When I started blogging again about a month ago, after a longer-than-expected maternity leave, I committed to myself to post once a week for now—sometimes more, and occasionally skipping a week when I need to. I was tempted to skip a post this week because by Monday I still had nothing written, and I don’t like to write posts the night before. I need time to write each piece, let it marinate, and then come back to it before I’m ready to share.
But something nagged at me not to let this week go by without reflecting in writing. When I realized that we’re starting a new month, and with any luck, a new season, I thought it would be a good time to do a Taking Stock post. I’ve never done one of these before, and it was a surprisingly therapeutic and useful exercise. Some trends emerged that I didn’t realized were there, and doing this brought to the surface some things I’ve been feeling deep in my heart, like muffled vibrations, which I can deal with now that they’re in my line of sight.
So for the past month, I’ve been . . .
Making // freezer meals.
Cooking // said freezer meals in the slower cooker.
Drinking // gallons upon gallons of water (thanks, nursing).
Reading // The Art of Memoir and The Paper Magician
Wanting // just one more hour of sleep.
Looking // for signs of spring.
Playing // silly games with Selah in an attempt to cause one of her sweet belly laughs.
Wasting // too much time scrolling social media feeds.
Wishing // I had more time for writing. (Hmm, maybe my answers to Wishing and Waiting are related.)
Enjoying // a splash of almond milk in my usually black coffee.
Waiting // for healing.
Liking // all the photos of all the babies.
Wondering // if I’ll ever not be tired again.
Loving // watching Selah learn new things about the world and her place in it.
Hoping // to find my tribe of mommas.
Marveling // at the miracle of breastfeeding. Between pregnancy and nursing, I’ve been keeping Selah alive with just my body for the past year.
Needing // reminders that I’m doing the best I can.
Smelling // Selah’s cheeks.
Wearing // my maternity pants, still. I’m not ashamed.
Following // the presidential race, though not as closely as in previous years. It’s a little depressing, amiright?
Noticing // that it’s become too easy for Dan and me to watch church online on Sundays. I miss corporate worship.
Knowing // God hasn’t abandoned me.
Thinking // about the trips we have coming up in the next year. It’s exciting and daunting to think about traveling with a wee one!
Bookmarking // posts about Pinterest strategy. Have a good one? Send it my way!
Opening // my Bible and journal again.
Feeling // bummed that Downton Abbey is ending.