Hi Reader,

This is a version of an email I wrote several years ago. I updated it to what I'm feeling now. But, if it sounds familiar, that's why. I found it while looking for another email and thought "oh, I need this now." There has been some crisis in our family and this is resonating with me, again. So, I'm sharing...

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Have you read Glennon Doyle’s “Love Warrior” ? If not, I highly recommend it.

In it, she talks about Crisis. The Greek root of crisis is to sift. She says, “It’s what crises do- shake us until we hold only what matters most.”

I have been sitting on that a lot lately.

I have been thinking about how in our own homes, our own lives, how can crisis be an opportunity?

I don’t know the answer to this yet, but I am hoping to use this time to find out.

What from my “past life” can I leave behind? What part of this “new life” can I take with me?

I know a few things now. I know that my mood changes the dynamic of our family, so is one of the most important things to take care of.

I know that focusing on peaceful mornings above everything sets the tone for all of our days. It keeps me free from self-doubt and guilt that come from impatience, from repeating disagreements or wondering "what if?" And it gives me the confidence to know I've sent my little ones off into the world from a place of love and ease. This has become more difficult for me lately and I am committing to it, right here, right now.

I don’t know what the rest of this time will bring, and I don’t know what, if anything, I will learn from the changes around here. But I do know I am hoping to sift out what I don’t need or want and hold tighter to what matters most. What that is, I am yet to find out.

Can you use crisis to sift?

I hope so.

Wishing you love, health, and all the sanity that is possible,

PS You can read the original here. Not enough time, don't worry, they are nearly identical.

P.S. This little bean has grown into quite a plant. We started it in late March as one of my preschooler’s school projects. His teachers are working hard to keep us busy and entertained. I wish I could think of something profound to say about it, but it has been bringing me hope since the moment it sprouted (I had my doubts that wet napkins and sunlight could grow a bean…but here we are, our own little beanstalk!). What is giving you hope today? Please let me know.