allow the silence and stillness it provides to gift us the renewal within we need.
With love and hope,
Shawn
But I have stilled and quieted my soul - Psalm 131:2
Let's Support One Another
Yesterday we went on an incredible hike and on the way up I heard Matt say to Stephen, “Tree roots are interconnected and they support each other.”
Hearing Matt say this caused me to pause and reflect. Yes, trees are in groups and although they stand alone above the surface, beneath the surface they are interconnected which creates a strength of support.
This made me think about life and how being rooted in faith, family, friends and community have been a saving grace in my life. Yet the reality is, sometimes I forget to lean into those for the strength and support they provide and I go through my days more detached, like the tree we see above the ground.
Can you relate?
If so, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we remember God created us each uniquely while also to live connected with Him, and others. We are not meant to live above the surface on islands but live interconnected with Him, and others, as a source of strength and support for our lives. May we grow deep roots of faith and love, and be willing to be a source of strength and support for others as well.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Love is Patient
Yesterday Matt and I went to a convenience store when they were first opened. The woman who was checking me out was having problems with the register. We stood there waiting for a while as she tried to figure it out.
To soften the tension for her, I shared I am reading a book about eliminating hurry and growing patience and in that moment I was being given the opportunity to practice being patient. She smiled and shared that she works at a larger store for her second job. She said that people will shop there for hours yet they have no patience to wait a couple minutes in the check out line.
Pause to absorb that perspective she shared.
When we are moving on our timeline we have patience yet when we are put on someone else’s timeline our patience thins.
Intriguing and convicting.
If you, like me, would like to slow down and grow your patience, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May this awareness stay with us as we enter this day. Let’s remember that love is patient, so whether it’s our timeline or someone else’s practicing being patient is a gift we can live out for ourselves and give to others. And maybe sometimes, when we are giving opportunities to grow our patience, like I was yesterday, there is a greater reason for the wait, like this interaction with this woman was for me.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Love is patient - 1 Corinthians 13:4