Here’s what I’ve been noticing this month: the support systems that help hold me together.

Sometimes that support is a device. Sometimes it is words, both written and spoken. And sometimes it is direct experiences with other human beings. I’m thankful for them all.

Each month I share favorite somethings from Jenn’s four categories. I also share my previous month’s One Second Everyday video.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

1. Something I Love

• SIMPLE TIMER TO KEEP ME ON TRACK

I use the timer on my phone a lot. It helps free my brain from always having to keep up with time.

For the past few years, I’ve also found it extremely helpful to have a timer on my laptop as well. This one has proven to be perfect for me: Horo Timer.

It sits easily accessible in the menu bar and does one thing only: counts down time. I set the minutes I want and hit return. It dings when the time is up.

It’s basic, which may be why it works so well. I appreciate how it keeps me on track.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

2. Something Sustaining Me

• FINDING PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND

In addition to our regular trusted friends, it’s also comforting to find a niche set of friends for a specific life stage or situation. Over the past year, I’ve found that in refreshing ways, mostly online, although some in person, too.

Most recently, I attended a retreat a few weeks ago with other moms where we heard keynotes from some of my favorite experts in their fields. It was informative and encouraging.

But what’s sustaining me most are the friendships that came out of that weekend and the ways we’re continuing to stay connected.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

3. Something Carrying Me Forward

• LIBRARY BOOKS WAITING FOR ME

Books, books, and more books!

For a few years, I’ve been able to pay a small fee to access ebooks through the Nashville, TN, library system even though I live in Alabama. However, due to recent budget cuts, they ended that option for non-Davidson County residents. I understand why; ebooks are expensive for libraries to provide. Still, I’ll greatly miss having access to their much larger collection compared to my local library system.

Before my access ended this week, I loaded my Kindle with ebooks from Nashville, then switched it to airplane mode so the books would stay on my device until I finish reading them. So for now I’m still stocked with books I really want to read but couldn’t get anywhere else (for free, anyway).

I can’t imagine what I’d do without my Kindle and public libraries.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

4. Something I’m Making Space For

• LEARNING FROM AND ALONGSIDE OTHERS

Almost a year ago, I signed up through a program to connect with an incarcerated pen pal. Since then, my pen pal and I have exchanged several letters and become friends.

It’s outside my comfort zone, but it’s important to me—not as an act of charity, but as a way of sharing common humanity with someone different from me for our mutual growth.

Recently, I’ve begun meeting in a Zoom group with other people on the outside who also have an incarcerated pen pal. I have much to learn from these more experienced writers because I’m still figuring things out as I go.

I’ve also been reading The Deliverance of Hope: The Spiritual Discipline of Writing People on Death Row by Jeff Hood and Wendy Ramage, who are facilitating the Zoom group. The book has already been so helpful.

Our care and support can come from the most unexpected places: a timer app, new friendships, a library full of books, and a Zoom room full of strangers writing letters.

Taken together—and along with many other things and friends—they help me keep going.

Who or what is supporting you this month? Share in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Some months go by faster than others—not because of big events per se, but because small, steady moments just stack up. April was one of those months for me.

Here are four things I’ve been noticing, savoring, and making room for lately. Each month I share favorite somethings from Jenn’s four categories.

I also share my previous month’s One Second Everyday video.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

1. Something I Loved

• LEARNING TEE-BALL

Our little grandson continues to explore extracurricular activities, and this spring it’s tee-ball. It’s been an educational experience for this grandmother, who knows nothing about the game for this young age.

I’ve had such fun watching him and the other boys and girls figure it all out in real time—how to be part of a team while also navigating the very real distractions of childhood.

There’s dirt to play in, airplanes to watch overhead, and the occasional pull to just fall down on the ground or wrestle with a teammate . . . all the while also learning how to catch balls and run bases.

It’s equal parts chaos and charm, and I’m loving every minute I get to watch.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

2. Something Sustaining Me

• SAVORING THE BERRIES

I love strawberry season.

With the gallons I bought, I’ve been making all the things. Last weekend was strawberry shortcake. This week we made several batches of strawberry jam, followed by a strawberry pie. My favorite strawberry cake is still to come.

And in between all of that, I’ve been eating plenty of berries straight from the bowl.

It’s been a steady culinary delight (and might also explain my occasional tummy ache the past few days, lol).

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

3. Something Carrying Me Forward

• SHOWING UP FOR EACH OTHER

Over the past two months, I’ve been spending more time with a dear friend. After having a serious skin cancer removed, she’s needed help getting to and from doctor’s appointments.

As I expected, what started as simply offering her a ride has turned into treasured time catching up. Our weekly visits have felt like old times.

My friend is one of those people who brightens a room the moment she walks in—friendly and full of compliments to friends and strangers alike.

Being around her again has been a gift I didn’t realize I was in need of.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

4. Something I’m Making Space For

• SURPRISE OR NO SURPRISE?

Jigsaw puzzles have always been a stress-reliever for me—they’re my guilty pleasure. This latest puzzle though, loaned to me by a friend, has been a challenge.

It’s a Mystery Puzzle by Odd Pieces.

Odd Pieces Mystery Jigsaw Puzzle – Snack Attack

The trickiest part?

The image on the box doesn’t exactly match the finished puzzle. It’s close, but not the same. The box shows a “before” scene of a school day, while the completed puzzle reveals a mystery that happens 15 seconds later as the “after” scene.

I struggled with it, moving so slowly for a while that I was almost ready to give up. Then I decided I could break the rules and work from the “after” image.

It made all the difference!

Once I could see what it was supposed to look like, it moved along quickly—and the fun came back. Sometimes a shift in perspective is all it takes to move forward again.

What’s something you enjoyed in April?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

March is a living demonstration of flexible shifts—I wore shorts on a hot Sunday, then it snowed on Monday.

My One Word this year is Shift, and this month I’ve been focusing on the shifts that nature offers: things grow and things fade. Both are necessary for the rhythm to work.

Nothing stays the same forever, and everything that disappears opens up space for something new. (I even learned a new word this month for dead autumn leaves that hang on until they’re pushed off in spring.)

Each month I share favorite somethings from Jenn’s four categories.

I also share my previous month’s One Second Everyday video.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

1. Something I Loved

• LIVE MUSIC

In a month’s span, Jeff and I went to two new concerts featuring old music. It was a beautiful shift in time, being transported back to songs from my youth, yet experiencing them live in 2026.

The first concert was a variety of bands singing hits from the 1970s. The second was the Black Jacket Symphony’s Stayin’ Alive concert, a full Bee Gees experience (I loved Barry Gibb back in the day; he’s now 79 years old and the only surviving brother).

While music is meant to be experienced in the moment, it lingers on in the soul, even after the band stops playing.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

2. Something Sustaining Me

• BOOK CONVERSATIONS

Books sustain me every month, but this month I enjoyed extra companionship than normal through book clubs. Some met in person, others online. Some meet regularly; others more sporadically. One was for this month only. But they all aligned to happen in the same month this time, a rare and welcome intersection.

Here’s what I read for book clubs this month (and a few books are ongoing still):

• Out of Darkness
• Beyond the Politics of Contempt
• Beyond Belief (+ a one-on-one zoom conversation I won with the author, Nir Eyal; we talked for an hour about his new book!)
• Speak
• Women Who Run With the Wolves
• By Hands Now Known

Each book—and each book club group—brought a different kind of connection. New ideas, growing perspectives, and deep conversations.

Shifts may begin individually, but they can accelerate in community.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

3. Something Carrying Me Forward

• COLONOSCOPY (ugh!)

Forgive me if this is TMI, but I had yet another colonoscopy this month. I never look forward to them, but I give them credit for keeping me still here.

My first colonoscopy 17 years ago is when my doctor discovered colon cancer. Since then, I return every 1-3 years. They’re inconvenient in the moment, but they carry me forward a few more years. Even though colon cancer runs in my family (and in me), if it’s caught early, it’s usually very treatable.

A colonoscopy is a different kind of shift. It centers you into the immediacy of the day, but when you zoom out, you appreciate the benefit of years it provides.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

4. Something I’m Making Space For

• iPHONE STORAGE

Ready or not, I’ve been making space on my phone this past week.

The latest iOS update claimed my final 13 GB of storage (rude), leaving me with only a 1 GB margin. So I’ve been letting go of things I no longer need on my phone—deleting unused apps, erasing messages, clearing off duplicate photos. Because I need room for things yet to come.

But it’s still not enough. I may attempt a full phone reset later this week (send good thoughts!) to reduce iOS and System Data; it’s currently eating up 37 GB of storage.

Sometimes making space is trusting that even if important things are lost, they’ve already become part of who I am. And that won’t go away.

———

March reminds me that nature doesn’t resist its own shifts. It lets things happen when they happen, not too soon and not too late. No apologies either way.

Growing up and letting go aren’t opposites—they are partners. That’s what I’m trying to accept, too: trust what is growing and gently release what is fading. Together, they make room for whatever is coming next.

A Question for You:

What new thing is growing in your life? Any old thing fading away?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

I’ve been experimenting this month with my One Word—Shift—in a slightly different direction: pace.

Not doing less or doing more, necessarily, but adjusting the speed—faster or slower—where it felt possible. Paying attention to the rhythm of my days. Speeding up things that didn’t need dragging out. Slowing down things that deserved to be stretched.

Here are my 4 Somethings this month, shaped by Shift. I’m linking up with Jenn here.

I’m also sharing my last month’s One Second Everyday video.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

1. Something I Loved

• “Name One” Brunch

Last weekend we hosted a brunch for the families of our book club participants. I see the women every week, but not their kids and partners. It’s always fun to expand the circle.

Everyone brought one item that represented something about themselves—and a story to go along with it. We played a fast word game Blank Slate and shared a photo from our phones that made us smile.

It felt enriching to have all morning to shift our pace, lingering over stories and really noticing each other. It helped us see how the unique things about each person are also the very things that bring us together.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

2. Something Sustaining Me

• A Colorado Weekend Retreat

At the beginning of the month, I spent a fantastic weekend in Colorado with a few online friends who are now in-person friends.

Our two hosts thoughtfully planned meaningful activities for each day, allowing plenty of breathing space in between for casual conversations or quiet solitude.

On the final night, we made a gorgeous mandala from objects we’d been creating throughout the weekend—such a slow, rich closing to an intimate weekend of treasured community.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

3. Something Carrying Me Forward

• Time Tracking for a Week

Once every year or so, I keep a time log for one week, thanks to Laura Vanderkam’s enthusiastic recommendation and annual challenge. This year I chose a week in February to track my time.

It’s a little bit of a hassle, but using the wonderful Toggl app makes it almost fun. And definitely quicker than keeping up with it by hand.

At the end of the week, I was curious (and slightly nervous) to see the breakdown of how I spent my hours. Toggl provides you with wonderful charts of your week.

As expected for anybody, sleep was my largest category (53 hours).

The big surprise (to me, maybe not to my husband?) was what came in second: reading in bed, clocking in at 9.5 hours for that week—mostly centered around 6am and 9:30pm. Those bookends of the day are some of my favorite slow times to read without looking at the clock.

I don’t use time tracking to pass judgment on how I spend my time, but rather to notice my rhythms and pace, and figure out any adjustments I’d like to make going forward.

As with most things, shifts often start with awareness.

[Read more: Four tools to live with time, not against it]

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

4. Something I’m Making Space For

• The Alabama Solution

My husband and I spent a Sunday afternoon at our local public library to watch The Alabama Solution (you can also watch it on HBO).

It’s a sobering documentary (it received an Academy Award nomination!) about the deadly abuses inside Alabama’s prison system.

Watch the 2-minute trailer here.

It felt slow. And hard. But important to witness.

Part of shifting my pace this month meant sticking with uncomfortable things, if they were also valuable things. This film fit that category.

Other than contacting state officials, there’s not much I can do about the problem, but I can at least stay informed. And that is something.

—

This month reminded me that shifts don’t have to be drastic to be meaningful. They can happen around a brunch table. In the mountains. In a spreadsheet of hours. With a community watching something hard.

All at a human pace.

A Question for You:

Where would you like to slow down—or speed up—this week?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

I’ve been intentionally watching for shifts this month—some subtle, some more noticeable. Life is always changing, moment by moment.

This month’s four somethings all circle around what happens when we show up to the shift—so life can keep blooming.

Each month in 2026, we’re sharing these 4 somethings at Jenn’s blog.

1 – Something I loved
2 – Something sustaining me
3 – Something carrying me forward
4 – Something I’m making space for

I’m also sharing my last month’s One Second Everyday video . . .

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I Loved

• A reminder that beauty can return again and again 

I was given this amaryllis a couple of months ago. I assumed it would bloom once and be done.

But instead, new shoots keep popping up, followed by new blooms—and I’m surprised every time. Just when I think it’s finished, there it goes again.

Sometimes the stems can’t hold the weight of the blooms and they start to fall over. When that happens, I cut them and put them in a vase, where they stay beautiful for another week or so.

My plant people here can confirm this for me, but I read that once the foliage dies back, I should remove the bulbs and store them in a cool, dark place until fall. Even though it’s a houseplant. Is that right?

I can’t quite imagine this cycle continuing for me with a houseplant—but I’m willing to try. There’s a shift here I’m learning from: beauty doesn’t always arrive once and leave. Sometimes it keeps coming back.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something Sustaining Me

• Relearning the power of being together

The world continues to recover from the aftereffects of 2020 and COVID isolation. Even now, almost six years later, I’m realizing how attending events in person has been far more nourishing than I ever realized prior to 2020.

Jeff and I attended an annual conference on the East Coast last weekend, and as usual, it was so uplifting. There’s something about being in the same room with other people—breathing the same air, singing the same songs, laughing at the same jokes—that gives me life.

Online connections matter; don’t get me wrong. (See “Gifts of Online Gatherings: Finding Community Through Zoom”) I don’t want to live without those! May they live on and on.

But there’s been a shift in my awareness: having my body gathered with other bodies carries a special kind of energy—and I don’t want to ever take that for granted again.

sweet friends we see each year at Southern Lights (Instagram photo)

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something Carrying Me Forward

• The comfort of continuity across generations

The older my grandson gets, the more he enjoys playing with some of the same toys at our house that his mama and aunt once played with when they were children.

The same games.
The same playsets.
The same books.

Different child, different era—and yet, it feels so familiar. (See “Is There a Hidden Ripple Right in Front of You?”) This shift from one generation to the next feels very satisfying to me. Time seems to relax for a moment, as if it’s reminding me that love and connections don’t disappear—they are simply carried forward through new hands.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I’m Making Space For

• Making room for meaningful connection

While traveling through the Midwest a couple weeks ago, Jeff and I wondered if we could shift our schedule enough to make an extra stop—to visit a dear blogging friend along our route.

I’d never met Lynn in person before. I truly never thought I would, even though I wished I could.

And now I have! I’m forever grateful for the space that opened up for it.

Getting to see Lynn in person—hearing her voice, seeing her home, being present in her everyday world with her precious family—was priceless. (And her husband’s carrot cake? Amazing!) Even though we were only together a couple of hours, those moments will stay with me for years.

—

Maybe the thread tying these four somethings together this month is this: when we pay closer attention, beauty appears and new things become possible.

A plant still blooming.
A room full of people.
Toys passed down.
A friendship in the flesh.

A Question for You:

What’s something in your life that keeps blooming?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Time stays on my mind a lot, but especially so at the changing of a year. I track it a little closer. And watch it pass a little quicker.

Although not by design, I’m unsurprised that my collection of Share 4 Somethings this month ended up centering on time—specifically on tools that help me live my hours and days with more intention.

Each month I share 4 somethings that I have:

1. Loved
2. Learned
3. Went well
4. Let go of

And then I link up with Jenn. Visit her post to see new prompts for 2026!

I’m also sharing my previous month’s One Second Everyday video . . .

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I loved

• SEEING THE YEAR ALL AT ONCE 

Are you a calendar person? I’d be lost without mine—both digital and paper. [Do You Write In Your Calendar With Ink or Pencil?]

I’ve added one more calendar to the mix the past three years: a continuous calendar.

I use this one for one purpose only—to log when we’re going to be out of town. No weekly boxes. No clutter. Just the full year stretched out in one spot.

There’s something grounding to see our planned comings and goings in this way—a visual reminder of the subtle shifts in location we want to make over the year.

Here’s the link to the free continual calendar site I download from, though there are plenty of other options online.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I learned

• LETTING AI HELP SCHEDULE MY ONE WORD

The past couple of years I’ve asked AI to help organize my One Word of the Year into a practical, monthly schedule. I start with a simple prompt to give it my own ideas, like:

> “My new One Word of the Year for 2026 is ___. Create a calendar with a monthly theme, three journal prompts, and three activities centered on one aspect of my word, such as ___.”

Then I ask for more ideas. I narrow them down to the ones I like the best. Then I ask for a one-page printable. And finally, a visual (although I’ve yet to love theirs, so I create my own).

What I’ve learned is I don’t have to outsource my thinking to AI to get the most from it. Instead, I can just use it as a conversation partner to spot patterns and better organize themes. For my 2026 word, it was once again helpful to keep my plans simple and doable.

(If you want to play with AI to discover or refine your own One Word of the Year, try these 6 prompts.)

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that went well

• 15 YEARS, 1 LINE AT A TIME

Wow—it’s hard to believe I’ll finish writing my third five-year “one line a day” journal on December 31. That means I’ve been doing this for fifteen years?!!

I’ve already bought my newest 5-year book, ready to begin on January 1, 2026. (I’d love to find a spiral-bound one, but no luck yet.)

While I don’t always love doing it, I always love having done it (that makes sense, right?). It’s a quick, low-pressure way to capture one small—or big—thing from each day.

The real fun comes from looking back at the same date across different years. It’s a nice little snapshot of who and where I was then, and a reminder of details I’d otherwise have forgotten (like, what was the name of that restaurant we really liked in Panama City?).

Here’s what I wrote on this day:

One year ago:
December 29, 2024, Su.
Jeff and H ride bikes. I throw away more stuff.

Five years ago:
December 29, 2019, Su.
Such a fun trip seeing the girls! I’m exhausted.

Ten years ago:
December 29, 2015, Tu.
HARD day with stomach pain. Visit doc but no help. Jeff taking good care of me.
(Less than a month later, I’d have my gallbladder removed—problem solved.)

It makes me wonder what I’ll write at the end of this day, and how it will sound to future me, who will already know what came next.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I let go of

• A DAY TO RELEASE AND REIMAGINE

A few weeks ago, I spent a day letting go of 2025 and looking ahead to 2026. I followed the same schedule from this amazing book I used last year, including one activity where I stacked a coin for every year I’ve lived—and then estimated another stack for how many years I might have left.

It’s a sobering practice. (Who knows if the remaining stack should be much shorter—or even taller?)

During the journaling, I wrote down what I believed to be my biggest problem and my greatest joy. I’m curious to see, a year from now, whether they’ve shifted or stayed the same.

Also from the book is a blessing I’ve been carrying with me ever since—I offer it first to myself then extend it outward to others:

As I grow older, may I be kind to myself;
As I grow older, may I accept joy and sorrow;
As I grow older, may I be happy and at peace.

I can’t predict what will happen in this coming year. But one thing I do know, if we’re still here:

Time will keep moving.
Calendars will keep turning.
And we’ll keep showing up in the days we’re given—living them, remembering them, and letting them go . . . when it’s time.

A Question for You:

What’s a tool or practice that helps you live with time? Do you use a digital or physical calendar? A journal?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read more about time:

• Are You Uncomfortable Filling Your Calendar with Empty Spaces?
  Can you intentionally keep some empty spaces on your calendar? Practice the skill of releasing busyness.
• How to Win Your Fight with Time . . . in your four thousand weeks
  The typical lifespan is about 4,000 weeks. How do you handle the struggle with limited time?
• Do You Write In Your Calendar With Ink or Pencil?
  Even a cancelled haircut can disrupt your day. How do you stay open? Does it help to use pencil, not ink?

I’m linking at these blog parties

Each month I share 4 somethings that I have:

1. Loved
2. Learned
3. Went well
4. Let go of

And then I link up with Jenn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I loved

• SHOWING UP IN THE FRAME 

I’ve never liked getting my picture made. As a child, I would often cry when someone took my photo. As an adult, I always find something I don’t like—my hair, my clothes, an odd expression I’m making.

Still, I like proof that I actually participated in life with people I love. So I want to be in some photos.

Presence matters more than perfection, right?

Thanks to our daughter Jenna’s planning, we spent a beautiful autumn afternoon this month getting family pictures taken. And while I still critique myself in the photos (I try not to, but old habits die hard!), I’m grateful to be in them.

Here are a couple from the day. I truly love everything about them. (photo credit April Stanley Photography)

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I learned

• GATHERING MORE STORIES TO SHAPE ME

It’s officially ended now, another Nonfiction November. I apologize for bombarding my fiction-loving readers during this month, but my heart is full and my to-read list is even fuller with new nonfiction titles I gathered.

I love discovering new books in November thanks to other bloggers who also love nonfiction. I’ve reorganized my reading list heading into 2026 to make room for the new titles while also leaving lots of open space for unexpected books that will inevitably pop up.

I’m grateful for the generosity of authors who put their best thoughts into words that then travel all the way to me to help make my life more interesting as a result.

Here are the best of the best books that I shared this year for Nonfiction November.

• Week 1: Read What Matters Most: 5 Nonfiction Books To Use Your Time Well
  Explore 5 inspiring nonfiction books on productivity and aging to help you use your time wisely, live intentionally, and read what matters most to you.
• Week 2: 5 Reasons to “Do” the Book Instead of Just Reading It (+ 5 Book Picks)
  Discover why “doing” a book is more impactful than just reading. Plus 5 nonfiction book suggestions to turn knowledge into action.
• Week 3: Double the Insight: Why It Works to Read Fiction and Nonfiction Together
  Mixing fiction and nonfiction can make your reading life deeper and more balanced. Here’s why the combo works—and three book pairings to try.
• Week 4: Use Nonfiction to See Through Someone Else’s Eyes
  See how nonfiction helps you see through someone else’s eyes, build empathy, and understand diverse experiences. These stories matter.
• Week 5: The 4 Nonfiction Books I’m Reading Next (And Why They Made the List)
  Discover the 4 nonfiction books I’m reading next and why they made my list. Trusted recommendations and thoughtful picks for your own TBR stack.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that is going well

• HONORING THE MOMENTS WE SHARED

I’ve been stuck in limbo since we had our walls repainted this fall. Which photos should go back on the walls and which ones should be retired? Which memories stay visible? How many are too many? Reflecting back on past seasons of our lives is important to me.

This month, I finally found the momentum to get moving on this. We’re not hammering nails yet, but at least I’m looking at frames, playing with arrangements, and sorting through which photos to display. Childhood, graduations, weddings, grandkids . . . the number of pictures can add up fast.

This process of choosing is emotionally charged for me. I want to hang on to memories of well-lived seasons of life with my daughters and grandchildren.

So even though I still have a ways to go, it feels good to be moving on the project. And thanks to our new family photos, I have even more options to choose from.

I’ve also been delighted to find old photos tucked behind newer ones as I’ve sorted through frames. I’d totally forgotten about this Auburn family photo from 2007. War Eagle!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I let go of

• TRADING ONE KIND OF WARMTH FOR ANOTHER

After years of talking about it, we finally made the decision: we’re converting our wood-burning fireplace to a gas one.

I’m excited about the convenience—heat at the flip of a switch, no ash, no messy firewood.

But I’m sad, too. I’ve loved our years of having a real fire in the house. I’ve spent hours lying on the living room floor watching the dancing flames and listening to the crackling noises with a stack of books beside me and a sweet snack or two.

And every Christmas morning—even the unusually warm Alabama years—we lit a fire for the kids to wake up to and open presents around. It’s been part of our family tradition from the beginning.

We’re still waiting on the gas company to come make final connections before the new gas logs are operational. I hope it will happen by Christmas morning. But even if not, we’ll have the warmth in our hearts to keep a fire going . . . .

Christmas 2024 with the wood-burning fireplace

What’s one thing you held onto this month—and one thing you’ve had to let go of?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Weddings, trees, books, rooms—they all told me the same story this month: things change, and that’s the point. Growth doesn’t mean erasing what used to be. It simply means building on the past’s foundation as new things unfold.

It’s like this quote I’ve been memorizing:

“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
― John O’Donohue

Each month I share 4 somethings that I have:

1. Loved
2. Learned
3. Went well
4. Let go of

And then I link up with Jenn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I loved

• THE BRIDE THAT TIME BUILT 

Last weekend, we attended what I’m calling the final wedding—the last of our neighbor’s four kids to get married. Brooke wasn’t even born when we moved into the neighborhood in 2001. I remember staying with her older siblings the night she was born, while her parents dashed to the hospital. I remember my daughter Jenna giving Brooke ballet lessons in our basement. Brooke later was the flower girl in my daughter Morgan’s wedding.

Me and Brooke, 2011

Fast-forward several years:

Now Brooke is dancing with her new husband at her own wedding.

Time doesn’t just march on—it runs. I’m grateful for memories from the past as well as new memories we continue to make.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

ÂSomething I learned

• THE TREES THAT TEACH US

Our book club of several years hosted a family cookout a few Sundays ago called “Branches & Burgers.” The book we had been reading was The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (which I highly recommend, by the way), so we were very intentional about following a theme.

We asked everyone to send a photo of their favorite tree and bring a tree-related item for show-and-tell. We later walked around outside for a tree identification contest (I lost, even though it was my own backyard). The kids participated as much as the adults.

It was a wonderfully surprising day. No matter how well you know a person (or your backyard) already, there is always more to learn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that went well

• THE VOICES THAT LIFT US

The same book club took a field trip to hear Jen Hatmaker speak, alongside her boyfriend Tyler Merritt and friend Mary Kathryn Backstrom. The event, hosted by our local independent bookstore, was so nourishing—full of laughter, truth-telling, and community-building.

It makes our next book choice an easy pick:

Jen Hatmaker’s newest memoir, Awake.

We’ll start it next week.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I let go of

• THE ROOM THAT REMEMBERS

After years of good intentions, we finally put in the work to redo our youngest daughter’s old bedroom. Once filled with her cow collection and childhood photos—including a professional photo with her pet duck—we’ve been using it as a playroom, but it felt chaotic to me.

But fresh paint, new carpet, and a few new bookshelves have transformed the room into a more joyful and inviting space for the next generation to spend time in.

Letting go of the past doesn’t mean forgetting it—it just means moving over a bit to make room for what’s still growing.

What’s changing in your life this month?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

I wish it were possible to gather all my online friends in person to sit around one big table—hearing each other’s voices and laughter, connecting in each other’s presence beyond just our written words.

But I know that’s not possible, so I’ve come to appreciate online gatherings via Zoom (or any video calling platform) as the next best thing to that dream. It’s a way we can still find connection, encouragement, and even moments of transformation together in real time.

This month’s Share 4 Somethings reflects on what I’ve loved, learned, experienced, and released—all through the lens of online community. I’m linking it all up with Jenn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I loved

• AUTUMN EQUINOX REFLECTIONS  

Last Monday on the first day of autumn, I joined a circle of women online to celebrate the shift into fall. Together, we found gratitude for what has ripened in us, and shared hope for who we are still becoming.

The simple act of pausing to mark a season—with some friends I knew already and with others I was meeting for the first time from all around the United States—reminded me that gratitude grows deeper when it’s shared. We then created a group text and a Marco Polo group so we could remain connected even after the Zoom call ended.

As fall begins, maybe ask yourself, too: What is one thing I want to release? And one thing I want to carry forward?

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I learned

• SUPPORT FOR MOMS

On Tuesday morning, another online call connected me with a small group of mothers of adult children. We’ve begun meeting regularly to talk about expectations in this stage of life, inevitable disappointments that surface, and the hypervigilance that can creep in when life doesn’t unfold quite like we’d planned.

Being with this group of moms, hearing them speak honestly about their own experiences, is both comforting and clarifying. Parenting doesn’t end when children are grown—it just shifts. And the gift of community is learning from each other and feeling less alone as we go.

What stage of motherhood have you found the easiest so far? The most challenging? Do you have community (in person and/or online) to help you?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that went well

• CONVERSATIONS ON JUSTICE

Sometimes it’s easier to find your people around a certain topic when you have the whole internet to choose from.

Later in the week, I joined an online book club of death penalty abolitionists to discuss Arbitrary Death: A Prosecutor’s Perspective on the Death Penalty by Rick Unklesbay. Listening to the insights of others reminded me that growth often comes by paying attention to perspectives outside my own.

If you’re curious to learn more, I highly recommend these books:

• Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It’s Killing Us by Shane Claiborne, one of my top 9 books I read in 2024
• Ghosts Over the Boiler: Voices from Alabama’s Death Row by Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty, which I shared in a previous Share 4 Somethings post last November

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I let go of

• EXPECTATIONS FOR CONSTANT INSIGHTS

Lastly, on Saturday morning I joined Lory and a few others from around the world (Switzerland, India, Hungary, and the United States) for a 40-minute zoom session of a sacred reading (lectio divina). After listening to a selected text and reflecting on it, everyone shared what they learned.

In my in-person world, our paths would likely never have crossed and we would have never shared this joint experience.

In this session together I was reminded that not every moment has to be one of revelation. Life isn’t an endless stream of breakthroughs—and that’s okay. Ordinary days hold their own kind of awe.

If you’d like to experience one of these sessions (they’re free!), Lory at Enter Enchanted has set October 13 and October 25 for the two zoom sessions in October. Check her blog for details (or ask me in the comments).

While online gatherings will never replace sitting around a shared table, they do have their own gifts that are just as real:

1. Global connections with no borders.
   In a single call you can interact with others from around the world, hearing different accents, having real-time conversations, and looking in the eyes of others you might never know otherwise.
2. Accessibility and comfort.
   I love that online spaces remove barriers that might keep people from participating. Anyone can join as they are, from wherever they are, in ways that are comfortable to them in their own spaces.
3. Intimacy through focused listening.
   Online conversations work best when we give our full attention to each speaker. It reduces the side conversations and interruptions we often have in person. But in Zoom conversations we have to listen and speak one at a time, a courtesy given to each speaker, which benefits each listener as well.

These gifts remind me that community doesn’t have to look one particular way. Sometimes square boxes on a screen tie us together in strong and meaningful ways, too.

Where have you found unexpected connection—online or otherwise—this past month?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

]]> https://lisanotes.com/gifts-online-gatherings-share-4-somethings/feed/ 32 https://lisanotes.com/4-things-i-loved-learned-celebrated-and-let-go-of-this-month/ https://lisanotes.com/4-things-i-loved-learned-celebrated-and-let-go-of-this-month/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://lisanotes.com/?p=43234 Each month I share 4 somethings that I have: Loved Learned Went well Let go of And then I link up with Jenn. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~… ]]>

Each month I share 4 somethings that I have:

1. Loved
2. Learned
3. Went well
4. Let go of

And then I link up with Jenn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I loved

• A NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE 

After only 3 years, my newest Kindle became painfully slow and glitchy. I know they aren’t meant to last forever (I bought my first one in 2010), but this third one seemed too short-lived to me. Maybe I wore it completely out? I did use it every single day. (And I’ve given up on trying to reduce my Kindle samples.)

(And I tried again here last year.)

But regardless, it is what it is. So I bought another Kindle Paperwhite to replace it. And I’m loving how fast and responsive it is again.

While paper books will always remain my first loves, my Kindle is a very, very close second. It travels with me everywhere.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I’m learning

• THE MAN IN THE ARENA

Eleven years ago, when I first read Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly (2012), I was introduced to a powerful excerpt that has stayed with me: Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena” passage, from a speech he delivered in 1910 in Paris, France.

Recently, in another book I was reading, the author mentioned that her father had memorized the passage and often quoted it to her. That did it for me—I knew I had to add it to my list of quotes to memorize.

I started memorizing it three weeks ago. I even asked AI to build me a memory plan—some of its strategies I’m using, some I’m not. I’ve got the first half memorized (I have to go slowly!).

Here’s the excerpt I’m learning, divided up for my own purposes:

1-It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

2-or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

3-The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

4-who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

5-but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

6-who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

7-and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

8-so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

It’s a timeless reminder that what matters most is not the critic, but the person who dares to step into the arena.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that went well

• AN 85TH BIRTHDAY

On Sunday, my father-in-law turned 85 years old (my mother-in-law is 86). Despite major heart surgery a few years back, he is amazingly healthy. He even bounced back from a recent case of COVID while they were vacationing at the beach for a week, a trip they take frequently.

To celebrate, we enjoyed visiting together sharing fresh brownies, ice cream, and caramel syrup—a simple but sweet way to mark the occasion. I’m grateful for the gift of such wonderful in-laws.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I let go of

• SAYING GOODBYE TO MARCIA

The same day we celebrated life, we also grieved a loss. My friend Marcia passed away on Sunday. She was younger than me, but she had been in failing health the past few months. Even though she had been telling us that the end was very near, I didn’t fully believe it. Maybe I just didn’t want to believe it.

Earlier in the week, she gave me one of her most prized possessions—a musical angel that had belonged to her mother. I felt honored by the gift and promised I would take care of it.

Marcia will be missed by many of us.

What is something you are loving, learning, has gone well, or had to let go of this month?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties