When we brought Kate home from the hospital after she was born, Stephen put the car seat she was in on the counter. We looked at one another and Stephen said, “now what do we do?”
We laughed and started our life together as Mom and Dad to Kate, then eventually to Gavin and Matt.
As I’ve reflected on that moment recently I’ve wondered, “did we do enough to prepare Kate for this next step, going to college?”
And the reality is, in some ways we have, and in some ways we haven’t.
The naturally tendency for me is to think of the things I didn’t do rather than think of all that I did do.
Can you relate?
Yet is thinking of what we didn’t do productive, or possible to change?
No, it isn’t.
So instead, I am personally practicing shifting to the truth that I’ve done the best I could with what I knew at the time, and letting go of what I didn’t do.
I share this today in case any other parents have that same question, “have I done enough?” If so, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray. ™
May we do our best to not dwell on what we didn’t do and instead look at what we did do. Let’s pray that our kids will learn what they need to, when they need to learn it. May God place the right people beside them to help continue to build them up into who He made them to be. And may we look ahead to what we can do moving forward to continue to walk beside them in love in this new season.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Answered Prayers
One day recently Kate asked me to go on a walk with her. Without hesitation I said yes.
We are about a week away from taking her to college and I am trying to absorb these precious moments beside her.
Something that hit me recently is that seven years ago, when I was diagnosed with cancer, I prayed to be here to see my kids graduate and to get to take them to college.
And here I am, living out an answer to prayer right now.
When I realized this my heart filled with gratitude and renewed my mind as I don’t want to take any of this life for granted.
I share this with you today because we may pray often yet how often do we take time to see, or give thanks for, answered prayers? And so today I invite you to join me…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let’s take a few minutes to think of, or write down, our prayers that have been answered in the way we hoped, and even for the ones where we didn’t get what we asked for but see the bigger picture now. May we look at this list with gratitude and may it give us hope for the unanswered prayers we have today, like the prayers I have for Kate as she begins the new chapter.
With love and hope,
Shawn
A Small Act of Love Can Make A Big Difference
Yesterday I learned in the news about a 12 year old girl named Avery who passed away after a two year battle with brain cancer. Hearing this breaks my heart and also gets me fired up because of the lack of funding that goes to childhood cancer research.
I am grateful for strides that have been made in various areas of cancer research yet childhood and rare cancers are very much underfunded.
I have a dear friend, @morgplatt_ , who has been a brain cancer warrior for 13 years now, since she was 7. Morgan is a fierce advocate for funding research for childhood cancer. She taught me that only 4% of federal funding goes to researching childhood cancers.
I’ve known too many families who have lost their precious children too soon. Hearing about Avery made me want to not only put my cleats out in her memory today but also raise awareness about the lack of funding for childhood cancer.
In honor of Morgan, and in memory of Avery, and all the other children gone too soon, let’s choose to give and support organizations like @averyslittlearmy , @chadtoughdefeatdipg , or @alexslemonade who are doing their part to make a difference in childhood cancer research.
And to let Avery’s family know they are seen, heard and loved in this time of loss, if you have cleats, put them out in your doorstep for Avery today and post it with #cleatsoutforavery so the family can see. Also, consider making a donation to the foundation they made to honor their little girl, @averyslittlearmy .
And whether you do one, both, or neither of these, please pray over this family, and all who have had to say good-bye to their children too soon. Let’s pray for their hearts and for strides to be made so others families won’t have to do the same.
Thank you💕🙏💕
With care and hope,
Shawn
Let Peace Rule Our Hearts
I live in my hometown and I never once saw a bear as a kid. Yet over the past ten to fifteen years, bears have become more and more visible in our town, and in our neighborhood. When we first started seeing them, I remember being hesitant to be on the trails and needing to be outside when the kids were playing. Now, we continue to do our day to day lives yet we need to be bear aware. It may sound strange to some of you yet it’s become our normal here.
We have had a couple close calls, one was when a bear decided to come into our breezeway and eat a snack that was accidentally left in a bag a couple of summers ago. The bear sat with its back to our kitchen door and thankfully didn’t lean into it!
The reality is, we can’t change the bears being in our town. We need to learn to adjust our lives so we can still live fully, not allowing the fear of the bears to rule our hearts, and our decisions.
I share this with you today in case fear can rule your heart, as it can mine sometimes. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Whatever the “bears” and fears are in our lives, I pray we don’t allow the fear to lead us, but instead we allow the peace of God to rule our hearts. In doing this, may it help us gain greater clarity and perspective so that we can live fully, even if the “bears” pass through.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts - Colossians 3:15
Is Your First Child Heading Off to College?
We are a few weeks away from Kate heading off to college. It’s such a bittersweet season. In one breath I’m excited for what’s to come for her, and in the next breath I think about how she will be home to visit here and there but our family of five will likely never live together again.
I know this is normal and there is nothing wrong or bad about this, it’s just going to be different, and a transition.
This is something many of you have already experienced, yet I admittedly didn’t get it until now. And the compassion and empathy I have for you, and for my mom and mother-in-law, has grown exponentially over the past six months or so. I now see more clearly how special family gatherings are and how sporadic they become.
I share this today as I know I’m not alone in entering this new season with our first child heading off to college, or being someone who is going through a transition. If you can relate, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we enter this new chapter with open palms, for it is written, “it is better to have one handful of tranquility than two handfuls with toil and grasping for the wind.” May we not grip what was, or hold the moment too tight, but instead enjoy the moment and open our hearts and palms to God, trusting Him with what is, and what is to come for all of us. He is always beside us, so may we remember to be with Him to help us through and give us perspective in this transitional season.
With love and hope,
Shawn
It is better to have one handful of tranquility than two handfuls with toil and grasping for the wind. -Ecclesiastes 4:6
Couch to Marathon - The Hardest Step
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