Small habits have made a big difference in my life. Choosing to set small, measurable goals instead of big, lofty ones have helped me be more successful in bringing order and simplicity to my life. As a widow with young kids, this also helped keep me from feeling overwhelmed as I tried to navigate being a single Mom. I couldn’t even fathom trying to accomplish a big change, but little tweaks and creating systems around what I was already doing was sustainable and saved my sanity.
I didn’t start all of these small habits at once. They came about over many years as a need arose, a stress point became frustrating, or as I saw something I wanted to change or add into my routine. I didn’t realize how life-changing these small habits would be and how they would free up so much time and mental clutter.
Read more...In October and November, 2023, I began experiencing pain in my right arm and shoulder. I could still use it for the most part, but it was steadily getting worse, even with rest. In January, I decided to get it checked out and was referred to Physical Therapy. At first they thought it was a rotator cuff strain, but it quickly became clear it was a frozen shoulder when I began losing range of motion. This was very unexpected, very painful and certainly not something I would have chosen.
Frozen shoulder is most common in women ages 40-65 with no injury. It occurs because estrogen, which is a vital anti-inflammitory, is decreasing. Lucky me!!! I fit right into that category!
Read more...Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2025? Time keeps speeding up, and I wish I could slow it down a bit.
How was your 2024? Did you meet some goals? Did you change some habits? Or was 2024 a year of survival for you?
The New Year promises change and growth, but not always in the way we think. For me, 2024 was not what I expected. God allowed things to happen that I never anticipated, but I grew because of it.
In January of 2023 my son, Josiah, was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Pawassan Virus and Epstein Barr. Shortly after that diagnosis we learned he also had pneumonia, which ended up being a stubborn case and took a while to resolve. He became quite sick, lost a lot of weight, strength and stamina.
Read more...Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a blessed holiday with family, celebrating the birth of our Savior.
Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love the lights, the music, the food, getting together with family, and of course, gift giving (and receiving).
This week, I thought I would do something different and share a few of my favorite things about our celebrations this year.
1. Having my kids home for Christmas break! It's always wonderful to have everyone under the same roof again. They're both adults now, as they like to remind me, but they will always be my kiddos.
2. Our tree - we cut her down on Thanksgiving Day at Heath's parent's house. She’s perfect, and her name is Priscilla! We started naming our tree the year Jon died, and it’s been a tradition ever since. This year we named her Priscilla after my grandmother who passed away on Valentine’s Day.
Read more...When Christmas Feels Heavy
Christmas is a season of joy and celebration. We celebrate Christ’s miraculous birth to a world that desperately needed a Savior.In this season of gladness and festivity, it can be easy to feel depressed and lonely. You see the Christmas decorations and lights and just can’t gather up enough energy to put yours up. You want to be excited and cheerful, but it just feels so hard. Your heart just isn’t in it.
Grief may still be very fresh for you, and the happiness around you may feel impossible to muster. It can be easy for the weight of grief to make your spirit feel heavy, instead of hopeful.
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