September 2021

 QUOTE OF THE MONTH: 

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence... You have to work hardest for the things you love most. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome.”  ~Carol Dweck

SEPTEMBER GRATITUDE LIST

• My Home Study visit with Shay going well
• The natural momentum and joy that come with taking initiative and getting started - tons of paperwork, but I'm nearly done with it, and the Home Study should be complete next month!
• Good conversations with God, Mom, Dad, Kristin, Sarah, Chet, Laura, and Tiffany about adoption thoughts and plans
• Reading time with the Mini Miss K
• The joy of seeing Cody on Dancing with the Stars
• OSU football game fun with Dad and Charlene
• Cheesecake Factory brunch with the fam

What was life-draining this month?

• Dealing with the car wreck + insurance claim + scheduling repairs (but very grateful it wasn't worse!)
• Self-doubt about my ability to be a good + financially stable parent... but I didn't give it too much power, and it didn't last very long

What was life-giving this month?

• Steven Furtick's Green Light at the Red Sea sermon
• Matt Chandler's 10-year cancer anniversary sermon
• God-given wisdom and clarity
• Continued social media break for the first 21 days of the month
• Walking at Crescent Park
• Swadley's dinner and an encouraging chat with Kristin
• Driving firsts with the niece and nephews (minus Carter, who I've definitely missed lately)
• A welcome break from a painful family situation + a bit of progress with the legal system on that
• The official beginning of fall!
• The entire gratitude list above. ❤
  

HAPPY LISTS

I Read:  

• A lot about different adoption agencies, consultants, grants, and attorneys

I Listened To:

• Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (The Message Translation)
• One Republic's new album, Human (fav songs = Someday and Wanted)
• Lots of music, but the songs on repeat were the album above + To Begin Again by Ingrid Michaelson & Conversations in the Dark by John Legend  (both thanks to Greys Anatomy)
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (some good advice, irreverent but funny)
• Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens (second time though)
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
• All my usual favorite podcasts!

I Watched:  

• Modern Family seasons 8-11 on Hulu (seeing a lot of those episodes for the first time - loved the final moments and the "Modern Farewell" tribute)
• The Karate Kid (the newer one with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan) on Amazon Prime -- I'm a fan -- the whole training montage makes me very happy, and makes me wanna learn martial arts! lol

I Made:  

• My first pot of Pioneer Woman chili for this fall - yum!!
• My Adoption Profile Book (a 20-page scrapbook that gives birth parents a colorful snapshot of my life, work, friends, family, and values as a potential adoptive mom.)  I signed up for a free trial and used Canva Design Pro, then uploaded each page into Google Photos, and I'm very pleased with the results!! ❤

(Book cover)

 

*This recap was inspired by Emily Freeman's The Next Right Thing Journal, and I'm writing one for each month of 2021!

Fourth Quarter Focus!

September recap coming tomorrow, then we're in the final three months of the year!!  I very nearly titled this "Fourth Quarter Comeback" to write a predictable post on finishing the year out strong.  I do hope and plan to finish strong in several categories as far as my original resolutions go, but my personal focus for these last three months of 2021 is going to be on recovery (again, something John Eldredge has recommended).

This may seem random, but the word that's been on my heart there is saturation...

• Spiritual ~ I want to be saturated with the life and peace of the Holy Spirit... calm and vibrant, deeply knowing I am loved and secure in Jesus!  That God is at work inside me and around me and through me, and that my future is in His hands.  Really, just taking a bit of extra time to be still and know that He is God.  I'm planning for a "social media sabbath" day every weekend (either Saturday or Sunday) where I take more time to rest and recenter.
  
  
• Physical ~ Externally, my skin is dry lately, so I want to prioritize self-care with the simple plan of using body lotion, facial moisturizer or moisture/sunscreen combo, and eye cream daily... and using a deep conditioner on my hair once a week. 
  Internally, I will deliberately drink more water, take my daily vitamins, and make sure I am getting some good nutrition from proteins, fruits, and vegetables (a daily protein shake with spinach and banana blended in would do it)!
  
  
• Mental/Emotional ~ Continue listening to good books and podcasts, and keep going with Peloton workouts, (shooting for 30-45 minutes very consistently rather than 75 minutes sporadically)!  Be aware of what's coming in through media, TV, and movies - fill up with things that bring life, joy, and hope.  The same way that higher color saturation makes a picture more radiant and alive, I want my life to become more vivid and colorful as I practice the growth mindset, challenging myself to try new things and keep learning and growing!!

So my Fourth Quarter focus will be the weekly social media sabbath, more of God, more lotion, more water, more nutritious foods, and leaning into the growth mindset!  To saturate my mind, body, soul, and spirit with good, restorative things!!❤

"All  the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."  ~Psalm 139:16

God's got us, friends and fam!  Wishing you lots of love, grace, and personal restoration as we finish this year.

*Annnnd I think that's my last post for today. =)

The Common Thread

John Eldredge has often been the source of personal epiphanies for me... well, God working through him, but you know what I mean.

In this week's podcast called "Our Eden Hearts," John and some friends discussed how they're doing and how we can best care for our hearts during this global season.  They had a lot of good things to say about how this collective exhaustion is affecting us.  How we're turning to vacations or food or big home projects or whatever else in our efforts to find a bit of joy as we keep moving forward, and how it's never really enough to satisfy us or bring healing.

Then he talked for a minute about how deeply upset and angry people have become on both sides of the COVID debate -- all the heated conversations about face masks and vaccines and more.  And he said that on both sides, that level of intensity really boils down to the desperate longing for life to be good again.  And immediately, that hit me and made so much sense.  That's the common thread between the people I love who are anti-mask and opposed to getting the vaccine AND the people I love who strongly believe in masks and wish everyone was vaccinated.  They're coming at it from very different angles for various personal reasons, but underneath it all is the God-given desire and hope for life as it was meant to be -- people alive and well and free and enjoying their lives together.

It makes sense to me that the part of our hearts that is designed for eternal perfection with God is hurting and struggling to know how to deal with the extreme level of loss and destruction around us.  There has been loss of human life, loss of health, loss of relationships, loss of work, loss of financial stability, loss of future plans, loss of normalcy, loss of freedoms, loss of emotional security, loss of the sense of safety, often loss of basic kindness, and so many ambiguous losses.  No one is coming out of this unscathed, and it's been long enough that people are tired and deeply frustrated.  Anyway, it was helpful for me to recognize "our longing for life to be good again" as the common thread shared on both sides of these endless debates and impassioned memes and posts.  It always makes a huge difference when you truly know someone's backstory, and when I think through that, I can usually understand how people developed their beliefs on either side here.  I despise division and have no desire to stir up tension or get involved in these specific debates, but this gives me a deeper understanding of where the most passionate people are coming from on both sides, and an idea of how to pray for people and encourage more hope going forward.  We all need more of the grace, peace, wisdom, and hope that only God can provide. ❤

"May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance."
~Jude 1:2

Growth Mindset!!

I recently read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck.  She talks about how there are two basic mindsets about people's intellect and abilities:  the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.

• In a nutshell, the "fixed mindset" believes (for yourself and others) that your intelligence, creativity, social skills, business acumen, and/or athletic ability are something very basic about you that you cannot change or alter very much.  You can learn some new things or try to do a few things differently, but you are a certain kind of person, and those important parts of who you are cannot really be changed.  This mindset makes you prioritize validation and praise, trying to repeatedly prove yourself in the area(s) where you feel most confident in your fixed abilities.  It also makes you very aware of your mistakes, hesitant to try new things, concerned with how you will be judged, and deeply sensitive to criticism...
  
  
• On the other hand, the "growth mindset" believes that no matter how much intelligence, creativity, social skill, business acumen, and/or athletic ability you have, you can always change it significantly.  No matter who you are today, you are capable of creating substantial change.  You have the ability to alter even basic things about the kind of person you are.  People living from a growth mindset prioritize challenge and self-development, believing their abilities in any area can be developed through learning and consistent practice.  They are concerned with improving, and they view their mistakes as learning experiences.  They don't enjoy criticism or failure, but they are far less likely to blame shift or to see that as a final verdict on their fixed abilities... and far more likely to learn from it and improve themselves!

I love this stuff, so this book and all her examples were fascinating to me... I can look back and see some areas where I've held one mindset or the other and how that has affected my choices and either limited me or helped me to learn and change and grow!

Something I found really interesting was what she said about how we can help young children to foster a growth mindset.  When you praise a child for their ABILITY ("You're so smart!"  "You're such a talented artist!" "You're a great writer!"  "You're a natural-born athlete!"  "You were robbed - I thought your performance was the best!") it actually does more harm than good in the end.  It makes them feel special and seen in that moment, yes, but it creates a mindset pattern that centers on their "fixed" ability rather than the effort they've put in.  So when they're given a harder test later... or when a friend draws something that looks better than what they made... or when they sit down to try to write a longer story... or when they struggle with a specific athletic skill, they are far more likely to believe the fact that they are struggling means they're not *really* as smart, talented, or naturally gifted as others believe... and it makes them feel like they should stick to what they're sure they'll do well and avoid trying new stuff.  And if they internalize those things and continue in that fixed mindset, it's actually very limiting to their future potential.  

She goes into detail about the class outcomes of teachers who lead with the fixed mindset vs. the growth mindset in how they treat each child's potential, and the resulting difference in how the students perform and view themselves is intense.   But to summarize, it's a much healthier path to praise children for their EFFORT than their ability... ("I can tell you worked really hard on learning everything for this test, and it paid off!" "Wow, I love that you cared enough to put in the time and pay attention to details and draw something so creative!" "Your writing shows that you put a lot of thought into the words you choose and the way you tell stories, and that really connects with people!" "All that practice time you put in really paid off in today's game - keep it up!" "I'm sorry you lost this competition - I know it's hard to get your hopes up and feel disappointed, but some of these kids have been working for this a lot longer, and now you know which skills to really focus on and practice if this competition is something that really matters to you in the future!").  It takes a bit more energy to go that route -- complimenting their ability is incredibly common and a very natural, easy thing to do.  Parents (or Aunt Lindseys) with great intentions do this all the time!  And most of the time, kids figure things out and eventually develop a growth mindset in certain areas over time -- but this matters, so I'm totally gonna start trying to practice complimenting their effort and willingness to learn and grow  with how I talk to my niece and nephews. ❤

Learning and growing and practicing, improving a little every day!

"The belief that 'success should not need effort' robs people of the very thing they need to make their relationships thrive!"
~Carol Dweck, Mindset

That belief has been part of my problem with writing a book... something the author of this Mindset book identified with.  The dangerous idea that if you're truly good at something, it should just come naturally and be easy for you has stopped a lot of people from asking for a little help or clarification when they get stuck... or from putting in the necessary effort, time, energy, and practice to reach their potential in any number of fields.  I want to step out of that club.

Mindset matters all throughout our lives.  My most challenging adult relationships have been with people who had a fixed mindset regarding their relational capacity.  And when you believe something is fixed in place, you shift the focus and make no real effort to change - why would you if it's just a flawed, embarrassing part of who you are?  When you press into the growth mindset, you're more willing to have hard conversations and listen with an open mind and grow with people.  God has given us the ability to learn and grow and improve and develop ourselves -- we should be learning something new and challenging ourselves to grow in every season of our lives!  I've improved a lot on the fixed mindset thoughts over the years, and I'm going to try to implement more and more growth mindset thinking into my own life.  

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS, friends!! ❤

Playing Catch Up...

Just to alert you, I'm about to publish 4 or 5 blog posts in a row today. lol

I've finally completed my Adoption Profile book (I love it and will probably post more about it here later), so I have some free time to write today.  I've thought of several things I want to write about over the past few weeks, so I'm gonna throw it all in today, in separate posts for the sake of clarity.

This post = my latest photos/update! ❤

I got to have lunch with Sarah and baby Kate yesterday! #miniBFF

Sarah took these lovely pictures, and it made me think, "Hmm, I should use Portrait Mode more often." lol

This little sleep sack created a starfish effect that made me laugh!  Kate's nursery room is super cute, and it was nice to chat with Sarah about some of my baby and baby product questions.  She put Kate down for a nap, turning on the baby monitor and fan and sound machine... then we got our cheesy pasta from Napoli's and sat down on her reclining couch... then their power went out!! lol  The sound machine, fan, and baby monitor promptly stopped working... Kate woke up after a nap that was way too short... and Sarah and I both had to carefully/awkwardly get off the couch without breaking the reclined leg part. LOL  So that made it a very memorable lunch date.

In happy news... somewhere in the middle of our chat, I said something about it being "so nice to have a best friend who's a pediatric nurse" ...I heard myself say it and immediately felt surprised, but it was healthy progress, so I'm totally going with it.  (We've known each other since 2008 and been super close since at least 2015, but that was the first time I've used the phrase "best friend" casually in conversation since the hot mess of 2013.)  We had a good talk about it later in a text thread that made me laugh, and I changed the phrasing in my book to match that.  I could go into a lot more detail (at all times on pretty much any subject here), but the summary is: I don't want that term to feel marred forever, but it was important for me not to force anything there, so I'm thankful for personal growth and for healthy/safe relationships!  Mmkay, that's all for now on that!

She and Steve got me this fun Friends magnet! =)  And she gave me a Thank You card for my shower gift with some precious baby pictures, so yay for a fridge update!

Cody.  Getting ready to dance it up. =)  I'm happy (and not at all surprised) that Peloton captured and posted this moment.

I got in some good reading time with the Miss K this weekend.  I really love listening to her read - it's impressive the way she self-corrects and sounds things out and figures out the tone of the statement or question.  And I like that she wants me to sit with her and listen! ❤

The Jaceman's first iPod was shortlived... no cover, and he dropped it on day two. lol ...Sadness.

We had a family brunch at Cheesecake Factory on Sunday... a delicious, carb-filled extravaganza.  Highly recommend their giant Belgian waffle with srawberries + pecans + whipped cream (I used them all but took this pic before that), a side of mac n' cheese, and of course, a to-go cheesecake of your choice!

Jace Michael in Grandad's old cowboy hat and boots! =)

THIS HAPPENED!! lol  I love how proud of himself he is here. J&K came with me and Triston for our Sunday drive.  We were in a completely empty parking lot, so I let Jace majorly adjust all the seat and wheel settings and drive a few feet, and he immediately started talking about how he's had dreams that he goes driving and wrecks a car. #comforting  It was entertaining times!

Miss K was not so sure about Jace driving us.  Also, the amount of leg room here made me laugh bc he's scooted up about as far as possible.

We let her sit here and see how it felt, but she's still a bit too little to simultaneously reach the pedals and see over the wheel... even with the seat practically touching it.

Preshface!!  I'm thankful she has to literally double in age before driving becomes a reality for her. =)

After our driving sesh, we grabbed T-man a Starbucks drink and icees for J&K at Target.  Triston's lack of smiley participation kinda makes me laugh here!

A couple Facebook memes that made me laugh lately:

Feelin' cute... got my hair cut and colored.  I'd say 90% of my best selfies were taken the day of a hair appointment. lol

A lovely drawing Kyndal made for Mrs. Anderson!

Apparently, Cheryl (Cody's DWTS dance partner) is now out with COVID.  So I wish her a smooth recovery, and I'm curious to watch it later and see how things went this week!

And I'll end on this very random pic I texted Rach of my Brook mac n' cheese last week (at dinner with Tiffany).  "Nom nom for us, David!"  And on that note, it's lunch time!

Happy Wednesday!!  ❤

See you again this afternoon.

To Begin Again

I thought the season premier was last night, but apparently I was wrong.  So I went back and watched last season's finale on Grey's Anatomy... which ends with this poignant song.  I'm not sure how I missed it the first time I saw that episode, but I immediately loved it and downloaded it today - I've actually had several moments like that with the music on Grey's - whoever chooses their songs is pretty spot on!  The official music video is shot in NYC, and the song's lyrics make it pretty clear that it's an ode to finding hope through the pandemic loss and devastation.  But it works on a lot of levels... pretty much any time you feel the need to press into hope and begin again, and it highlights the unique way kids help you to do just that and find new perspective. ❤

 

"When the world was ending, we'd hold on to the past  'cause it's all we thought that we would ever see. But then the sun came right back, and the birds sang as if nothing had happened.  And it's all right. It's okay.  We will get another day to begin again, to begin again, to begin... again. I don't know how. I don't know why. But I know that I will try to begin again, to begin again, to begin to live and love and breathe again."  ❤❤❤

On that note (of new beginnings that follow hard seasons), I'm making great progress on my Adoption Profile book, and it's been pretty fun creating it.  This will probably be the final page, and the colors and confetti and glitter frame all make me pretty happy - the whole book feels very me, as it should, I guess! lol

Happy Friday, friends!

Cody!!

 I now present to you... a compelling reason for me to rejoin the world of Facebook!!!

CODY RIGSBY is on Dancing With the Stars, and I just found out a day late. lol  So fun and exciting!!  I've never cared about that show much before, but I'll be tuning in this season.  I feel confident that the #BooCrew will show up in force to vote for him, too!! To be honest, what I've missed most (or one of very few things I've actually missed) about social media has been the Peloton community and feeling like I have workout buddies who are doing the exact same classes and then commenting on certain difficult moves or random things the instructors say - I love that!   And I'm already excited to see all the comments on Cody's page and the #BooCrew group about this awesomeness! lol

Yay, Cody!!  Here's a quick video of his first dance with Cheryl from last night:

  

The only other photos I've taken recently are from my car wreck, which was in my last post, and these lovely pink flowers in blue mason jars, which are my go to decor when I'm having company (or a home study). ❤

Oh, and here's my fun raised vowel keys and pink keypads. =)  This brand was recommended by Mark Kislingbury, so I figured I'd give it a shot!  At the very least, it makes me happier when I look at my machine. lol

Mmkay, so that's all I've got for now.  It's been a really nice extended break, but I'm gonna hop back on Facebook tomorrow in celebration of Cody AND the official beginning of Fall!!  Happy last day of "summer," friends!

Rough Day for Ruby Claire

Ruby Claire and I first met in December of 2017 (HERE), and she's been a lovely travel buddy ever since.  Today, we were on our way to grab some delicious tacos for lunch... fully stopped and waiting to turn right onto Memorial (#Tacos4Life), when a pickup crashed into us pretty hard!  Even in minor wrecks, that metal on metal sound is so jarring, and it takes a while for your nervous system to calm down.

 Thankfully, I was on the phone with Mom at the time (12:53, to be exact), and she reminded me to take deep breaths.  Then she called Dad to give him a heads up as I was talking with the other driver... who was a super nice guy -- apologetic and kind and helpful.  We pulled into the Memorial Creek Apartments and exchanged info... he shook my hand and told me it was nice to meet me, then said but not like this and apologized again, which was endearing and kinda funny.  Then I sat in that parking lot a while to fully calm down, calling Mom and Dad... and Chet, trying to find out if he knew this guy. lol  I thought I recognized his name, and it turns out he has 71 mutual friends with Chet, so we clearly have some of the same Tulsa circles but hadn't crossed paths until today. #smallworld

I got my long-awaited tacos and stopped by Urgent Care where I waited over an hour to get checked out, just for good measure since there was general soreness and a mild headache... all is well, and they gave me some muscle relaxers for my neck and shoulder.  So Ruby Claire and I should both make a full recovery. lol

 

This text exchange with Rach also made me laugh!

 

 

So yeah, I got home from my quick lunch run around 5:15. lol  Just in time to do a quick final sweep of the house and bake some pull-apart cookies and be ready for my Home Study appointment with Shay at 6:30.  It went really well - she was kind and encouraging and informative, and very complimentary of my house. =)  I'm going to look into the agency and consultants and grants she mentioned, and try to let some local family law attorneys know I am pursuing adoption, so that's exciting! ❤

  

 

I'll leave you with this cheesy-but-applicable Walt Disney quote, which makes me think of Chet Lee and his love of the "song about dreams coming true!" ;-)

Photo Friday

Happy Friday, friends and fam!! ❤

Here are a few recent pics of the niece and nephews... the Miss K and her friend, Olivia, eating mini molten cakes... yum!!

And roller skating before their dessert break!  Cuteness!  She and Olivia have been friends since preschool (one that wasn't through CHA).

J&K ready for picture day at school... (*Jace's shoes being untied is something that always bothers me but never seems to bother him).

Dad and T-man getting an at-home infusion of antibodies (not positive I'm saying that right?) to help prevent or reduce COVID symptoms after Carter had it a couple weeks back.

Carter and Triston both had it, but both are healthy and all better now, so we're thankful for that!! ❤  This = Slate, David Deppen, and Carter after their football game on Monday night!

And Triston and a friend whose name I don't know after that same game!

Jaceman had a couple friends over to swim at Mamaw's during Labor Day weekend (while Kyndal was hanging out with Olivia and her fam).

My song of the Week = Speechless from Aladdin

I've had this one on repeat lately - love the empowering lyrics! =)

That's all for today.  Have a lovely weekend ahead!!

The Green Light

“But Moses said to the people, ‘Don’t be afraid.  Stand firm and see the LORD’s salvation that He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.  The LORD Himself will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ 

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to MOVE FORWARD (toward the sea).  As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
~Exodus 14:13-16

As you can see in my last post, I've allowed my fear of all the unknowns surrounding the adoption process to cloud my faith... to make me doubt where I already believed God was leading me.  The very last thing I want to do is push forward in my own strength with something that God is not in or that He is not blessing, so I've prayed about this decision a lot over the past decade...

As an introvert whose innate tendency is to wait and pray and be still, I have always loved the verse where Moses tells the people, "The Lord will fight for you - you need only to be still."  And apparently, I've missed God's very immediate response to that statement, which contradicts the idea that He's supposed to just do it all for us, and instead tells Moses and the Israelites to break camp and get moving - to raise his staff and take action and go forward right into something that really scared them.  Yes, God's power and glory are on full display, and He does fight for them and take care of the miraculous parting of the waters... but they have to deliberately step into that sea and trust Him all the way through it, knowing they can never go back when the waters close behind them on the other side.  And in verse 20, God's angel and the cloud of His presence both move behind them and stand as a dividing wall between them and their enemies, protecting them and lighting their way as they move forward, through the deep waters.  (If that entire event and the metaphorical lessons there don't preach, I don't know what will!!)

So yeah, God spoke to me yesterday through a sermon podcast titled "Green Light at the Red Sea."  Much like myself, Steven Furtick is a fan of alliteration, and he used an acronym for GREEN, saying that God will give us the Grace, Resources, Energy, and Evidence that we need to Navigate the road ahead.  Yes, please!!

Grace ~ grace for your greatest embarrassments, failures, and mistakes

Resources ~ resources for your deepest need

Energy ~ energy for your most draining relationships

Evidence ~ evidence of God's faithfulness so that future generations will know the Lord

Navigate ~ the ability to navigate the most complicated places in your life

A few other quotes that stood out to me:

"You've got a green light at the Red Sea, and you've got to GO!  God is going to get His glory as you go through."

"So what do the Egyptians represent?  It represents their past, and really, it represents their way of life - all that they've known. It also represents the provision that they've grown accustomed to receiving.  We've always heard the Red Sea as a story of great faith, but before they had great faith, watch their fear - watch them put their faith in Reverse.  Their testimony had a stage of terror!"

"The Bible uses history to teach theology, so it uses the example of a body of water to get me to look at things in my life where I'm going, I don't see how.  I really don't see how...  I thought I was ready for the Promised Land, but I was not ready for this Red Sea, for this barrier, for this test... It's been making you want to turn around and go home...  but it doesn't work in Reverse.  You can't go back there."

"If you stand still, you die inside, so that's why God is going to help you navigate.  If you stand there and stay in your feelings... the miracle is not in your feelings; it's in your feet.  You've got to move; it's green.  You've got the go-ahead from God, even though you've never figured this out before.  So God will give you the green light, but He's not going to drive the car."

"God is giving you divine power to demolish strongholds and a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit...  And you're going to have for the rest of your life, when you pass through this season, the evidence of His faithfulness."

All that to say, I feel like God is giving me a green light, and I am stepping forward.  God has already given me some much-needed clarity and peace about how to handle the financial part of it... but I know there will be new hurdles along the way, and I obviously don’t have a full map or any guarantee about how this will all work out - I just know that right now, I’m supposed to take this step.  I can tell that this entire process is going to stretch my faith and cause me to stay close to God and keep pushing myself and growing with Him... and that's a little scary, and also really exciting and hopeful!!  Prayers appreciated. ❤