Positively (Im)perfect

CLOSED! Congrats to our winner, Elisabeth S.! ADVENT. It arrives in two weeks, people. I have been waiting for Advent for {seemingly} ever this year, and we are FINALLY so close I can feel it. The reason I've been waiting so impatiently is, of course , the gorgeous Blessed is She Advent journal - a devotional called In the Beginning  designed by Erica Tighe and written by  Laura Fanucci , which invites us into that sacred, anticipation-filled "beginning"-- the origin of our being, the beginning of our faith journey, the gift of new life and a new year and new possibilities. 2017 Advent Journal Laura takes us through the beginning of each Gospel in a soul-stirring new way, and having snuck (more than) a few peeks, I can tell you that I.cannot.wait. for this journey! I also happen to have the inside scoop that this year, everyone with a journal will be able to participate and share the journey in a beautiful new way, together . It's gonna

11.13.17 Sometimes you get just plumb tired of life. Tired mentally from the drudgery and toil of demanding routine, tired emotionally from the struggle, tired physically from the pain and exhaustion.  And there’s just no way around it {but through}.  I used to think I could {& should} tell myself to suck it up and power through and be happy anyway. {Talk about unhealthy coping mechanisms}. But I’m learning—between the hard work of dragging myself from bed on these life-tired days and the endless to-do list that’s never actually done—that purposefully injecting intentional joy into my day helps balance the difficulty of the “through” and energizes me to do more of the hard stuff in the end. Today, I had the presence of mind to go beyond the mental exercise and actually write joy into my schedule. Today, after centering my tired soul with morning prayer, I felt compelled to make joy not just a nebulous task, but a visual goal. I started with something as simple as a pair