An envelope from you is a gift of your time and attention to encourage someone in love.
Today I am thankful for… envelopes
Lessons in 5 Senses
Two weeks of lessons came down to the five senses... one of them being the importance of taste, and a replacement for the overused lemon and lemonade analogy. May I humbly submit one about beer and brats.
5 Years
What would I tell you about the last five years if you asked me? Dear Busia, this is my letter to you.
Today I am thankful for… instructions
Step 1. Read the instructions. Step 2. Follow the instructions. Interestingly, something needs to happen before Step 1. Someone other than you actually has to create the instructions.And we have to actually read them... in context.
Today I am thankful for… perfect
She always ordered it perfect. Lemon twist and olives. Lots of rocks. I’ve never met Rob Roy, but he was clearly her favorite.
Lessons: I-39 Style
Don't forget to observe the life you're in and the moment that you're in it. Turn off the radio, the TV, the screen and let your five senses do the rest. Take mental notes of the lessons God is teaching you in small moments, even on a long car ride in the early morning.
gifts
Sometimes the in between moment, can be the best moment to sit with God, reflect, and be thankful.
Lessons: Patio Wildlife Edition
Chipmunks don’t like stale pretzels, and I don’t like bird poop, wasps, or bugs that want to taste my beer. But there’s a lesson or two in here about observing the details, finding the memories, and appreciating the artistry. Even if it means having to throw your bible across the porch for your own safety.
Lessons: Joy in the Mundane
We seek epic moments. We search Pinterest boards for ideas and long for Instagram worthy pictures, but what if joy is in between the layers of the mundane? Between the crosswalk, the pile of dishes, layers of laundry, and in between the cheese and meat of the sandwiches you made this week? What if joy only happens if you notice, and realized you have LOTS of chances to notice?
anxious
Do not assume one sentence, one word, one photo, one post, is the entire story. Hunt for context.
7 Lessons: Beach Edition
Give careful thought to your ways. This includes coffee, kindness, bravery, sunscreen and listening skills.
getting loud again
I love to present. And I used to do it a lot. On a personal level I presented to college students and fellow alumni. At my job I traveled around to small groups and big groups to lead discussions, introduce concepts and help with technology. My favorite was presenting from a stage to a roomful... Continue Reading →
Lessons: prep and reflect
If I pause and reflect daily, I might get an inaccurate representation of how things are going. A bad day could feel like the world is falling apart. One good day could give me an inflated sense of self and delusional success. But a friend reminded me that reflecting at the end of every week... Continue Reading →
with you
Dear Busia: I wish we could cook together and I could keep learning from you. I miss you immensely. Thank you for loving me so well and so big. Love, Your Girl
french toast sticks
I don't want to forget that the little things are actually the big things. That sometimes love can be wrapped in a yellow box that sits in the freezer.
Lessons: Technical Difficulties Edition
Aside from the desire to throw a non-functional device across the room, aside from the desire to procrastinate because solving a problem feels overwhelming, aside from the embarrassment of failing technology... it turns out there are lessons buried within the stressful moments of technical difficulties.
Lessons: Evening Edition
Some lessons stop you as you're walking to the parking deck and present themselves as opportunities. Other lessons come from endless scrolling and regret. While others are realizations that not everything needs to be improved upon. It's okay for some things to be fine and enough. And in case you haven't heard it lately. You are amazing. You are enough.
windows
Today I am thankful for... windows. When it’s cold and I don’t want to miss it. For the world outside of me, that God allows me to see.
anticipation
God gave us another day. Another sunrise. Another opportunity to choose better. To respond with character, integrity and a patience... that will wait for a sunrise. What will you choose?
Lessons: Road Trip Edition
Font size is important, but so is the 3 second rule, the scan button on the radio, air conditioning, and the messages you choose to share.
Two Weeks of Lessons
Every day God is trying to teach me something. The question is whether or not I’m paying enough attention to notice it, reflect on it, and do something with it. The past two weeks a few new things came to light: serrated knives and fingertips don’t go well together, water is more important than coffee... Continue Reading →
My Top 9: Week 3
People say the devil is in the details. I disagree. Beauty is in the details. Insight is in the details. God is in the details. So this week I cut down my list from 20 to 9 and I went deeper.
My Top 20 : Week 2
If you slow down just enough, and look up you might notice a few things. Like someone turned off the light in the restroom while you were still in the restroom, the water delivery guy does not want a water, a determined child on a big wheel can keep up with the big bikes, and homemade ranch with a side of hugs are what the Midwest is made of.
fear
I quit my job. But I wasn’t unhappy. I wasn’t running away from anything. I was running toward something.
my feet
Today I am thankful for... my feet. And the grass I was able to walk on. And the memories of jumping, of grandparents, of all that has been gifted to me.
the secret
In a moment, in the rain, I heard more, I saw more, and found joy.
until the bubbles end
Some things never seem to have an end. Work. Email. Information. It's overwhelming. So I stepped away, and remembered it's possible. I remembered it's okay. And I stayed.
salt
Today I am thankful for a little salt shaker. A little reminder that not only should I not be salty, and not pour salt in a wound, but that we are called to something more. We are a key ingredient in every interaction in this life. We can bring out the best in each other.
the art of the thank you
Thank you notes are not required. But your words are powerful and meaningful and have the ability to change someone's moment, day and even life.
funk
It’s a weird thing to read something you’ve written and not recognize your own voice. To wonder where that person went and how to find her again.
Today I am thankful for … photographs
Actual physical printed photographs. One snuck up on me today as I was cleaning and it stopped me in my path. It was an original without filters or retakes or retouches. It was just a moment in a chair. But I recognize everything in the background. The white and gold lamp that was ceramic on... Continue Reading →
in spite of
This is about focus. In spite of the bad things. In spite of the loss. In spite of lost opportunities. In spite of the things that slipped through your fingers. Because in between those “in spite of” moments, were good moments too. Moments worth recalling, worth remembering and being thankful for.
clutter
Today I am thankful for... clutter My home office had devolved into a life size junk drawer. It became the destination for random pieces of paper, bills, boxes, cards, decorations, pictures, notes, "ooh I should save this" type items I couldn't be bothered to better assess in the moment. And so the piles grew and... Continue Reading →
leaves change
I love fall. The trees go through a season of change every year. They don't freak out when their leaves fall off. The world is not ending. This change sets them up for something beautiful next year. Next year they will be taller and stronger than before. We have the opportunity to be stronger after... Continue Reading →
be noble
Being noble is not reserved for old men from the Middle Ages who conquered lands. I am called to be noble and so are you. Our character matters more than the money we make or the things that we own. Choose dignity, intelligence, virtue, graciousness... choose to take the harder road of looking at the... Continue Reading →
look up
I see a lot of screens in my life these days. This morning I am watching leaders on a big screen, typing notes on a tablet, and tweeting on my iPhone. So at lunch I took a moment to step outside, lay in the grass and look up. And in this moment I was thankful... Continue Reading →
dignified strength
I take way too long to get ready. To pick my clothes, do my hair, put on makeup. It's really a sloth like pace. I am under this assumption that what I wear and what I look like matters, and it will somehow impact the way others treat me and think about me. Unfortunately there... Continue Reading →
dramatic lighting
I am thankful. It's been a rough 2-3 weeks for me. But today I find myself looking out the window and genuinely smiling. Not much has changed in my circumstances honestly, so why the smile? I can see colors. It sounds silly, but looking at the pond and the trees and the sky I realized... Continue Reading →
dialogue
I don't know if prayer "works". Mainly because I don't know what it means for a prayer to be "effective". But I know there are moments when I feel God nudging me to say something, to be somewhere, to be silent... But that requires me to slow down and be still for a moment (several... Continue Reading →
you woke up
I hate my alarm clock. But it's so easy to forget that we are not promised another day. God gave me another day. God gave you another day. Choose today to be the best version of you. To everyone you meet bring good, not harm, in your thoughts, words and actions. Help others at your... Continue Reading →
distracting opportunities
I have a love hate relationship with doing the dishes. On one hand, I'm super grateful I have dishes and food and a kitchen and a home at all. On the other hand, it's a time consuming chore that leaves my hands dry and raw. I finally understand what that Palmolive lady was talking about... Continue Reading →
sunrise possibilities
I sat in simple wonder this morning. Not trying to solve a problem, make a to do list, or build my schedule for the day. I took a moment to sit, and see and listen. To feel a slight breeze in my hair and the warming sun on my face. To smell the faint hint... Continue Reading →
wait & see
My coffee is way too hot to drink. The steam rises like the sun behind it. So unless I want to burn the roof of my mouth (again) or my tongue (again) I need to wait. What do you see while you're waiting? How often do we see anything beyond the inconvenience we perceive? Today... Continue Reading →
leave joy
When wet grass is mowed, the lines are so obvious, marking where you've been, where you turned, stopped... went back. Honestly you made quite the mess of ruts and mud and its obvious. You have an entire day ahead of you and I have an entire day ahead of me. We can both choose not... Continue Reading →
your path
There are days I want to be antisocial. I want to escape into a little spot of solitude and just be. But if I all I do is go from one extreme of running around from meeting to meeting to errand to event... to the other extreme of solitude I'm missing the best part of... Continue Reading →
listen understand
"Listen." Over and over again this morning the word that kept popping into my heart was "listen." On the surface that can seem so passive, especially if you're in a crowded meeting room and you keep wondering why that one person (or no person) is talking. But "listen" is a verb. It implies you are... Continue Reading →
Today I am thankful for… high heels
There are few things in life more dangerous than wearing high heels on an escalator. And yet in that moment, as my toes towered over the precipice, I was overwhelmed with a sense of thankfulness for high heels. For the day a pair of white ones helped me down the aisle to say I do. For... Continue Reading →
Today I am thankful for… the gap
In the London subway system there are signs posted as you enter and exit the cars that tell you to watch your step so you don’t slip and fall (or drop your cell phone) into that cavernous hole. However in London they don’t say “watch your step”, they say “Mind the Gap”. And of course... Continue Reading →
Today I am thankful for… journals
I have more than the library of congress. Different sizes and shapes. Stashed away at work, in file cabinets, random shelves, plastic bins in the garage, stacks in my overly messy home office… I am thankful for my journals because they remind me… Life is filled with millions of moments. Spots in time that don’t... Continue Reading →
Today I am thankful for… light
When you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and you flip the switch... you hate the light. You squint. You stumble. You think to yourself, "I know my bathroom. Next time I'm going to figure this out in the dark." But I challenge you tomorrow morning when you're supposed to... Continue Reading →
jessica lynn shull 
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