When it comes to navigating the landscape of life, I find it dishearteningly easy to drift toward reacting in fear or finding my way by feel rather than walking by faith. Maybe you know what that’s like.
One practice that helps me stay on course is to pay attention. Here’s why. Awareness leads me to notice the good that’s already tucked into the landscape of life. Noticing causes me to cultivate gratitude for that good. Gratitude inspires a more hopeful perspective and a healthier mindset in general. Recording what I’ve noticed prompts me to pay better attention. This, of course, leads me to pay attention and the cycle continues.
To that end, here are this spring’s gifts and saving graces.
Spring’s Gifts & Graces
friends who talk books * at-home-date nights * my kids bringing more kids into the family * bowling with friends * campground reservations * getting to know my kids’ friends * friends who pray for my children * friends who love animals * crockpots of all sizes * Monday morning prayer pod
beef stew on chilly spring evenings * laughter around the table * nachos & games * popcorn & movies * sheet pan dinners * soup with friends * Saturday morning brunch * Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods & Costco
possibility *birdsong * the quality of early evening light * walking at sunrise and sunset *newborn kittens * flowers from Trader Joe’s * the first robin of the season
cozy blankets * putting the sweaters away * spring snow * candlelight on cloudy days * the day the green pops * putting the winter stuff away to make room for spring * purring cats
bridal showers * dress shopping * bridesmaids dresses * rehearsal dinners * weddings * wedding dresses
remembering the things I used to do to keep me sane and organized that I’d forgotten about * the delay setting on my washing machine * space around the edges of a season bursting with good things * high school theater, which is to say, high school actors
🧭 What gifts and graces have you noticed this season? I’ve made a no-strings-attached printable for you to keep track of the gifts and graces of your seasons. Just click here and it will be yours.
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~ John Muir.
Yellowstone is such a place.
Are you an armchair traveler? Would you love to learn what hiking Yellowstone's trails teaches about walking by faith in everyday life?
Get a photo journal (with excerpts!) from Natalie’s October 2022 Yellowstone adventure.
Keep tabs on Natalie’s Yellowstone memoir-in-progress and receive Lessons from Yellowstone to help you navigate the ups and downs of daily life by faith.