What I Learned This Spring

Well, let me just say amen and glory hallelujah because summer break. is. here.

When my kids were young, I didn’t look forward to summer the same way I do now. My husband spent so much time away during those years (#militarywife), summertime meant I had longer seasons of solo parenting. During my twin sons’ Kindergarten school year, I contemplated spending the night in the school parking lot so when morning came, we were first up to bat with school drop off.

I didn’t want to miss a minute of the almost kid-free time that was Kindergarten mornings. (Little sister was still home with me.)

Now, those two sons just wrapped up their junior year of high school, and I’ve done an about face. For years I’ve loved having them and their sister home when the school year ends. You’ll find me kicking and screaming when summer is over and I have to give them back to their middle school and high school all the live long day.

I don’t want to miss a minute of the time I get to share with their precious souls.

But for now, summer break is just beginning (!!!), and that means it’s also time to reflect on what I learned this spring. So, here we go!

What I Learned This Spring:

The importance of having a boss lady or two in your life. What’s a boss lady? It’s someone whom you can tell your insecure, vulnerable thoughts to and she listens without thinking you’re ultra needy or weird. And she will tell you as much because she knows everyone needs that person and everyone thinks those thoughts. She’ll encourage you in a way that lets you see yourself in a more accurate light. I have a few different boss ladies in my life, but what they all have in common is they are friends I can say aaaalll the things to and they don’t look at me like I just walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper hanging out of my skirt. Yes and amen.

About the Journey Together Summit. Several months ago, I watched Kathie Lee Gifford talk about a book called Fear Fighting on the “Kathie Lee and Hoda” hour of the Today Show. I bookmarked that title and put it in my mental queue because in my world this year, fighting fear has been the name of the game.

So a couple months later when Kelly asked if I would be a part of her Journey Together Summit, I answered with an enthusiastic yes.

So what is the Journey Together Summit?

It’s a *free* event you can join from the comfort of your own home!

The Journey Together Summit is a 4-day, virtual event during which 34 leading authors (including yours truly) help you discover biblical truths, tangible tips, and practical how-to’s to live bold and brave. We will be talking about everything you care about: mothering, marriage, living with unmet expectations, dealing with an unfair life, building intimacy with your husband, getting clutter-free, letting go of the past, finding your calling, dealing with difficult change (ahem), and more. No matter where you are – there is something for you. The event goes live June 5-8, but you can sign up right here today and watch 34 video interviews – for FREE. Can’t attend in June? You can still access all the videos post-event with the All Access Pass.

Note: While every author participating offered an interview for the free sessions, he or she also offered an interview for the advanced sessions. The only way to access these advanced session videos is by purchasing the All-Access Pass. The All-Access Pass will grant you instant, lifetime access to a membership site where both the free and advanced sessions are stored. You will have the opportunity to purchase the All-Access Pass after you opt in on this page here as well as during the summit. 

How to rope! Well, kind of. I mean, I’ve gotten pretty good with a fence post, anyway. My Faith is teaching herself how to rope (thanks youtube videos and Heartland!), and this spring she’s been teaching me as well. Click here to watch me master that fence post. Yeehaw!

The incredible value of slow work. I’ve always known I’m a slow processor. I’ve said before that as a writer, I’m a crockpot set on low. But what I learned this spring is that for big projects, I need project ideas to simmer for months in advance. Sometimes I find this annoying. What’s wrong with me that I can’t move as quickly as everyone else seems to move? But I’m learning to be okay with this and discover that as my mom used to say, Good things come to those who wait. And waiting on the ideas to fully form never fails me.

Sometimes pleasing God means you won’t necessarily please those around you. Given my ultra people pleasing tendencies, this is a hard thing for me to accept. But there’s a measure of freedom to it as well, and I’m getting better at being at peace with this.

Chris Pratt’s instagram feed is the best of everything. I talked about this in May’s Good Things post, but it also qualifies as something I learned this spring. Generally speaking, Chris Pratt endears the heck out of himself to me, and his instagram feed is such a delight! Hollywood star or not, his joyful, humble spirit and self-depricating sense of humor is so refreshing. And at the risk of stating the obvious, he ain’t hard to look at either.

There’s a difference between being afraid of something and just not liking or preferring something. In this post, I talk about this as well as being okay with who you are when it feels so different from those around you. Here’s to being comfortable–and not apologetic–with how God’s wired you.

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