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  • Abundance is Listening to Yourself, Knowing What You Desire, and Giving Yourself What You Need

    • July 28, 2022
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    Abundance is Being In Cahoots with a Higher Power

    • June 30, 2022
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    • May 31, 2022
  • Abundance is Found in a Mostly Empty Four-Bedroom Farmhouse, the Title ‘Mom’, AND Hope

    • May 1, 2022
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    Abundance is Found in the Stories We Tell Ourselves

    • March 18, 2022
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Grace & Grit

General Grace & Grit The Journey

Wear the Damn Boots

Letting go is the hardest thing any parent will ever have to do. I’m…

Lia October 5, 2021
General Grace & Grit The Journey

The Ride of Your Life

The Ride of Your Life Starts Today   The other day, as we were…

Lia August 27, 2021
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  • Home
  • Bio
  • What I’m Reading
  • Writer’s Corner
  • About
  • Contact
Blog Categories
  • Abundance
  • General
  • Grace & Grit
  • The Journey
  • Writing Craft
Recent Posts
  • Abundance is Listening to Yourself, Knowing What You Desire, and Giving Yourself What You Need

    • July 28, 2022
  • Fishman and young boy at dusk.

    Abundance is Being In Cahoots with a Higher Power

    • June 30, 2022
  • Abundance is Embracing Who You Truly Are — An Exquisite Masterpiece

    • May 31, 2022
  • Abundance is Found in a Mostly Empty Four-Bedroom Farmhouse, the Title ‘Mom’, AND Hope

    • May 1, 2022
  • Windmill with sunset in the background.

    Abundance is Found in the Stories We Tell Ourselves

    • March 18, 2022
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Desire is Not a Four-Letter Word   Do you know wh Desire is Not a Four-Letter Word
 
Do you know what you want? Do you really know in any given moment, on any given day, what you desire?
 
This could mean big, life-changing desires – like whether or not to choose the guy or girl, or the career, to do what you want or the thing your parents – and society—approve of.
 
Or this could mean small, life changing desires that add up over time, like whether to take a nap before dinner, or to show up for your physical fitness routine day after day, or to allow yourself to feel your emotions and express them, or even to just listen to your body and know when it wants —needs —a glass of water … a bathroom break … to be held.
 
Very rarely do we listen to our bodies, especially if what they tell us is counter to what we think we should be doing. We push ourselves to go go go, to get things done and mark off the items on our to-do list. We take pride in being “good,” “nice,” and of service to others.
 
I’m not saying it’s wrong to help others or to push ourselves to accomplish tasks, but sometimes the scales are so heavily weighted on the side of helping and accomplishing that we don’t have time for the things we need in order to thrive. Or worse, we don’t believe we are thriving unless we are pushing ourselves to extremes, or sacrificing ourselves on the altar of everyone else’s needs.
 
Taking time to tune into our thoughts, feelings, patterns of behavior, needs, wants and desires, and even our aversions to the things we dislike, can feel like a big selfish risk. What if we disappoint someone, let someone down, say no when they want us to say yes?

Being liked and accepted by others can’t take precedence over using our no or letting our true voice be heard.

It’s okay to tune into our own needs. To make space in our day for those dreams that set our souls on fire. It’s okay not to answer the text, or the phone call, or the doorbell. To say, “Excuse me for one minute” and take the time to pour ourselves a tall glass of water, or to go pee.
 
Desire is not a four-letter word. It is your right to receive and own pleasure.
#graceandgrit #yolo #doyoubooboo #passionandpurpose #abundancemindset #graceandgritblog
He’s determined. He’s resilient. He’s climbi He’s determined. He’s resilient. He’s climbing mountains, and he will always own a huge chunk of my heart. 

📸 credits @aliterarypointofview 

#myboy #myheart #determined #resilient #climbingmountains
What secret lies hidden inside a letter that a hus What secret lies hidden inside a letter that a husband left for his wife to be opened after his death—yet he’s still alive, and he’s decided he doesn’t really want his wife to open that letter? You’ll have to read The Husband’s Secret to find out. 

Liane Moriarty masterfully weaves together three stories into a modern-day Pandora’s Box. This book will keep you flipping pages to see if Cecilia reads the letter, if Tess chooses to stay with her “cheating” husband, and if Rachel finds closure around her tragic loss. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 #greatread #ilovebooks #suspense #bookrecommendations #bookworm #lianemoriarty #thehusbandssecret
We booked a cruise back in 2019. This year we fina We booked a cruise back in 2019. This year we finally got to take it. 

We stopped in the Bahamas at Royal Caribbean’s own personal island CocoCay. We experienced Cozumel, Mexico, where we spent most of our day at Chankanaab, Cozumel’s National Reef Marine Park. We spent two days relaxing at sea. And we stopped in Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, and ventured into the jungle to the Mayan ruins, which was the reason we originally booked this trip back in 2019. 

The world and our personal lives have changed a lot since we booked this cruise back then, and we’ve learned to soak up every minute—or as the guide in Cozumel said, “You live day by day. You are not promised tomorrow.” So that’s exactly what we did — soaked up sights, sounds, and experiences on this amazing trip. My heart is full and a bit melancholy as we disembark, but I’ll soak in all the emotions of this moment too.  #yolo #soakupmoments #vacay #cruiseship #royalcaribbean #symphonyoftheseas
In Cahoots with a Higher Power   What if before w In Cahoots with a Higher Power
 
What if before we were born we stood with God on the edge of heaven, overlooking the earth and discussing our assignment—our part in His great plan to end suffering and pain? And what if in addition to discussing this assignment we also allowed God to design the perfect scenario that would best enable us to carry out this plan?
 
We’d be assigned the perfectly designed family and group of friends and community with the exact issues that would best help us understand our mission. The perfect encounters, experiences, and events that would prepare us and guide us to the right beliefs so that we could become a change agent in this world.
 
I’ve always thought that God has a purpose for us, and whole-heartedly believe that life has meaning. It’s the pain of disease and abuse and all the forms of hate that I question and so passionately desire to change.
 
This idea of being in cahoots with a higher power invites us to live fully. It’s an invitation to question, to think, to really dig deep for answers, and to step into roles of advocacy for the things that hit the hardest against our hearts. It feels like grace to stop asking why and instead get curious about what this alliance, this partnership, might look like. To ask how, instead of why: how we can best use our individual gifts to find purpose and meaning, and where we can share these gifts with others.
 
If you knew you were in cahoots with God or the universe or a higher power, would you joyfully embrace your assignment, your family and the people and experiences in your life? Would you take back your agency and fight for the things you know in the very depths of your being are your purpose for being here? Would you surrender your resistance and questioning around why a God or the universe or a higher power allows pain and suffering, and step into this grand and mystical dance of life?

I’m digging into this idea on the Grace & Grit Blog today. I hope you’ll drop in and share your thoughts. 

#grace #grit #higherpower #assigned #purpose #graceandgritblog
This dynamic duo @thishammer & @bradeighgodfrey — @alibradybooks just released their new book Beach Trap, and I had the pleasure of hearing them speak at @litchfieldbooks luncheon. I can’t wait to dive into this steamy beach read with not one but two handy men. 😍

#beachtrap #wfwa #writerscommunity #writersofig #writer #booklovers
I consider myself doubly blessed to have had an am I consider myself doubly blessed to have had an amazing Dad who loved with his whole heart and who showed me how a woman should be treated, and to also have a husband who loves our kids with his whole heart and treats me like a queen. 

Happy Father’s Day to this two great men! 

#greatmen #happyfathersday
Happy Happiest of Birthdays to my first born! He i Happy Happiest of Birthdays to my first born! He is a blessing with his easygoing spirit, gentle nature, big heart, and sense of humor. I couldn’t be prouder of him and all he has accomplished. I’m praying this trip around the sun is full of blessings upon blessings, and even more blessings. 

#hemademeamom #firstborn #myson #birthdayboy #anothertriparoundthesun
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 I’m giving ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 

I’m giving this one six stars!

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe’ has it all: Secrets; Complex characters; Grief and emotional wounds; Mystical passageways, a cat, and blackbirds; And a small town cafe’ with pie that brings messages from departed loved ones while you sleep. Then if that wasn’t enough, I learned from Heather’s website that her inspiration for this book came from the Beatles’ song “Blackbird.” 

I’m in a state of book euphoria from this book, and sure to read more of Heather Webber’s books. Which is why I highly recommend this captivating book!

#ilovereading #booklover #womensfiction #greatbook #heatherwebber #midnightattheblackbirdcafe
She did it!! 🎓 We are so so proud of this girl! She did it!! 🎓 We are so so proud of this girl! Congratulations, Addie Rose. 💕

Behind you, all your memories. 
Before you, all your dreams. 
Around you, all those who love you. 
Within you, all you need. 

We can’t wait to see where your dreams take you. Go do great things. 💫. #mygraduate #classof2022 #graduation #shedidit #woohoo
My NSHS grads. ‘07, ‘18, and after tomorrow ‘22. ❤️❤️❤️

#mygraduate #myheartbeats #dontblink
You get to choose your thoughts. You even get to c You get to choose your thoughts. You even get to change them.

Some circumstances are out of our control, but our thoughts are NOT. 

Understanding ourselves—our beliefs, our social conditioning, the stories we tell ourselves, and how our past experiences impact our present-day life—helps us claim states of peace & ease. 

Pay attention to your thoughts and the stories you are telling yourself. Uproot and discard any misbeliefs, disempowering conditioning, and outdated stories that keep you from living into the beautiful masterpiece you are. 

#mindset #mindsetmatters #peace  #ease #abundance
I don’t want to be the woman worried about what I don’t want to be the woman worried about what someone else thinks. I don’t want to be the woman who strives for the idea that we have to be perfect and anything less makes us flawed. 

I call bullsh**t on the lies that tell us: I’m supposed to have sixpack abs, and flawless makeup and hair; I’m supposed to drive a certain kind of car and live in a certain kind of house, and have a list of acronyms after my name; I’m flawed if my marriage isn’t perfect, or my kids don’t fit society’s standard mold of achievement.

I don’t want to be the ideal version of me that the world classifies as good enough. I want to embrace the evolving version of myself that my heart knows is already enough.

Who I Am Is Enough. Who You Are is Enough. 

I’ve heard that our flaws make us beautiful, but I think the problem is that we view the unique authentic pieces of ourselves as flaws to begin with, and especially if those unique authentic pieces don’t fit with society’s standard of perfection. 

I’m talking about this mindset on The Grace & Grit Blog. I’m getting down and dirty about how I use my gray “Angelia” binder (in the picture above) to keep me focused on being a confident woman who gives herself grace and celebrates her efforts of learning and growing and evolving as she engages with life in order to discover what she desires and needs on the journey to becoming who she really is.

What if you allowed yourself to be the fullest version of you? Would your life look any different?

#grace #doyoubooboo #youareamasterpiece #selflovejourney #selfcompassion #selftrust #graceandgritblog
I met this girl in Kindergarten. She became my bes I met this girl in Kindergarten. She became my best friend, my sister, my family. Her mom became my other “Mom.” Our boys became friends. And our husband’s are fishing buddies. 

Today I was blessed to see her and celebrate her son’s wedding with her. Thank God for lifelong friends. 

*My other Mom took this first picture and captioned it, "I'm telling you Christy, I know that girl over there is flirting with Dwayne and Tony!" 😂 This sounds just like something we would say. 

She also took the second picture and captioned it, " Oh hey Mama. How long have you been standing there?” #bestfriends #lifelongfriends #mysecondfamily #mysecondmom #goodtimes
My editor has mentioned this book several times as My editor has mentioned this book several times as being her favorite book. Being that I’ve liked every story she’s ever recommended, and the fact that she knows the elements of what makes a good story I wanted to read this book for myself. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

LEAVING TIME is a masterfully woven tale about grief, love, and our innate desire to belong. Jenna Metcalf lost her mother in a tragic accident when she was only three. Now at thirteen, Jenna longs to know the truth about that accident and why her mother would have abandoned her. Jenna enlists a private detective and a Psychic to help her piece together the detailed memories she has as a little girl, the personal knowledge she’s gained about her mother from her mother’s journals, and the hard evidence Jenna has so keenly obtained about that mysterious night. In true Picoult fashion, you will go on a journey with these characters as you learn about elephants and Jenna’s mother’s grief research with elephants, and relationships and motives, and hard evidence and unexplainable evidence, and how grief and a mother’s love are intertwined in Jenna’s journey to discover the truth.  #iamreading #ilovebooks📚 #jodipicoult #getlostinabook
I got outside of my comfort zone today—Waaaay ou I got outside of my comfort zone today—Waaaay outside of my comfort zone by participating in the MudGirl Race with my daughter and all the other badass women who showed up and challenged themselves. There were 17 obstacles with mud galore. We crawled through mud, and climbed over mud, and when I reached out for Addie’s hand on one of the slides she tricked me and pushed me into the muddy water waiting below. I love my girl!

Here’s a shoutout to the lady with the prosthetic pushing forward on that muddy trail; that lady beside me on the muddy crawl who pointed out that “we in the military now;” all the amazing volunteers cheering us on at every station; and the guy in the pink tutu leading the warmups and inspiring us all to go have fun. #pinkarmy #pinkarmy5k #pinkarmystrong
These were the only images I captured for Mother’s Day. I missed the opportunity to snap a photo of my mom with my boys (My daughter worked a double yesterday serving other moms and their families since she was off Saturday for her senior prom), or a photo of Dwayne with our boys, or even myself with the ones I love—because I was so in the moment with them. Which is a good thing, right?

Asheville was cool and damp yesterday. The low clouds that hung over the tops of the mountains lifted as the sun rose higher in the sky. 

Lunch with my family was full of conversation and good food and laughter. And the ride along the parkway and the moment we pulled off to find @thebandwatkins and his guitar and his lyrics about ‘this time being different’, along with the woman doing yoga, the view courtesy of God’s great hand, and my people were and always will be enough. 

Still the feeling of lost opportunity over the uncaptured photos dawned on me when I logged on to social media and scrolled through all the smiling faces of moms and families. I even saw photos and heartfelt posts about individuals missing their moms and grandmas, and posts about fractured relationships that make Mother’s Day difficult for others. Again, I had moments and experiences with my people but these posts only heightened my regret over not taking a picture of these snapshots in time. 

Why? Do I really need photos to prove to myself or anyone else that I had special moments with my 83 year-old mother, my husband, and my sons? Or was this desire of capturing these moments on film really about a fear that one day these moments, these people won’t exist and these photos will be the only reminder of this time with my loved ones? 

Social media, the fear of missing out (FOMO), and Comparisonitis can all steal our joy if we forget that our real happiness is found living in the moment and savoring our experiences and the time we have with the ones we love on the real-life side of the screen. 

#fomo #comparisonisthethiefofjoy #joyfulmoments #liveinthemoment #soakitallin
Senior prom. ❤️ #mysenior #seniorprom #isntshe Senior prom. ❤️ #mysenior #seniorprom #isntshelovely #dontblink #timepleaseslowdown
Happy Mother’s Day Weekend! Being a mom is a b Happy Mother’s Day Weekend! 

Being a mom is a blessing. Having my mom and my mother-in-law here to celebrate is also a blessing. And the very fact that other wise and loving women were present in my life, if only for just a while, is a blessing too. 

Whatever your experience may be, whatever this weekend brings up for you, I hope there’s at the very least glimmers of blessings all around you. ❤️❤️

#mothersday #greatwomen #mommies #grandmommy #celebrate #blessings #blessed
Loss – the perceived deprivation of something de Loss – the perceived deprivation of something deemed meaningful.

I enrolled in a grief study at church with one of my friends. In this grief study, we specifically studied Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. If I’m being honest, I enrolled in this class with my friend because I was excited about studying the Bible with her. That’s our thing. And, I thought this study would help me understand the grief of my main character in my book. 

Losses come in so many shapes and forms. Death is usually the first thing that comes to mind, but there are varying shades of loss in disease and divorce and job loss and infertility and natural disasters — all the seasons of our lives. Even becoming an empty nester.

My baby is graduating from High School in a few weeks, and heading off to college this fall. This will be the first time my husband and I have ever been alone as just the two of us, since I brought my oldest son with me into our marriage. We are anticipating all the opportunity this new season of life will bring, and we are navigating the loss of how things have always been. 

We’ve always prioritized our children and our family, so this newfound time feels guilt free – like a choice that will lead us straight to joy, if we will just allow ourselves the opportunity to explore this new season.

What losses are you navigating? Are you entering a new phase of life? 

I'm talking more about how we can find abundance in losses on the Grace & Grit Blog.

#emptynest #dontblink #newperspectives #ichoosejoy #lifeisshortenjoyit #graceandgritblog
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