What are your plans for the summer?
My friend asked Didi, my ever-expressive 13-year-old.
“Oh, we’ll go to the movies, the park, have sleepovers, bake, go on a road trip… and my friends and I also plan to…”
Didi’s the kind of child who can hold a conversation for an hour without tiring.
As I listened, I laughed. My summer had already been planned without my input
But her excitement reminded me of something:
This is that time of year when I pause, count my blessings, and create room for rest.
I love the end of the school session, not just because the hectic rhythm of planning the kids’ school itinerary, meals, and all the in-between comes to a pause, but also because it allows everyone to rest and recalibrate. Also, because the sun lingers longer in my part of the world, everyone feels lighter and more joyful.
Even though rest doesn’t come easily in this phase of life, especially during a full-term session, it often feels like there’s no ‘good’ time to pause. But somehow, I managed to squeeze in two short breaks this past term (thanks to family support), and each one reminded me how much my body, mind, and soul needed it.
So, I’m writing to remind you, too:
Pause. Count your blessings. Make plans to breathe.
Recalibrate. Do something fun.
Laugh — the kind that rises from your belly, soul-deep.
Do something that brings out the child in you.
Something that makes you forget time… and your phone.
And when you’re counting blessings, don’t look only for the big and miraculous.
Count the small ones, the steady, almost invisible ones.
Because sometimes growth doesn’t seem visible or loud, but as surely as plants bud and sprout, you are growing each day and have so much to be grateful for.
If you look closely, you’ll see it.
You’ll see you’ve grown in your career, business, family, health, relationship, and faith.
So, take time to notice.
- To laugh.
- To rest.
Let this summer be a gentle celebration of that.
What Turning 42 Is Teaching Me
A few days ago, I added some wisdom years to my age.
I look back with deep gratitude and forward with quiet excitement for all that’s unfolding.
Allow me to share three things that have become clearer as I grow:
- Time – I’m learning that time really does make all things clearer. The dreams, the growth, the hard lessons, they all unfold slowly. So, give yourself grace. What feels confusing now will one day make sense. Just wait… time has a way of making things beautiful.
- Live in the now – There’s no better gift than the present. Embrace each day, the joy, the waiting, the pain, even the parts that don’t make sense yet. Please don’t rush through any phase; it’s all part of the becoming.
- Gratitude – A thankful heart sees beauty in everything, even when the “why” screams loudest. Gratitude steadies the soul. I’ve found that in those moments, gratitude steadies me. It helps me breathe through the noise and hold on to joy.
And I’ll leave you with this song I’ve been humming lately, Gratitude by Brandon Lake:
“All my words fall short; I got nothing new…
So, I throw up my hands and praise You again and again…
And I know it’s not much… but I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah.”
That’s my prayer this summer. A grateful heart. A deep breath. And room for joy.
What about you?
