Ah, summer! And this one was a doozy with a 13-year-old full of free-time, four weeks of travel, plus several major events, milestones, and transitions in my family. Hence the radio silence. But school is back in session and I am back in the Studio. And I’m really excited to share two of those summer milestones with you!
First, this summer I turned FIFTY! Woo hoo! We celebrated with three to four weeks worth of gatherings and outings, surrounding ourselves with family, friends, and favorites such as Hershey Bar Dessert. I came away thinking we had done this milestone justice. I very much look forward to what this next decade has to offer.
The other event that fills me with glee is this: as of August 1st I am working FULL-TIME for Prayerworks Studio. This is no small thing. It is eight years in the making, the result of years of fervent prayer. It comes as I gradually weaned myself off the comfort of a steady paycheck, instead embracing trust and release (my Star Word for the year) and a commitment to building up my Etsy store, booking more retreats, writing more books, etc. With this comes a sense that God is calling me to add spiritual direction to my bag of tricks, but this requires more listening and discernment. (I’ll keep you posted!)
So what does it mean that I’m full-time? It means:
- more time to pay attention to God’s presence in our lives;
- more posts and books about prayer, prayer beads, healing, and spiritual formation;
- more stuff in the Etsy shop: new prayer bead designs, our Deeply Loved line, and other products;
- new prayer bead devotions and listening meditations;
- more work with soldiers and others who have PTSD;
- new curricula for retreats and workshops; and
- new opportunities for online gatherings and podcasts to discuss prayer beads, healing, and other topics.
Meanwhile, I am beyond thrilled that I get to hang out with you more. Together we can experience and share God’s deep love.
Speaking of God’s deep love, you may have noticed the above reference to our new product line called Deeply Loved. Everything in the line is designed to remind you of God’s deep love for you and invite you to share that love with others. We have prayer beads, candles, pouches, notepads, and cards. We also have a fabulous new Deeply Loved manifesto full of my favorite quotes about being deeply loved. I’ll share more about this in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll check it out in my Etsy shop.
And so we should celebrate and have a sale! Through August 31, get 25% off everything in my Etsy shop, including our new Deeply Loved products! Used discount code 50ANDFULL at checkout.
Now that I’m fifty I’m really wise. Right? Isn’t that how fifty works? Anyway, with this newfound wisdom I am also aware of how grateful I am for you. You have joined me on this prayer bead adventure, shared your stories and photos, invited me into your sacred spaces, offered humor and patience when necessary, and served as witnesses to God’s deep love. You have encouraged me and gotten me to this milestone. I cannot wait to see where God leads us next.
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Bonus: I found this online recipe for Hershey Bar Dessert. It’s the same as our family recipe, though we use plain Hershey Bars. This dessert is a sure sign that we are deeply loved by God. (Pro tip: you won’t have room for all the chocolate mixture AND all the ice cream in a 9×13 pan, so by all means, cut back on the ice cream! Don’t let any of the chocolate mixture go to waste! It is divine.)
Dearest Daughter,
I am so very proud of you for having the courage, conviction, and faith to follow your heart. As we both know, the greatest growth happens when we are willing to take the leap from what we know to the “unknown.” It’s a little like flying through the turbulence of a cloud to the bright blue skies on the other side. “Be” with the tension. Trust the promise. You are deeply loved.
Mom
Happy Birthday, Kristen! Sounds like you’ve had a great summer. Believe or not, yesterday was the first time in a couple of months since I had visited your website. Hadn’t seen a blog post in a while and was beginning to get concerned — did you all get moved again (remember, I’m a surviving UM clergy spouse), was someone sick, did I mess up my computer and delete myself from your blog?! O me of little faith! Then late last night your blog post pops up on my cell phone while I’m playing solitaire and I’m so excited, relieved, and pleased to hear from you I almost cried. I’m glad to hear that things are falling into place for you. You are an inspiration to me. We are all blessed when you share your faith and blessings with us. Thank you for that. Almost sent this comment last night but I’m glad I waited til today. I think it is fitting that your first comment was from your Mom. Sounds like she is an inspiration as well. Blessings always, Karen from Kentucky
Happy Birthday congratulations on tracing your half century mark. May you have many blessings on your next half century.
I ment to say reaching your half century mark.
Happy Birthday!!! I thought of you yesterday and wondered, like Karen, if you were okay. I was so glad to read your post and look forward to you sharing your journey with us!