Happy first day of 8th grade to Matt, and to all your kids who went back to school today!
I pray our kids are themselves and make strong connections. May they seek the good in each day and use their words to build others up (including themselves). Also, may they never allow a struggle to define them but instead allow it to refine them. And above all, may they know their true worth is already determined💕🙏💕
With love and hope,
Shawn
Beneath the Surface Moments
Kate took this picture with my mom and in that moment I realized how different drop off could have been for Kate.
Many of you know my mom was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer two years before I was diagnosed with ACC. In this moment, I thought about how grateful I was we got to be there with her to do this all together, and how the day would have been so different for Kate had my mom and I not been here.
I am sharing this to shine a light on a beneath the surface reality for many cancer survivors. Moments that you get to be doing things, like college drop-off, are moments you prayed to be present for. And there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for the gift of healing and more time beside our loved ones.
In the same breath, I know this isn’t everyone’s story. And my heart is with those parents who no longer have a child to drop off, and with the students whose parent is no longer with us.
I share this today to invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we open our eyes to these two beneath the surface realities. Let’s give thanks for those who are present and able to share these change of season moments with their loved ones. And may we also be mindful of, and pray for, those who are changing seasons without loved ones.
By looking beneath the surface, may we gain a deeper perspective of who and what really matter in these moments, like Kate did in this moment with my Mom.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Kate is off!
This week has been an awesome adventure with my girl! I am grateful for the sweetness of time together on the road and for the wonderful new year ahead of her! God bless Kate and all of you heading back to school💕🙏☀️
WATCH VIDEO HERE
Meet Frankie!
Georgia is excited to introduce you to her new friend, Frankie🐾💝
Happy 75th Birthday, Mom!
🎉🥳Happy 75th Birthday to my loving Mom who spreads joy and kindness wherever she goes🎉🥳
I love these pictures because they capture who she is, someone who shows up for her people, not just cheering us on from the sidelines, but everyday in life. I am forever grateful for her loving heart, joyful presence, and kind soul💝
A Prayer for Our Ears
💕A prayer for our ears💕
Incline our ears to wisdom and our hearts to understanding - Proverbs 2:2
From my own thoughts to things I watch or listen to, what goes in my ears - and your ears - matters. Often, what we hear is information which can be valuable, but it doesn’t necessarily lead us to make the wisest decisions.
Wisdom, on the other hand, will lead us well.
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we incline our ears to wisdom by inviting God in to help us filter information coming our way. May we gain insight and understanding, so that we have the wisdom to make choices that are aligned with God’s love and be an extension of his love to others through our words and actions.
With love and hope,
Shawn
The Quiet Beauty Beside Us
This morning on my walk, I saw two red-tailed hawks on a tree. They are so beautiful. They flew along the trail in the direction I was heading, and I saw them perch themselves on top of a few trees. It was lovely to watch them.
I ended up seeing someone else on the trail and showed the hawks to her— not that she was interested. (Those who know me well know I don’t always have a filter.)
Thankfully, she appreciated me pointing them out, and she said something that struck me. I don’t remember her exact words, but they were something to the effect of, “It’s amazing what you can see when your eyes are open to it.”
I share this with you today to invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May our eyes be open to seeing the beauty around us. And sometimes it’s the noise that grabs our attention, but today, instead of focusing on the loudness, let’s seek the quiet beauty that’s right beside us, like those two red-tailed hawks.
With love and hope,
Shawn
I got to be on Great Day Connecticut to promote the marathon!
Today I had the wonderful opportunity to go on @greatdayconnecticut with @karasundlun and @nicolenalepatv! I was able to share my cancer story and our @bravelikegabe Berlin marathon team’s mission to raise awareness and funds for rare cancer research. We are #runningonhope to carry on Gabe’s legacy…
“I would love to live in a world where rare cancer patients have more treatment options and ultimately, cures. And if I can’t live in that world, I want to help it become a possibility for future patients.“
To watch the full segment, visit the link in my bio.
I would greatly appreciate your support to help us fund rare cancer research and find effective treatments and cures for people like my teammate Jen, and our ACC family.
To donate, visit the link in my bio. Every dollar makes a difference and we appreciate whatever you can do.
With gratitude and hope,
Shawn
A Beautiful View
A beautiful view💝
A Prayer for Our Eyes
💕A prayer for our eyes💕
Here are the two verses that I lean into that I blended into the prayer in the video…
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. - Hebrews 12:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. - Colossians 3:2
What we focus our eyes on can become the focus of our thoughts. So let’s choose to…
pause. breathe. pray.
And focus our eyes on Jesus to help our minds be fixed on him too. When we do this, it doesn’t mean the circumstances have changed, it does give us though a renewed lens to view our circumstances through.
With love and hope,
Shawn