While with Kate this weekend we went to a cute town close to Nashville and walked around their main street. In the middle of one of the stores was a prayer room, pictured above. It was so powerful to see this, as it’s not something we’d see often outside a church or home in New England.
I told Kate and Stephen to go ahead and look around. I wrote a prayer and put it on the wall. Then I sat down in the chair and took a stack of prayers to pray over. As I went through the stack, I prayed over each card and then I got to the last one.
It brought tears to my eyes as I read…
“We pray for healing and strength for Shawne.”
For those who don’t know, Shawne is the nickname my family always calls me, and I spell it just like this.
After the week I had fighting off fear from various angles, sitting there in that store in Tennessee and out of all the piles I could have chosen to read, I chose this one, and this was the last card in the stack! This divine appointment is another confirmation for of how God is real, and that He hears our prayers. He is with us, for us, and goes before us, allowing little moments like this to happen to confirm His love and care for us.
I share this because it was such a powerful moment and also to say that I am not unique. God has divine appointments for each of us along our paths. He knows the depths of our hearts and wants each of us to know He loves and cares for us. He will speak to our hearts in a way that will resonate with who we are as an individual. With that said, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we share the realness of our hearts with God, even if we aren’t fully sold on the fact that He exists - like I did when I first tried prayer on for size fifteen years ago. Let’s not only talk to God, may we also ask for eyes to see and ears to hear Him throughout our days. May we be open to Him working in our hearts and lives, and to the next divine appointment He has for each of us to remind us of His ever-present love and care, as He showed me in this prayer room in Tennessee.
With love and hope,
Shawn
What is on the other side of fear?
It was a week of fighting through fears, and it continued towards to end of the week in a different way, dealing with my fear of flying. Yet this time, what was on the other side of the fear was clear - Kate.
And as we flew from blue skies through hurricane clouds, I was reminded that life isn’t going to always be smooth. There will be challenges - including fear - that can try and stop us from moving forward. And yes the fear can be thick to work through, yet as the turbulent ride reminded me, the challenges aren’t meant to define us but refine us. Fighting through the fear is hard and exhausting yet as this weekend reminded me, usually on the other side of fear is something good we wouldn’t experience if we allowed the fear to win the battle for our hearts. And for me, Kate was on the other side of this fear and I give thanks to God for helping me through it, again.
I share this to anyone else who has fear gripping them in some way, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we never allow fear to win. May we access the resources we have, especially prayer, to help us through. And may we remember that often fear is the cloud trying to stop us from seeing what’s on the other side. The journey through the fear may challenge us, yet as I was reminded this weekend, it will refine us and be worth it.
With love and hope,
Shawn
The Struggle Is Real
I’ve been sick this week and in my head. One of the things I struggle when I am not feeling well is that sickness to me equates to possibly cancer. I know it’s not a rational, logical thought but it’s a real one I deal with. One of my doctors said it best when he told me “you lost your innocence to be able to go to the doctor and anticipate only good results.”
This week my body was exhausted and I’ve been coughing, and the story “are my lungs okay?” is one I play in my head because of my history with ACC. I am tired of allowing a simple cold to have me snowball into fearful thoughts.
This is one of the reasons running has been good for me - although I did rest from running this week. There are physical aches that come with running and they aren’t cancer. And colds do not mean cancer either.
I know this logically, yet to make this my reality every time is still a practice for me.
I am healthy. I am well. My prayer is to live with my faith greater than my fear. And most days I do. Yet this week there was a battle for my mind.
I am sharing this not for pity but for the other survivors who deal with these real thoughts too. You are not alone. I invite you to join me too…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we remember that not every thought we have is true. May we continuously remind ourselves we are healthy, we are well, and we are cancer free. And may God give us the gift of releasing us from this fear so that our faith and trust in Him are the root of our thoughts today, and moving forward. May He give us this freedom within so that we live in the lightness of His love, and not the darkness of fear, and live more freely and fully in our days.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Today was a Difficult Day
I read this recently and thought I’d share as today was a difficult day and I know I’m not the only one who could use this encouraging reminder…
“Today was a Difficult Day,” said Pooh.
There was a pause.
“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Piglet.
“No,” said Pooh after a bit.
“No, I don’t think I do.”
“That’s okay,” said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.
“What are you doing?” asked Pooh.
“Nothing, really,” said Piglet. “Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite
often don’t feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.
“But goodness,” continued Piglet, “Difficult Days are so much easier when you
know you’ve got someone there for you. And I’ll always be here for you, Pooh.”
And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the
solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought
that his best friend had never been more right.”
- A.A. Milne
My heart and prayers are with those who are having a difficult day today. I hope you have your own Piglet(s) beside you. And thanks to the Piglets in my life for sitting beside me near or far on my difficult days too.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Growth in Uncomfortable
“Growth is on the other side of what is comfortable.”
I heard this quote on my morning run and it made me think about all the excuses I had to not to train for this marathon including that I am 45, I am not a runner, my knee and hip hurt…
There were a mountain of reasons to not commit to doing this training from couch to the NYC marathon.
Yet when I sat with the reasons why I should do it, they were more potent…
I’d get to raise awareness and money for ACC research to help friends in the fight.
I’d get to be a part of a community on team @bravelikegabe and be inspired by the individual stories from the team.
I’d get a chance to put principles into practice I teach my kids about but would need to live them out in order to be successful.
I have a chance to do this once in a lifetime event, and I may fail, but what if I actually am able to do it?
I don’t want to live with regrets so I signed up and made this commitment.
I was literally nauseous when sending the email committed to team #bravelikegabe. Also, I couldn’t talk about the marathon for weeks as I would get a wave of anxiety when I even thought about it.
I was extremely uncomfortable on many levels yet I’m growing.
I am growing as a runner but it’s more than that. I am growing healthier in my mind, my body and my soul through this process while helping a cause near and dear to my heart.
I share this today in case you have an opportunity to do something and it scares you deeply and you have every excuse to not do it. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we pray asking God if what we are uncomfortable doing is something we need to move towards and through to grow and be refined. Every circumstance is different, yet God’s principles remain the same. If we do feel lead to move towards what is uncomfortable, may we remember God that is with us, He is for us, and will equip us with what we need to help us through. And you just may see growth on the other side of what is comfortable, as I am experiencing with this training.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Speak the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15
The other day while on longer run on the trail, I ran by a woman and I took a double take. I realized it couldn’t be who I thought it was, my middle school PE teacher and basketball coach, Miss Martin. Sadly she passed away a number of years ago from colon cancer.
Seeing this look alike of Miss Martin made my heart smile at first, and then it got me a little choked up.
You see, I met Colleen when I was in sixth grade and full of negative self talk and lacked confidence in myself. One day she pulled me aside telling me she thought I had talent and that she believed in me. She told me that I should try out for a state basketball team. Following her lead, I did and to my surprise I made the team. Miss Martin believed in me and my ability when I didn’t believe in myself.
When I passed this person who looked like Colleen on the trail that day I was halfway through the longer run. With tears in my eyes I laughed and thanked God for this random person who passed by me. She was a reminder to me of Miss Martin and her belief in me, at a time in my run when I was getting into my head.
I share this today because often there are divine appointments waiting for us along our path. May we keep our eyes and ears open. Yet I also share this because of the gift Miss Martin gave me, as it is something we can give others too, speaking truth to hearts.
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we be like Miss Martin and when we see someone has a talent and that we believe in them, may we be willing to speak truth into their heart. It may be a seed planted in the moment yet in time, that brief statement may grow roots in a heart and be there as a reminder to that person when they need it, like it was for me on the trail the other day.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Speak the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15
May We Remember - 9/11
May we remember...
...every person whose life was taken too soon.
…every family impacted by the loss of their loved one, who carry the memories of them in their hearts everyday.
…every survivor and their visible or invisible wounds.
...how people walked beside one another in their brokenness.
…every selfless soul who ran towards the danger to help others, some surviving, and others giving their life to save someone else’s.
…the empathy and compassion we had for one another.
…we laid down judgements of others and saw one another as the human beings we are.
...we stood beside one another in solidarity.
…how out of this tragedy, we united in the love we have for one another.
I invite you to join me today to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we choose to remember so that we keep the memory alive of those whose lives were taken too soon. May we honor their lives by letting their story continue to make a difference in our hearts. And when remembering, may we pray for God to help us learn from the past so that we can do our part to make a better present, and future, for generations to come.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Pictures…
1. 911 memorial in NYC
2. The statue at our local library in memory of Amy Toyen, whose life was taken too soon on that tragic day.
3. My Uncle Harold, who was a FDNY fireman, who thankfully got out just in time before the second tower fell.
4. The red bandanna in memory of Welles Crowther - you can read or watch his story as a reminder of his selfless acts of love, that reflect the heart of so many that day.
don’t point out the speck on someone else’s eye when there is a log in your own.” - Matthew 7:3
This morning Stephen and I were talking and I asked him a question and he replied, “I just told you the answer to that a minute ago.”
I laughed because a mirror was held up to my face in that moment reflecting to me a truth I didn’t want to see.
You see, I had just been frustrated with Stephen yesterday because I said something and he said he didn’t hear me.
Isn’t it funny how we can get frustrated with someone else so easily yet when we do the same thing, we would appreciate forgiveness and grace?
I acknowledged my hypocrisy and Stephen and I laughed it off. And then of course I brought it back to God- because I guess that’s what I do. And I thought of the verse “don’t point out the speck on someone else’s eye when there is a log in your own.” - Matthew 7:3
Over the past few years I have been humbled like this regularly. I find that as soon as I judge someone else within 24 hours or so I find myself saying or doing the same thing in a parallel or different way.
I share this today because I find it easy to see other people’s faults yet God is reminding me often to notice and refine myself before I go judging someone else for theirs. This process isn’t necessarily natural and it’s humbling. Yet when we can do this, there is freedom in our own hearts, and in our relationships.
If you could use a little freedom within, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Before we look outward, may we look within and pray to see ourselves clearly, as God sees us. May we seek to refine our thoughts and ways, so that we have a greater peace within. And then rather than judging others, we can meet others with compassion and grace, as God meets us, and as Stephen met me this morning.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Love God and Love Others Well
Last week, we had to say good-bye to Stephen's loving Aunt Peggy and to sweet Mary, who was like a Grandmother figure to me.
Loss is always heart-breaking yet this weekend as I was reflecting on these two thoughtful, caring women's lives, I find comfort in knowing they lived their lives so beautifully, loving others. And I am comforted that they are now resting in peace and are well in every way.
Mary and Aunt Peggy were love in action, through their words and acts of love to those around them.
Aunt Peggy was always kind and gentle hearted. She walked beside others with the patience of a saint. She always gifted all the grandchildren in our family 'decorate your own cookies' at Christmas and when they were little, books with their names woven throughout the story. Her presence was always welcoming and she was as selfless as a human could be.
Mary was such a love. In her compassionate way, she took me, and a handful of other moms at our church, under her wing and just loved us where we were. She walked beside me when I struggled with the church, never judging me but made sure I still knew she was there, and God was always there for me. She would have me over for tea and Entenmann's to simple talk and listen and would always impart wisdom I needed to hear. She was in charge of the bereavement committee at church and I can't imagine a better person to have sat with people whose hearts were hurting and guide them with love in such a tough time in their lives.
The common theme at both of their funerals was that they talked about faith and how they loved others well from an endless fountain of love they had.
As I enter this week,I am prayerfully turning to gratitude, thankful for these beautiful women in my life, and for their example of faith and love in action. I share this with you not for sympathy, but so that their generous lives may inspire you too.
I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
May we take time to be still with God, and fuel up on His love so that we can be outward facing, and loving others through our words and actions throughout our days, as Aunt Peggy and Mary so graciously did. Or maybe there is someone in your life that has inspired you by the way they lived and loved well. If so, may we take these people into our hearts and minds, and live out love in honor of them this week. And may we allow the love they gave us to continue to live on through us.
With love and hope,
Shawn
A Prayer for High School Seniors
Today Gavin starts his senior year! For Gav, and all the seniors…
Be present and enjoy the moment.
May this year be filled with wonderful memories beside your friends and family.
Don’t stress about the college process. Do what is yours to do and trust that God already has a place for you.
Rest in knowing you don’t have to know what career you want to go into, many adults are still figuring it out.
Explore the wisest path for you to refine your innate gifts, talents, and skills, which may be at college, or along another path.
Remember your parents are beside you to help prepare you to step into your independence, not to drive you crazy - although we may unintentionally do so in the process.
Lead yourself, and the lower classmen, well.
Ask for help when you need it, it’s a strength to do so.
Make choices your future self will thank you for.
Fresh air, sunshine, movement, prayer and a good night’s sleep will benefit you.
Seek ways to make someone else’s day better, and thank those who make your day better.
Do something out of your comfort zone that will grow your character regularly.
May God bless you and give you calm confidence about your next step forward.
And may you trust the best is yet to come💕🙏💕
With love and hope,
Shawn
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9