Some Sabbath Rest

I used to always dwell on the “what ifs” in the face of a crisis. When my daughter, Eva, faced leukemia, I obsessed over the stories I heard about children who did not survive or those who relapsed. I would stay up until 2:30 in the morning to read articles, studies and medical journals. I searched to find anything to tell me why this happened so I could prevent it from happening again. ⁣⁣⁣

Finally, I realized that I needed to shut the door to information overload. In particular it meant a big break on social media from strangers who meant well (and with whom I often agreed), but whose commentary didn’t really help. I had to guard my heart against dwelling in dens of worry.

The “what ifs” are terrifying the moment an oncologist tells you it’s likely your child has cancer. The “what ifs” are terrifying when that one thing that you thought would never happen does, in fact, happen. The “what ifs” can drown you if you let them.⁣⁣⁣

This past year the temptation has been to swing wildly between outrage over one thing before suddenly moving on to the next. We go find our tribe, the people who share our outrage, and we all are keyboard warriors together. We identify an enemy, some “other” who can be the target for our mutual anger. A scapegoat, of sorts, whom we can drive outside our circle. We repeat this cycle again and again. Day after day. Month after Month.

A gentle encouragement for your mental health: it’s OK to break the circle. Instead of a scapegoat, try a sabbath instead. Take a rest from information overload. It starts with a decision. Don’t give space in your day to those who cause your heart to dwell on things that are not good, true, and beautiful. Speak with kindness. Fill your ears, eyes, heart, and mind with encouragement, hope, and peace instead. ⁣⁣

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

April Mix + Diffuser Refill

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: smell is the human sense that activates the limbic system, which is the part of our brain that regulates emotion. When it comes to picking what to diffuse, I tend to find a combination that I love and then shamelessly fill my diffuser with the same thing for basically the entire month. Kind of like a good playlist. You too? Then this is the only recipe mix you need this month. It smells just like my favorite hand soap.

Now, I will admit that there are a lot of oils in this blend, and it can be a lot to remember. But here's a little oil tip for you: a diffuser refill.

Diffuser Refills are so easy to make. To make your own, just quadruple your favorite diffuser blend recipe into a dropper bottle. Then refill your diffuser with the mix you’ve already made in bulk.

Snippets of My Week

It's weekly beach season again!

The kids were ready to roll on Easter Sunday.

I have mixed feelings on this one. If you've read it please tell me what you thought of the ending!

Happy Easter from us to you!

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you and your family did for Easter. Just hit reply if you'd like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.