Aug 26, 2016

LITTLE BY LITTLE / A New Season

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The best things in life are cultivated little by little. Hello, friends! Welcome back to my new weekly series. Each week, I’ll give you a quick update on life around these parts, and Ten Things to Help You Make Progress on What Matters, little by little (with some fun ones thrown in too!).

IMG_4051Zinnias we picked from the garden to press flowers for a special project Grace and I are doing!

My dad is on an airplane as I type this, headed here for his 81st birthday! We’re excited to spend the weekend with him. We’re also hosting family group at our house for the first time in a year since we had Josh. In this year of babies, we had to step away from leading our group, but Ari and I are ready and craving deeper connections in this new season. It’s been a challenging year for us, and we feel like we’re finally on the other side. We were created for seasons, and they don’t last forever for a reason. Each season we go through is meant to prepare, teach, or ready us for what’s next if we embrace where we are. It’s hard when you’re in the thick of the wait, or tension, or transition, to see the good happening, though, isn’t it? But, remember this: after winter, always comes spring.

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And now, for this week’s 10 Things to Help You Make Progress on What Matters This Week (In no particular order!)

1. Have tea! The weather went from blazing hot to fall-esque this week here in Chapel Hill. It got us excited about tea weather. My favorite is Roastarama, Ari loves Raspberry Zinger, and Grace really loves this sugar cookie tea. Well, this year we decided to make tea time a little more silly with Mr. Squirrel and Tea Rex (as seen above). During tea time, we practiced asking each other questions, looking in each other’s eyes, and sitting to have conversation. This week’s questions: What was your favorite thing all week? and What is your favorite Pokemon? : ) Our tea party this week was one of our summer goals. We’ve just got two left to go: visit Walter’s cows and go the farmer’s market!

2. Let your hair down. I was teased for my frizzy red hair in middle school, and finally let my hair down a few weeks ago. Here’s my story of dealing with rejection.

3. Be your very own self. If you feel like there are a million voices telling you what to do, be, say, or who to care about, here’s some wisdom Jen Hatmaker shared on Wednesday. Side note: her books, 7 and Interrupted, caused significant change in my life.

4. Consider a new story. This has been on my mind so much this week as we’ve had hours and hours of team meetings. We broke out a new set of PowerSheets (which are days away from being sold out — we’ll release the 2017 editions in November), set really good goals, and got refreshed. My friend Jess Connolly has inspired me recently in embracing a new story for her business. She launched a new partnership, a new shop name, and a new collection this week. Check out Amen Paper Company and use code ANEWSTORY for 25% off. This print is my favorite.

5. Cultivate your faith — no perfection required. The Cultivate Your Faith Giveaway ends in 4 days! Get my free Cultivating Faith e-book and more here.

6. Look deeper than your to-do list. I started feeling some heart pain a few weeks ago. Here’s the story.

7. Think outside the box to make progress on your goals. When I read the Bible from start to finish a few years ago, I listened to this for 80% of my “reading.” The New Living Translation (NLT) audio version of the Bible is free, and it helped me make progress on something that really mattered to me!

8. A reminder: it’s okay to grow slow.

9. Join me next Wednesday! Mark your planners! I’m giving a (free) Grace-Filled Goal Setting webinar on Wednesday (August 31) at noon EST. If you can’t join us live, be sure to register for access to the replay and my new Grace-Filled Goal Setting e-book!

10. Savor life like a boss. We picked a cannonball watermelon from the garden this week and plan to eat it tonight for my dad’s birthday. In related news, this made me laugh out loud.

Here’s to making progress on what matters, little by little!

Lara Casey signature

P.S. Monday is a big day. Our last court hearing to finalize our adoption is happening at 5:30pm EST. Will you pray alongside us? I’m tearing up typing this.

This post contains affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you, but if you make a purchase using one of these links, we send our commissions to the Love One Another project : )

4 Comments

  1. Josh on August 26, 2016 at 11:04 am

    Oh my, feel you so much on this! Since last November things have felt like a wilderness to us and we are still in it. Just feels like lots of walking around in circles with no full insight into which way is out. Was having a conversation with my mom about it the other day and she reminded me: God lead the Israelites into the wilderness, it wasn’t an accident that they got there but it was by His leading.
    Trying to do my best to rest in knowing that He knows what He is doing in us during this time in the wilderness.

  2. Emily DeArdo on August 26, 2016 at 3:42 pm

    This is great, Lara! I love the tea party you had with Grace. What a great thing to do with her!

  3. Kimberly on August 29, 2016 at 12:17 pm

    These are fabulous reminders for the week. Thank you so much…it helps find focus in the busy-ness.

  4. Catherine on August 29, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    Praying for you and your family re:the final adoption hearing today! Looking forward to hearing about it…thanks for being an inspiration to me and so many!

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