Nurturing A Faithful Heart in your Daughters

I know you will be so blessed by Sarah's newest book--she was my mom's favorite author--even above me! :)

Here is a blog by Sarah about her newest book! and be sure to look at the bottom for how to enter a giveaway for this book and for a 40 minute phone  mentoring session with me!

On a cool autumn night last fall, I settled on the bed in a little cabin room deep in the Colorado mountains and thought hard about what I was about to say to seven curious girls. I was there as a mentor at a semester-long program. That night was my one great chance to capture my girls hearts with a vision for developing a deeper walk with God during their time away. Out of the thousand things I could say, what, I asked myself, was the one message burning in my heart about God and what it means to follow hard after him?

I thought back to that night as I began this post because the message of my new book, Journeys of Faithfulness, a devotional for young women, is the answer to the question I asked last year. This message is the outpouring of my years of following hard after God, loving him, learning to be faithful through difficulty, to bring beauty amidst pain, and this is the one thing I want every woman I meet to understand. The God who flung stars into the sky, tumbled mountains across the earth, and formed every soul alive is ready to meet us, to encourage us, to use us to shape the world every minute of every day. God desires our friendship, our daily relationship. He searches throughout the earth to find the people whose hearts are completely his, and the great heroes of the faith were simply those who turned their hearts to God with zealous love. That choice is available to every single woman alive every day.

That is really the message at the heart of my book. I first wrote this devotional when I was just out of high school, hungry for spiritual input, and frustrated that there were so few Bible studies of depth offered to girls of high school/college age. I determined to write a book that would encourage girls like me to be serious in their pursuit of God. I chose to focus on the lives of young, single women in Scripture, because through their stories, I understood that God can reach right down into the very normal life of any girl who loves him, bringing his beauty and grace to bear in the world through her obedience. This was the idea I wanted to present by creatively telling the stories of Bibical young women, examining the habits of character and response that made them the spiritual heroines they are.

Ten years later, my goal is the same. But I have had a good amount of time to deepen my convictions, to understand the struggle that comes with following God, and the challenges of loneliness, frustrated ideals, and seeming isolation that beset many girls today. I have greatly rewritten the stories and and written entirely new Bible studies, focusing on the inward journeys and hard choices that were required in the lives of the young women in my book. Choices of beauty, sacrifice, celebration, and courage made these women the heroines they are, and I hope that this book will challenge contemporary young women to be the same. 
Sarah
Here is the synopsis of my newest book. I hope you and your daughters will enjoy reading this together!
Ruth. Esther. May and Martha. Mary, mother of Jesus. Their stories in the Bible reveal how God can reach into the life of an ordinary girl and, through her love and obedience, reveal glimpses of His beauty and grace in this broken world. In this unique collection of inspirational stories and devotions, you will celebrate the sacrifice and courage that made each these young single women biblical heroines and models for all times. InJourneys of Faithfulness, Sarah creatively and respectfully retells their stories and explores each of their journeys along God's path of life. In a personal devotional after each chapter, she opens her own heart and shares stories from her own journey of faith. She writes in order to challenge today's young woman to reach higher and go deeper in her relationship with Jesus Christ by choosing well and walking faithfully with God. The book includes a Bible study with each chapter to dig deeper into the lessons of that chapter, as well as "Journey Journal" pages for recording personal thoughts and insights.
BE SURE TO GO HERE TO ENTER AND JUST FOR 1 WEEK, THE BOOKS ARE DISCOUNTED 25% AT WHOLE HEART! 
AND THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL FRIENDS WHO WERE AT THE TWITTER PARTY--SO MUCH FUN--AND TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE LEFT SUCH AMAZING, WONDERFUL COMMENTS! I AM SO VERY HONORED, ENCOURAGED AND FEEL SO VERY LOVED! MAY HE ABUNDANTLY BLESS YOU TODAY!
Click here to Reply or Forward

Looking For a Mentor? I've Got a 40 Minute Session With Your Name on It

Clay and I realized last week that this summer we celebrate our 20th year of our ministry--Whole Heart Ministries and Mom Heart Ministry. So, with the reprint of one of my books, The Mom Walk, we want to celebrate with you!

I was not prepared for the journey of motherhood.

I was idealistic and wanted to be a good mom, but I was in store for several of the most difficult years of my life as I struggled my way through each twist and turn.  the sleepless nights, the constant demands and not having been trained for the job and coming face to face with my own selfishness created guilt and stress in my heart.

It is really why we started our ministry so many years ago. We wanted to offer encouragement, training, support to moms just like me, in case they felt a longing for the same kind of encouragement in their journey of motherhood that I had felt. And we did not want them to feel alone.

So, today, we are celebrating this journey as well as two books we have put back into our Whole Heart Resources in the past four weeks.

The Mom Walk is about the journey of motherhood--the long journey--and how to manage all of the twists and turns with God's grace fueling each day to make it meaningful, joyful and fulfilling.

You love being a mom. You are wholeheartedly committed to your children. You long for them to grow up to be mature, loving, fruitful, and faithful followers of God. But you know that means you are called to be that kind of mom. It means you must be faithful on God’s path of motherhood for you.

That is your mom walk. It is how you walk with God as mother. It is how you seek Him, trust Him, live in His grace, and draw on His strength one step of faith at a time.

Stories, antics from my own life, scripture at the end of each chapter, and application questions will hopefully encourage you in your own journey as a mom.

I will be doing several things to celebrate this week, starting with a giveaway for YOU!

Giveaway:

Two readers will win:

A copy of The Mom Walk 

A copy of Journey's of Faithfulness (by Sarah Clarkson)

And then there will be a GRAND PRIZE Bundle that one reader will win:

A copy of Mom Walk
A copy of pre-release copy of Desperate
40 minute mentoring session with me

...

In addition to the giveaway, I will also be a part of a Twitter part tonight at 9pm EST under hashtag #momwalk. I will be answering your questions regarding motherhood and your mom walk. Also, there will be prizes at the party! Please join us!

Where you can purchase The Mom Walk:

You can get The Mom Walk for 25% off in the WholeHeart Store (Journey's of Faithfulness is also 25% off)

OR

You can purchase on Amazon: The Mom Walk | Journey's of Faithfulness

Be sure to also join me at Momheart.org for a short video about this week and more good information on The Mom Walk!

And a big heartfelt thanks for all of you who have followed us, attended our conferences, read my blog, supported us, and helped with our ministry outreach for so many years. We are so very grateful to you and to the Lord for all that He has done. We love each of you and pray daily for you. May He continue to bless you and your precious families with His love and grace!

SALLY 

Enter the Giveaway Below:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Getting to the deepest heart, a secret treasure of influence

Emile Claus

The beauty of a moment captured in sharing deep friendship--I see the life of intimate relationship in this painting.

Seeing these precious girls sitting together in a lovely outdoors, sharing hearts--it is what I love to do the best.

Sharing the deepest places and wisdom and dreams, fears, loneliness, struggles, joys is what I love best about being a mother. Since I have been home from Italy the past few days, I have had hours and hours to hear the heartbeats of my precious children--

This kind of deep relating of lives is what all of us crave and long for--to know and be known.

It is also what God wants from us--intimacy, heart sharing, love consummated in hearts bound together.

So, this week, I chose,

Carving out the time, leaving my suitcase packed, dishes on the counter, emails unanswered, texts unread,

I have made my choice, because I know choices have consequences, 

And this is the best choice--focussing all of my heart, eyes, attention and love on my precious treasures that God entrusted into my hands.

not allowing the moment to slip away to the dark abyss of busyness,

or "wait for me one more minute" as they slip away, not waiting, but going on.......

or pretending to listen while having my eyes on the computer,

But these real moments of life shared deeply, live in my heart....

one on the porch in jammies, with tea in hand and blankets folded up to our knees in early morning chill of the mountains.

Another, leaning against me, knee to knee, on my small love seat, with a hand to hold and stroke, sharing life time dreams, wishes and secrets and prayers,

Another, coming to lay on my big king size bed in the dark of night just after I had climbed into bed, and talking deeply about life and all that is taking place.

A phone call, long, filled with antics, robust laughter, fears, stresses and asking for affirmation--"Do you like what I wrote?"

"Yes, I value you, your work, your efforts, your integrity. I am beyond blessed to be your mother."

Love, deep sharing of life, stimulating thoughts in the counsel of wisdom,

the facing of deep doubts and despair  of God, about a lack of answers to prayer,

this is the core of discipleship,

the deep longing and satisfaction of our souls--

to know and to be known and to trust someone with our heart and know it will be held with grace and tenderness.

This is my joy of being the best friend and most trusted counselors of my dearest children.

But the getting away to a secret place and the sharing of hearts requires a commitment of time--the putting away of all other distractions

Saying, "At this moment, you are the most important person in the whole world to me, and I adore being in your company."

It starts on the rocking chair when you sing lovely lullabies to infants,

the cuddling and rocking and playing childish games with toddlers and whispering secrets and songs and silly stories,

The reading of sweet books, playful touch of back rubs and gentle listening to all their little hearts, in early years, will pour out at bedtime,

The quiet, "Come to my bedroom, as I have prepared you a cup of hot chocolate or cinnamon tea and a small treat and let's be friends,"

The staying up late beyond midnight and listening and allowing teens to question, to pour out, to vent, to share insecurities with out criticism or lectures,

the sharing of life--

the pointing them to His truth, His ways, His love, in the warp and woof of life moments,

this is the essence of discipleship,

this is the secret of a blessed motherhood.

The small pleasures of today, satisfying me deeply

Nightly walks around the course of my neighborhood and seeing the pinks of clouds

knowing the fires in my beloved mountains are gone,

laughing and talking with my 3 children and our fat, old dog, Kelcy

Her hair was shaved too closely, but still if we say the word "Walk" in any sentence, she dances, wiggles, shakes her tail--a sight to behold.

early morning walk and breakfast downtown at our French cafe with Sarah

Opening a college bank account for Joy and dreaming of life ahead

Searching for apartments in Denver and pondering composing, friends, churches as Joel moves to Denver

Praying, one more time for Nathan and a new audition--looking for that open door and living by faith. (anyone wants to pray extra prayers for him, I would be most grateful)

Talking dreams, disappointments, book ideas, weariness, beauty, living in a home alive--

that is my great pleasure this weekend

and ending tonight with a summer celebration, a barbeque, with friends who will all bring a dish from their own kitchens to talk and share friendships that have been perking for years and made deep from life shared and marveling at how fast all of these precious ones grew up, and how faithful God has been through all the years.

Fighting the Dragon

This bronze statue sits outside a castle in Krakow, Poland, where I was a young missionary many years ago. Known as a city of churches, this town has a fascinating legend about its founding. It is said that King Krakus built the town on Wawel Hill, atop the cave of a ravenous dragon. The dragon, aptly named Smok, ravaged the village, demanding to be kept at bay with the sacrifice of its inhabitants. After many years of this, King Krakus finally offered a reward: his daughter's hand in marriage to whomever could slay the dragon. Many warriors came to try and win the prize and failed, presumably becoming food for the dragon. Then, one day, a poor cobbler came up with a plan: stuff a lamb with poisonous sulphur and leave it for the dragon. The dragon took the bait, became insatiably thirsty, drank half of the Vistula River, and eventually burst of fullness.

Now, this legend can't be presented as history of course. But isn't it an interesting story? And I think its charm lies partially in its truth.

Because there really is a dragon who rages. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Many fall prey to his fiery breath, hide from his snarling growls, or try to avoid the battle altogether out of fear.

But there is also a Lamb ... 

A Lamb not stuffed with poison of the normal sort, but the type that would destroy this dragon absolutely-- the all-powerful blood of the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God. Able to destroy the works of darkness wherever He finds them. Able to overcome fire and fear and infuse us with courage.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and theelders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

And the four living creatures kept saying, “ Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

~Revelation 5

Does the battle rage around you? Look to the Lamb.

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8

The Building of a Palace takes time

Biltmore Estate

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 

Twenty-four hours of flying and waiting and standing and carrying bags left me a bit weary and exhausted, but the feeling was a familiar one for me, and I knew that in a few days I would be over jet lag. But on my journey, I sat next to a young mother from Paris who had a 9 month old baby to wrestle with through out the wakings, feedings, playings and keeping her precious little boy sequestered in one seat on the plane.

As I was watching her in constant motion--changing, cajoling, nursing, bouncing, and doing it all over again, I was reminded again how much being a mother of my children has shaped, stretched and enlarged my soul.I could fairly see the soul and character of this young woman being stretched.

Often times we consider our tasks as being performed for the benefit of the children or babies.

But from God's point of view, he gave us children that we might learn how to become unselfish, to love generously, to work more heartily, to understand forgiveness, perseverance, endurance, graciousness, creativity, the skills of life-giving--because through this great work of motherhood, we are slowly being conformed into the image of Christ--and from this commitment of motherhood, we come to better understand His fatherhood, His sacrifice, His unmerited favor for us. His plan has a purpose that will create beauty of soul and heart and mind.

The very act of submitting to His plan for motherhood, became the long term instrument through which He shaped and crafted my soul.

But to become this vessel where He is willing to dwell and to become the soul that reflects Him and his gentle love and powerful reality, we must submit to the building and crafting that He has designed by making us mothers after his own heart and submissive to His design. I did not know that this journey was about soul-making, but now I see that in the shaping of my soul, He also designed the end result to be deep fulfillment and happy pleasure. For being with my adult children is my greatest joy and brings me the deepest happiness in my days of living on this earth.

I have had such great pleasure being back where I belong, in the company of my family--and it feels so very good to be in the place that I belong.

Words to fill a hungry soul--Who owns the Kingdom?

My lovely daughter, Sarah, a pilgrim after truth and following hard in His steps

Yesterday, home fresh from a journey of meaningful moments in Italy, the phone rang early.

A sweet friend, spilling her heart, "I realize that I do not trust people much, because if they knew what was inside of me, I am afraid they would be repelled and not like me anymore."

Aren't we all a pile of contradictions? We love sometimes, we pull away in selfish smallness at others. We want to runaway from ideals or perhaps discouragement, while  knowing our calling is a good one, and we should be stronger. We are all of us, a mess.

But, as I am home, I read an article from my sweet, humble, gentle Sarah and it soothed my soul. Read on for God sees you as you are and He will comfort your soul through her words as he did mine.

The following poem is not so much poesy as conviction in rhythm.

These words formed in my head three months ago when I began to read through Matthew once again. His telling of Christ’s story is, to me, of all the gospels, the one whose core thought is “the kingdom of heaven.” Like a theme, it plays throughout the first chapters of the book, leading to the sermon on the mount when Jesus states just this kingdom is. Again, as I am each time I read it, I was struck by the way in which Jesus begins by deconstructing every earthly idea we hold of what a kingdom ought to be and who ought to inhabit it.

The values of his kingdom are opposite to all we value here.  We think the strong conquer kingdoms, but Jesus says his comes to the weak. In his economy, the poor are blessed, not the rich, or even the able. Blessed are those who weep, whose words are gentle. Blessed are those who make peace, who hunger, who suffer. All of it the opposite of what we know on earth. The poem below came as I read and was convicted of my own worldly mindset. Unconsciously, even I who have long loved God slip into thinking that the strivers, the takers, the winners of the prizes are the ones who gain his love and conquer heaven. How wrong…

The humble shall inherit, Yes, the weary and the Scared, bent-shouldered beggars Shall be give God’s own Earth.

The poor are blessed, that truth’s A hard, fast slap right in The brazen, stylish face I’ve Set to guard the hard-won Places that I’ve gained By dint of battle with My brothers, by my grab The prize and crush the gentle Hearted, mourning other Ones whose quiet eyes, And shattered pride reveal them As God’s sons.

Be still and know, He says, But I instead grab hard, Live fast in fevered chase of Rest. By work and wit I win a fractured ease, And name it peace, I build A fortress for my heart And call it purity, My love locked deep away Lest any stranger think it Fair and free and for The easy taking. I am Swift and sober, never Weak or lonely, locked Up tight within my towered Integrity.

Until there comes a dawn, A dim and weary day, When grief has caught me, loss Strips off the gilded smiles, And the gaudy, pyrite Kindness, all my sleights Of soul to keep God’s glance At bay.

I never really heeded Christ; I thought that favor Could be claimed by deeds; No charity for me. To earn, and own, my tiny Piece of heaven was My goal, to play the gracious Host to God Himself, For he might be the savior, But I liked to think That I was still, at very Least, the keeper of My soul.

"Fisher Girl" by Ilya Repin

I am impoverished now, And know I always was. No gold or golden deed Can buy me worth. Alone I bear the ancient dark Of ruined pride, and in it Find I am but dust A bag of bones made quick By holy breath, and even That is not my own.

The silence grows, a calm As of the grave descends, At last I rest. Now still, I am supposed to know… Just what? The shadows stir with breath, The dimness lifts, and I Grow taut in answer As the dark is brimmed With laughter, one small hand Slips into mine, a mouth Is lifted to my ear and says “Be still, be still.” I yield, and find that love Can be so deep it feels like Death. Perhaps it is, The swift collapse of self Beneath the weight of grace. The Christ, the child speaks Again, “I am Your God, Your humble God. And now You’re blessed beyond all men. For my sweet kingdom comes Unto the poor. And that You finally have become.”

Sarah Clarkson

You can find other writings of my Sarah at her blog: ThoroughlyAlive.com

The Wonder of a Child's Emerging Walk with God

 

I think one of the most fulfilling things I've experienced as a mother is watching the flourishing of my children's little spirits as I nurture them. Coming to motherhood later in life, I knew my main goal was to disciple my little ones, just as I'd discipled others for many years. Of course, squalling babies weren't really ready to spout long passages of memorized Scripture or discourse on theological matters. But it was amazing to me how much they did learn--and early on!

I didn't realize how fulfilling it would be to walk with my children day by day as their spirits softened to God. What an unexpected joy it has been to talk to our children every day about Jesus, to tell them of His love for us, and our love for Him, and to see them begin to love Him in their own ways. I have patiently explained God's plan for their lives, wondering if they were paying any attention, then listened in amazement in other conversations as my instruction came back to me with clarity and insight. As I have watched each of them begin to pray to God, I have sent my own prayers of thanks and praise back to the Father for His work in their lives. And, of course, what a joyful experience it has been for Clay and me to gently guide our children to the Savior and see them receive Him into their hearts. 

There is nothing quite like the experience of handing down to my children our family's convictions and values about the Christian life. We want them to believe what we believe about the Bible, marriage, sex, family, femininity and masculinity, leadership, service, temptation, sin, gifts, ministry and so many more areas. It has been a surprising and deeply satisfying joy for me to know that I have had the privilege of shaping and filling my children's hearts. I don't think it occurred to me before we began this journey just how jealous I would be for their hearts, and how protective I would be of the ideas and values we give them that would be challenged by others outside our family unit. But how glad I am that I have them to train and shape!"

~from Seasons of a Mother's Heart

Now as they've grown and gone on into their own spheres of influence (with frequent pit stops back home for refreshment as well as coming to bless us!) it's wonderful to see all the Lord has accomplished. How grateful I am for the Lord's directions to me, day by day, as He assured me that my days spent discipling them were days well spent.

***************************

We're talking today at MomHeart Online about what it means to be a ministering mother. How do we encourage our children to see themselves as ministers? Come join us for questions from Chapter 11 of The Mission of Motherhood plus a little video from me!

Will You Drink This Cup?

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."       1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There is no Scripture that I know of where God says it is okay to grumble, pour or complain. I sure would like to find one, but it's not there (I'm still looking!) There are, however, plenty of verses where God says to be thankful.

When I'm facing difficult circumstances, that verse at the top of this page can be a very annoying! If I consider the alternatives to being thankful, though, I can readily see God's point. When I pout instead of being joyful, grumble instead of praying, and complain instead of giving thanks, I am in effect telling God that He is mishandling my life and I don't like it. At that point, I have ceased to put my faith in my sovereign Lord, and have chosen to put my faith in my circumstances. In other words, I am telling God and myself, that if my circumstances change, then and only then can I be happy. Until then, I have nothing to be thankful for. And that, according to Paul, is when I step out of God's will.

Embracing the Lord's will for my life means accepting the exact set of circumstances He has handed me, one day at a time. Sometimes, I have to remind myself to accept them one moment at a time! Today, I have a choice to make. Will I grumble and complain? Will I stomp and lament and wonder why He isn't changing things?

(I do that, sometimes.)

It takes an act of my will and the grace of the Holy Spirit to pull myself back into line. I have to remind myself that God is for me; He loves me; He knows what is best for me and He is able to take everything that affects me and work it out for His pleasure and my good.

Our children are watching our responses as we walk through difficulties. They want to know if we really believe the things we teach them. They need to see us lean into Jesus in those times.

Will we drink the cup He has placed before us? Many years ago the Lord asked me this question. As Jesus prayed in the Garden ...

"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."~Luke 22:42

I think it's important to see here that Jesus did ask for the cup to be removed! We are not offending God when we ask Him to change our circumstances. But when we pray and He doesn't change them; when the fires rage or the waters rise ... it's there we find the question remains: Will I drink this cup? Will I do it with grace?

How about you? What cup is the Lord asking you to drink? Let's pray for one another.

Packing for a Journey

I'm going to college in roughly a month and a half. I don't think it's entirely hit me yet, but every once and while I'll wake up and look out my familiar window and get hit with a wave of excitement for what is to come. There are faces I've never seen, waiting to met! Roads I've never walked, waiting to be tread. Thoughts I've never thought, books I've never read, sunrises I haven't seen… Life is waiting just around the corner to be lived. The anticipation of it all fills me close to bursting. But, of course, on the flip side of that, I realize that I'm leaving this lovely place I've always called home. I'm leaving familiarity and friends and family, and all the things I hold most dear in all the world. So while I have this itch for adventure, I am also filled with this desperate feeling of "oh my goodness! I need to enjoy the bejeebies out of every moment! The end is fast approaching!!!". I feel like lately I run around in a panicked state of frenzy, seeking to get my fill of home and friends. It's really quite exhausting.

The other morning I was sitting on the front porch, my legs plopped up on the railing, mug of tea in my hand, bewailing my many woes to the Lord. How do I decided what to do and make the best of my time? Lord, I'll miss everyone! But at the same time.. I'm itching to start my adventure!

After a few minutes of that, I decided to read my Celtic Daily Prayer, as is my tradition. It was the first day of the month, and so a new theme began with the month:… Journeys. I smiled as saw the title page. I suppose God was listening to my prayers.

"Wherever He may guide me,

no want shall turn me back;

My shephard is beside me,

and nothing can I lack.

His wisdom ever waketh,

His sight is never dim,

He knows the way He taketh,

And I will walk with Him."

Anna L Waring

This is a grand adventure, life. And whether it be going to college, having a baby, getting married, getting a new job, or any other of the many events we encounter in life, something we can be sure about, is that it is indeed a journey. And one God is guiding us on, ever so carefully. As I contemplated this new journey ahead of me, an inspiration came to me. What do you do when you're about to go on a journey? You pack for it! You take into account everything you'll need to survive and thrive, you gather it on your bed, and you pack it in your bag. Of course, as I go off to college, I will pack my real bags with all the college life necessities, but I realized that there's something else I ought to be packing. I ought to be packing up my soul for its trip. Packing it with friends, family, rest, good (non cafeteria) food, books I want to read, thoughts I want to think.

So, dear reader, I will leave you with this; what is your journey? What are you packing? What are you intentionally filling your soul with?

Now I am off to drink tea and fill my soul with a good book.

May the road rise to meet you!

May you pack the bags of your soul well!

All for now,

Joy