6 Things Bringing Me Joy Lately

Fresh flowers

I absolutely love flowers. Truly so so much. They’re so different and colorful and bright. I never bought myself flowers until very recently — I used to think they were trivial or unnecesary but now I think the opposite. Something so seemingly insignificant bringing that much joy makes me excited for all the other life-giving joyful things in this world. Peonies and lilies are particularly stealing the show for me lately 🙂

Slow, quiet mornings w/ my bible

I’ve had a renewed desire to read lately, which I’m grateful for. I feel like as a Christian you’re “supposed” to always want to read your bible and for me that desire comes in waves. For a couple months I would read but not feel like the words made sense to me. I was discouraged and withdrew and eventually spent more time with God asking for clarity and grace. I think I have a tough time thinking God is proud of me or loves me because I know myself so it’s been encouraging to start to embrace those truths again.

The colada shop – cafe con leche

My friend invited me here one day while I was working remotely and it has become my favorite coffee shop! It feels like a little vacation in the middle of northern virginia. The cafe con leche is all of my caffeine dreams.

My “what did you learn today?” list

I like listening to podcasts and reading but a lot of the time what I learn overwhelms my brain. I started a “what did you learn today?” list to try to keep track of the highlights or nuggets of wisdom I hear. Some are faith-related and some aren’t. Some are random thoughts and some are dreams. It’s much better than the 1000 notes have on paper & on my phone. lol.

New worship music

Last weekend Josh and I went to a Hillsong United concert with my best friend Kate and her fiancé. It was a really cool experience! I’ve never been surrounded by such a large group of people worshipping Jesus so that was fun. I learned some new worship songs from it too.

Jesus talks with my friends

Navigating life is harder than I think we’re taught. Especially post-grad in our 20s it just seems like everyone is figuring out who they are all over again — making friends, finishing school, getting a job, etc, etc. I’m newly married and have made a few friends since moving here almost 2 years ago, but I’d be lying if I said I had this huge super close community. I am grateful for the friendships I’ve made and am excited about getting involved more in the community — putting myself out there and trying to meet people. I’m also thankful that I have a couple friends (here and long-distance) who I can talk honestly with about the ups and downs of life and what that means for following Jesus. They help normalize my feelings & encourage me when I’m letting comparison or shame seep in.