Snatches for Your Story - Vol. 3

As promised, and just a tad bit late, here are 7 snatches to aid you in living out your wonderfully amazing summer story...
1 - Carve out a time on your calendar to put your life on pause. It's so good for us to rest. And be still. Escape the noise of the world for just a week, or just a day, or even just a moment - to be still & hear God's whispers. (Psalms 37:7) This is what we were able to do the past few weeks - go on vacation and simply rest. It was the most wonderful vacation ever.

We need times of rest so we can refuel and recharge for our times of productivity. It's all about balance. So promise me you'll take some to go within and reacquaint yourself with that still inner voice. Your whole story will become clearer when you do.🕊


2 - I hope you have been able to sketch out the beginnings of your summer story. But if not, it's never too late. Today I want you to carve out a space of time on your calendar to go to the stillness and evaluate how your summer story is unfolding. Your summer is just too precious to let it slip by without direction.

For a simple, two step framework, visit this post. A time of rest and stillness may be the best gift you give yourself this month, trust me! We all need a period of peace to reflect on where we are and where we going.

And most importantly, I hope you will reach out to me and share your summer story updates. Each of you are so important and if I can be a listening ear, or someone to bounce ideas off of, or an encourager on your journey in any way, I would be most honored.

I have loved reading about your stories and I look forward to hearing from more or you. Because I want to travel this journey together. Let's not journey alone, my friends.💗

3 - Are you convinced yet?🕊 Maybe these words will help:

"We are constantly in cycles of expansion and contraction. It is natural and healthy. It is vital that we are balanced in this way, growing, creating and expressing, then internalising, hibernating, rejuvenating ready to come out again for more expansion. Like nature moves in cycles, so we too are moving in cycles.

"Problems arise when we think we should be in constant expansion and attempt to live that way - doing more, getting more, being more, attaining, achieving, creating, mastering, speaking, moving, making... there must be counter cycles to this. WHY? Because the magic does not just happen in the expansive times in your life...

"The magic is BREWED UP in the contraction phases...when you are resting, when you are retreating, when you are on vacation, when you are quiet, when you are with your family, when you are in nature, when you are reflecting, when you are learning, when you are meditating... all these hibernating, internalising, retreating moments are the times when you recalibrate...

"There is something special that happens in the pauses, the gaps in between, that allows the spaces to then be filled with what you do, create and expand into. "It's like the gaps in a song, the dramatic pause before the next note sounds...

"Make like nature...ride these cycles with grace, in and out, up and down, outward and inward, creating and retreating, expressing and reflecting."  Wise words indeed from Bernadette Logue

 
4 - A quote to guide you:

"While I have learned that dreams need doing as much as they need being, I have learned that the being always comes first. 

"Today is a day for being. Be with those you love, be kind to yourself. Be quiet and call forth the dream you buried long ago. The ember is still glowing in your soul. See it in your mind, hold it tenderly in your heart." 

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

 5 - Just a gentle thought for a gentle morning (or evening). It does one good to step off the busy escalator of life for a few days and take a slight detour onto the road less traveled...the slow and simple path.


6 - "Lord, slow me down for a few moments today to make sweet memories with those I love most." -Suzie Eller

It seemed that every day of our vacation was restful and perfect, but one night was truly idyllic. It's not often that I get to sit in the quiet of a summer evening and watch my children play with their dad all sorts of made-up games - like a football toss, rocks dropping through the cracks competition, card games, and horseback riding. We ended the evening with a late night movie at this tiny, quaint drive-in. Something empty in me was filled that night and all I feel is sublime contentment.

7 - Give yourself the gift of permission today: 

"Rest is hard for me. I don't really know why. It's just hard to be still and let God love me. Being productive gets more kudos and offers less guilt. I know that's not a very Godly perspective but isn't it the honest truth? How often do people walk by you sitting on a porch or laying on the couch and say, "Good for you girl!! Look at you resting and relaxing. I'm so impressed with how great you are at just being still; letting God be God.🙋🏼Well, I've appointed myself to be that girl for you today. Go sit down and take a break. Take a deep breath. Read a book. Close your eyes and do nothing, if that's what you need most. Even just 10 minutes would be impressive. Don't feel guilty or like you don't have time. You do. You're worth it. God is inviting us to come; holding out His hand and offering a permission slip for a guilt-free rest. 💕Let's do it. Can you hear me applauding your new found amazing ability (i.e. attempt) to rest??!! 👏🏼👏🏼"

These are wise words from @reneeswope and I wholeheartedly echo her words. Let me be that girl for you today too! How will you choose to rest in the stillness?

Snatches for Your Story - Vol. 2

It's Sunday, and I may be a day late, but yesterday we had the most wonderful Mission Reunion commemorating 10 years since my parents came home from their mission in Portugal. Such a rekindling of friendships, reminiscing of memories, and feeling of the Spirit.

So today, if I might gift you with inspiration in living out your summer story, here are 7 snatches for your story:

1 - This is how I feel every day. So inexplicably amazed at all the Lord has done and continues to do for me. I want to praise His name all the day long for His goodness and yet, it wouldn't be enough. No matter how hard I try (and fail), I can never repay His kindness.

And this sort of gratitude? It's the secret to living the most satisfying story.

2 - We just can't seem to stay away from our wheat field. Even though we haven't started our farmhouse yet, still it draws me like a magnet. And when we drive back to the Middle House, it feels as if we're going the wrong direction...like we're leaving our home.

Sometimes the beginning of new stories can feel disconcerting like this. But if we keep turning the pages and living out each day in the way the Lord guides, the unsettling feelings will someday be replaced with peace, joy, and a feeling of home. It just takes putting one foot in front of the other - day after day, moment after moment. We take it step by step and are guided by the Lord line upon line. It's not the instant way that we are so used to in this digital age, but it's the way the Lord intended us to live out our lives.

3 - This is such a fine mantra for a Monday, {or any day of the week for that matter.} Sometimes Mondays can hit like a ton of bricks after a restful, soul-satisfying Sabbath.

Last Monday, when I woke up feeling all out of sorts, the Lord led me to Jeffrey R. Holland's last general conference address: "Tomorrow the Lord will do Wonders Among You." It was just the dose of hope I needed to press on through the week. 

So tomorrow, when Monday weighs ever so heavy, let's repeat this mantra to ourselves and dedicate this week to J O Y!!


4 - On those days when you want to give up on your story before it's really even begun, just remember and repeat: "Hope on. Journey on." Hope and perseverance are mighty powerful when combined.

And if we look for the rays of summer sunshine each and every day, the Lord will bless us with eyes to see His miracles all around. Who and what brings summer sunshine to your story? The more you notice, the sunnier your days become.

{This photo is a close-up of the two prize prints from the giveaway I hosted last week on Instagram. I've had such a lovely time adding splashes of watercolor to my new products!! (P.S. These two prints will be available in my new summer collections that will soon be launching!!)🎈Stay tuned.}

5 - Whatever your story is, know this: it is significant. With such a royal heritage, how could you be anything but extraordinary?

Consider that your gifts, your nudges, your callings, your longings, your very life originate from your Heavenly Father. He is light - and all the good we do, and all the good we are - are reflections of His light.

View your life story in this light, and it changes everything. You start to feel as if you, yes you, are a glory-bearer for your God.


6 - As I mentioned above, gratitude changes everything. So let's take it one step further and choose someone to thank. There are so many people surrounding us with love each day and offering bits of heaven to our ordinary lives. It wouldn't take but a minute to express our appreciation for them.

And today, I must THANK YOU X 1000!!! I am truly humbled at the growth in this little community & shop - we've reached over 1000 followers on Instagram. To celebrate I've added to the shop something I've been hoping to for a long time -- ✨THANK YOU CARDS!!✨

{You can purchase these cards in a bundles of 10. They are the newest listing in my shop and you can find them by clicking on the etsy link in my sidebar. Thank you again my sweet friends. You are truly amazing! Thank you for your support, love, and encouragement. I can't tell you what it means to me. ❌❤️❌❤️X1000‼️}


7 - The last snatch is rightfully directed towards fathers, for today is Father's Day. But maybe we can try to make it always Father's Day in our hearts by the way we treat and love our fathers, our husbands, our brothers, our sons, and most importantly, our Heavenly Father. Elder Robert L. Backman has said:

"Father is the noblest title a man can be given."

I believe this to be true. Isn't it miraculous to think that of all the titles our great and marvelous God could be called, He has asked us to call him Father? It is such an endearing, humbling thought. And even more, He has gifted men the sacred privilege to have the very same role here in mortality. How grateful I am to my own father who exemplifies my Heavenly Father so well. It's so easy for me to imagine the love of my Heavenly Father because I have felt and feel every day, the love of my own earthly father.

And my husband continues the legacy of righteous fatherhood. Loyal. Trustworthy. Honest. Faithful. Diligent. Dedicated. Steadfast. Obedient. These are just a few of the words that describe my sweetheart husband, the father of my children. Forever will just not be long enough...

May we reach out to the fathers in our lives and express to them the poignant feelings of our hearts.

Snatches for your Story - Vol. 1

It's Saturday, a perfect day to try something new. I'd love to create a weekly compilation of little bits of wisdom to encourage you in the living out of your story. So, without further ado, enjoy these 8 little snatches...

1 - If you are worried to step into the story of your summer because of those imperfect details in your near or faraway past, don't linger there. 

Say yes to "now" and this summer and all that awaits you. Trust that because of the Savior's grace, you are creating a beautiful whole.


2 - This view. I can't even believe it.

We mapped out where to place our house in this waist-high wheat field this past week. This will be our view out back and the front view is equally breathtaking.

The little ones just played and played and played. I can't believe I am finally witnessing what I have envisioned for so long playing out before my very eyes. For three years I've had these visions of my children running through wheat fields and me following close behind with a camera.

The best part? The story's just beginning...
What story will you be starting this summer?

3 - Quiet confidence and the Spirit of Christ.  It's just what we all need for our summer story to run smoothly.

Let us make this our intention every day of this lovely summer. To pray for, breathe in, and live out this quiet confidence for the future that the Lord has prepared for us. Because it will be glorious. And even when the days are dark and stormy, we can still exude the quiet confidence that we trust that everything will always and forever work out for our eternal good.


4 - And sometimes you just need a couple of delicious playdoh cupcakes affectionately made by your best friend.

There are little gifts all around us each and every single day. They come in the form of sunsets and shapes in the clouds and blooming roses, and pictures from children and smiles of passing strangers. They come in the form of your favorite lilac scent hovering in the air when you walk to your car or the lyrics you needed in a church hymn. And sometimes they even come as playdoh cupcakes. However they come and whatever form they take, it's Heavenly Father who sends them. And when we recognize these little things as heavenly gifts, our life stories flourish with gratitude and happiness.

5 - One key to creating a successful summer story is to have a special place where you can go to rejuvenate and refresh. I like to have several such spots in the summertime -- the gray velvet chair in my bedroom, a shady spot in the backyard, the picturesque temple grounds.

Remember too that you can escape to anywhere in the world within the corridors of your mind. I make it a habit to set aside just a few minutes a day where I can practice deep breathing and creative visualization. It works wonders.

6 - P.S. It's always a good idea to have a little satchel for your happy place filled with all the things you love. All those books you've been meaning to read if you ever could find a sliver of peace. All those little creative projects or thank you cards or journaling you've been hoping to carve out time for.

Once it's packed, it will always be ready at a moment's notice for the planned happy place times as well as the unexpected pockets of time when you're at the park or watching the kids play outside.

{And in case you were wondering, the contents of my bag change quite frequently, but right now my little denim bag is filled with my journal, Simple Abundance by Sarah ban Breathnach, The Child Whisperer by Carol Tuttle, and a guided journal by @charissasteyn}



7 - What thought will you snatch and hold onto today? It could be a wondrous day in this summer story of yours...

8 - This little boy came into my story nearly 7 1/2 years ago but I'm not sure where the time has gone. This was the last picture I snapped right before my husband pulled out his two front teeth.

I smile to think of all that I have become because of my sweet 2nd son. He graced my life with peace and stillness from the second he was born. He is my little ocean of calm, and yet he has an ever-present playful side that shines all the time. He's taught me patience and enabled my unconditional love to grow to higher heights. 

One thing I know: I couldn't live without him. 

Pause for a moment today and think of at least one special person in your life. What have they taught you? Who have you become because of their presence in your life story? Take a moment and tell them just how much they mean to you.