I thought we should do something fun here. What is a goal(victory marker😀) you are working on? What is something fun or new that’s happening in your life? New job, building a house, had a baby? Share it! I want to hear what’s happening for you! I love seeing people succeed and step into new areas in life. Maybe you’re not where you want to be -share what you’re working towards! What do you need to achieve it? How can we support each other? Can we be accountability partners for each other?

Still learning about Shabbat here... Shabbat was something I had longed to practice, when as a single Mom. But with working and not having the children every other Friday evening it wasn't something I had managed to do. Now as a couple we have started and it's been a wonderful experience for all of us. Wonderful enough that the children have chosen Shabbat with us over going to their dad's tonight. My heart feels warm and blessed. Grateful for this gift 🎁

My word from Papa today: “Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” These words seem to wrap me up and hold me today. What my heart heard when I read those words is that He will hold me in my hardest times and my biggest questions. And my dreams and desires MATTER. We as a family are cycling back around to Week 1 of Connection DNA this week. If you have not taken advantage of this content, now is the perfect time to start. 🤗 If you think you don’t have time, it can be as simple as pushing play when you’re driving. And in case you’re wondering, the first video is only less than 9 minutes long. You probably have time. 😉 Many of us hold back because we’re not sure we’ll get it right, but remember: “It is more important to take action than it is to do it right.” I think I heard that from Carlos a long time ago, and it has often been my inspiration to “just get up and do it”. 💪🏼💪🏼 In my current season of life (motherhood and homeschooling), I listen to the videos while I’m getting ready in the morning. Richard is usually driving by then, so I call him and we share verbal Gratitudes and Worthies on the phone. Later, after the children are up and have had their breakfast, we share verbal GW’s together while recording on Marco Polo so Richard can be a part of it. GW’s are a highlight of the children’s day! They love to hear what they’re worthy of, and it is so precious to see them learn to hear our desires and speak that over us in GW’s. 🥰 They really are so observant and sensitive to the environment we create for them! 🌷 On mornings when any family member is feeling big emotions and struggling with their attitude, I also see this daily exercise shift the atmosphere. Trust me, there have been many days where I felt like we didn’t have time, and I really needed to get started with my to-do list for the day, but over time, I learned that it is always worth it to prioritize those few minutes of intentional togetherness, and my productivity level usually goes up rather than down, because we all feel the stability and peace that gratitude brings.

Raw. Real. Processing… What do you do when you’re given the opportunity to connect with someone who had deeply hurt you and your family? At first, it can even feel like an invitation… but if we’re honest, sometimes it feels more like a trap. Because when there’s been years of silence, no real trust rebuilt, and no effort made along the way — how do you step back into that space without losing yourself? Do you make time for them? For what reason? To bring healing? To ease their heart? Or do you recognize that you’ve already said all that needed to be said — and reconnecting would only stir up what you’ve already worked so hard to put to rest? Some call it boundaries. I believe it’s really about identifying the purpose — and then making the decision accordingly. If the purpose is peace, and peace is protected by silence, that’s valid. If the purpose is reconciliation, and you feel ready to risk, then that too has meaning. The point is: it’s not about guilt or obligation. It’s about clarity. Because when the invitation feels like a trap, the only thing that keeps you free is knowing your why. Every choice costs something. The question is: does this choice lead you closer to wholeness, or pull you back into survival? And here’s what I’m learning: “Decisions” empower me. “Boundaries” only remind me where I lost it. #decision #choice #healing #process #personalgrowth #forgiveness #release #seasons #amish #amishmatchmakers #friendscomeandgo #clarity #healthy #freedom

So let’s ask the question: Why do we manipulate? I believe it’s because it’s what we’ve learned. It’s something we picked up in our homes growing up, and we carried it into adulthood, often without even realizing it. When we start to examine our hearts, we begin to see where this could have come from. Think about it: many of us were taught the roots of manipulation from the very beginning. Let’s take young children as an example. They learn by mirroring the people around them. That’s how they learn to walk, to talk, even how to react. Now, what’s the word they hear more than almost any other in those early years?“No! “No, don’t touch that! “No, stop! “No, no, no!” So what happens when the “terrible twos” hit? They mirror it back. You tell them to do something; they say “No!” Then comes the tantrum. See, from the very start, we haven’t been taught to motivate them; we’ve been taught to control behavior. We react to our frustration instead of meeting their need. Instead of saying, “Here’s what you can do” or showing them a better way, we try to stop what we don’t like. And because we’re human, that “No!” often comes with a raised voice or a panicked tone. I remember my kids in the kitchen pulling out every pot and pan while I was cooking. I’d say, “No! But looking back, they weren’t trying to make my life hard; they were mirroring me. They wanted the pots and pans because they made noise, because they saw me using them. Their God-given ability to learn through mirroring could have been an opportunity for me to motivate instead of manipulate. This is where we have to dig up the roots. We can’t just fix the leaves; we’ve got to get to the very depth of the root where manipulation started, so we can replace it with true motivation. And this isn’t about beating ourselves up. It’s about feedback, about growing into better moms, dads, friends, spouses, leaders. Part of that growth is forgiveness. - Forgive the people who manipulated you; they were just passing on what they’d learned. - Forgive yourself because you were doing the best you could with the tools you had.