Today’s newsletter includes some Sunday night thoughts and soundbytes for your best Monday morning! I would love to hear what you think. Should we share more?
Necessary joy and other things
Writing took over every free moment this past week. I write content for a few incredible businesses when I’m not with my doula clients… or schooling my small-ish kids.
It felt wonderful.
I really, really wanted to send out my MP3 from our SEEN study last weekend. I did! But I can’t apologize for necessary joy.
Can I suggest that you don’t apologize for necessary joy, too? I mean, if you’re missing deadlines and such, perhaps there might be some shifts in order. If you are pushing off one passion project for another, though… in this season… maybe there is no apology.
I traded one joy for another.
What if we all thought of joy as necessary, by the way?
One day soon I’ll write about how I stopped apologizing for everything. About how it’s okay to take up space… to exist. About how finding joy changed my life when I was bed-bound, unable to care for my one-year-old blessed babe 10 years ago… back broken, spirit humbled…
I will absolutely ramble if I dig into this though.
So instead - consider listening to the first of five segments on being SEEN… loved… as you are.
Even if you do not listen in on our talk from our last Moms for Mental Health meetup, I do want to urge you to note the last time you felt seen.
Some questions to provoke your joy journey this week:
When have you cried out and how has God answered?
When has light wiped out the darkest night?
If you’re crying out now – how’s your soul?
Have you carved out time to process and integrate and digest, yet? To cry out as Hannah cried out?
My dear secret mentor and fellow survivor Kate Bowler says
“Sometimes we accidently assign a bright side to people’s deepest pain.”
We aren’t sugarcoating your pain in our group - in these questions, in this newsletter.
Also, I’d like to say that joy and pain are not exclusive soul contracts. We can experience both… at the same time… and even in the same day.
What do you think?
I’d love to hear from you, friend. Comment below.
A Monday morning discourse