When my kids were little, I remember handing them a Happy Meal and asking for one fry. Just one. And somehow, without fail, they'd dig through the bag, skip right past all the beautiful golden fries, and hand me the tiny burnt one from the bottom. You know the fry. The one nobody wanted. And I remember thinking to myself, I bought that meal. Technically every single fry in that bag belongs to me! It made me wonder... How often do we treat God the same way? He gives us an entire life filled with blessings, and sometimes we offer Him what's left over. The leftover time. The leftover energy. The leftover attention. The leftover generosity. The little fry in the bottom of the bag. We often think of stewardship as a financial word. Being a good steward of our money by giving, and saving. Managing our resources wisely. But stewardship is so much bigger than that. It asks a different question: How am I caring for the gifts I've already been given? Your marriage is a gift. Maybe the answer isn't finding a different spouse. Maybe it's becoming a better steward of the marriage you already have. Your children are a gift. Maybe instead of wishing they were easier, we become better stewards of the children we've been entrusted with by loving them, guiding them, and seeing them as blessings instead of burdens. Your friendships. Your health. Home. Job. Talents. Time. Even your body. None of it truly belongs to us. Psalm 24:1 says that: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." Everything. We don't own these things, we've simply been entrusted with them for a season. So, how well are you caring for what you've been given? Maybe contentment doesn't come from getting something new. Maybe it comes from becoming a better steward of what's already sitting in our hands.

Thanks to all who came to hang out for the Fireside chat! Our discussion Tuesday was about different seasons of life, and what season are we currently in. Building, Resting, Changing, or some other season? Building - Effort and Momentum Resting - Restoration Changing - Transition and Adjustment Building energy being directed outward toward "new." New skill, starting something, achieving goals, investing time and effort into the future. Resting energy is life inviting you to slow down. Needing quiet and recovery. Less productivity and more reflection. Focusing on health, family, and peace. Changing energy is the in between space. Something ends, evolves, a new thing that isn't fully formed yet. This can feel uncertain or uncomfortable. It can be questioning your direction, transitioning at work, in a relationship, or with your identity. It is letting go of things that once fit but don't any longer. @Connie Riet @Kim Harrison both mentioned that you can do all of these in a 24 hour period, and I hadn't considered that! I was focused on trying to define one that fit me - when indeed, all 3 of these were present on the daily. The overarching wisdom from the group was to find "bucket filling" things to achieve, to stay sane and guard your well being. Take advantage of all the seasons, and focus on small projects that you CAN accomplish. End the day with 3 things that went well for this present day. This positivity stronghold will set in motion the atmosphere of the next day. Lastly, there is Harvest. Harvest is the season of reaping and appreciating. Seeing the results of things you planted earlier. Signs of this season are: Enjoying the results of past effort, stability and gratitude, sharing what you've learned, and mentoring/giving back. Some of us had glimmers of this season but no one claimed it as theirs. Lovely conversation everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join me. See you next week!

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” - Ram Dass Sometimes the answers that we're looking for are hard to hear over the noise of rushing, reacting, and filling every moment. When things are quiet, we can truly notice what’s been there all along... a thought we’ve been avoiding, a truth we already know, or a small nudge about the direction we want to go. I often sit on my deck and look up at the tall trees and reflect, plan, or am intentionally still. My best ideas show up in moments like that. How about you?

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday everyone. Do any of you feel like you've ever committed to something that's turning out to be too time consuming but now that you're in it....you have to finish it, because "that's who you are," or "what would it say about ME if I didn't see this through to completion?" If so, what's your process? When this happens with me I don't typically feel resentment, but I do massively deplete and find myself exhausted. How do you handle things like this - or are you able to recognize it beforehand?

"There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” — Thich Nhat Hanh Isn't it true that it's hard to be happy if we continue to chase after things while the goalpost keeps moving? What if we just choose to be happy, period?