Taking time to notice and appreciate all the beauty this world serves up has become a life-changing practice for me. It pushes me to slow down, be present, and observe how the ordinary moments create something magical.
I never thought that one single jar and little slips of paper would bring me so much joy. But it does.
Read MoreIn 2009 I ditched making resolutions that I wouldn’t keep and began the tradition of choosing one word to carry with me for the entire year. One single word that called to me and one that I wanted to dive deep into.
What I love most about this tradition is that I never know how it will unfold.
You don’t have to have it all figured out
You can make it up as you go along
Change the story
Switch lanes
Even shift characters and personalities
There has been a bit of sweetness that has come with being unemployed. I have slowed down and gotten back into many of the things I enjoy that I always put on the back burner. Sinking into a good book is one of the things that I am loving these days.
On my night stand sits a stack of books. I can pick up anyone of these books ad instantly feel inspired no matter what page I turn to. The library has also become my second home. Reading on my front porch in the sunshine makes my heart smile.
Some of the books I have devoured this summer are:
How to Walk Away - Katherine Center
If you have never read a book by Katherine Center I highly recommend you pick one up. All of her novels are fabulous. You get to know the characters in her books so well that they feel like friends. I get so sad each time I come to the end of one. How to Walk Away is her latest book but you can't go wrong with any of them.
Secrets in Summer - Nancy Thayer
This was the first book I ready by Nancy Thayer and it was the perfect summer read. Fun, easy to follow storyline that transported me to Nantuck and made me dream of visiting one day.
Moving Water - Christine Mason Miller
I first read this book two summers ago but had to read it again. It is a story that reminds you how deeply you matter and how your choices effect others. It is a brave story of life with all its unpredictable messy moments mingling with the love and laughter. I admire Christine's bravery to share her hearts so openly and the courage to tell the truth about the messy parts.
Univited - Lysa TerKeurst
So many of the words in this book hit me like deep truth bombs. Throughout there is a lot of spiritual talk about God and different bible versus. This is not usually my jam but I shifted God to what I believe in and was able to savor so many human truths.
Have you read anything good lately? What books live on your nightstand
Take a moment for you
Even one single moment will infuse you with love
Step outside
Breathe in the fresh air
Soak in the warm sunshine
Put down your to do list
And set your worries aside
Think about what makes you happy
What lights you up
Smile a great big smile
Even if you do not feel like smiling, smile
Listen to the sounds around you
Do nothing else but sit within the moment
For this one moment there are no expectations
You have no place to be
And nothing to do
Just be right here
Your heart and mind need this space
Give them exactly what they desire
And what you deserve
Sit and observe
Do not judge what bubbles up
Just acknowledge it and let it go
Continue to smile
This is your moment
Be right here
Allow gratitude to swirl around you
Feel all the feels
Your moment is waiting
Go ahead and take it
When my mom was really sick I remember standing in line at the coffee shop in a complete daze. The world was spinning around me and everyone was moving at a rapid pace; the same pace I used to move in before I heard the words stage four cancer. On the outside it may have looked like I had it all together, but on the inside I was crumbling. As people buzzed around me they had no idea that my life was changing forever.
We move through life so quickly. We live in our own little bubbles. We feel sometimes that we are the only ones suffering, the only ones fighting to take that next step forward, the only ones with a wide open gash in our heart. But the truth of the matter is we are not the only ones. We all struggle, we all suffer, we all need to figure out how to take the next step.
Writing was a huge part of helping me heal through my mom's death. I filled many pages of my journal and also shared some of my writing publicly on my blog. My words were raw and honest. I consciously choose not to censor them. It was through this vulnerability that I invited others in. Individuals reached out with love, they shared their own stories, and provided a simple acknowledgment for what I was going through.
I had also created a private email list with a small group of family and friends that I would write to. Having this outlet helped me process a lot of the feelings I was struggling with. It was a safe space for me to spill open. I wrote about my fears, my memories, my sadness, and my pain. This small group of individuals held these words close and gave me space to heal in my own time.
After my mom's death I began writing letters to her. I have a special notebook dedicated to this. I tell her about the latest things that are going on. Give her the gossip and the inside scoop. I share with her more in those letter than I ever had when she was here. Writing these letters gives me an opportunity to continue to connect with her.
Writing seems like such a simple thing, but putting words onto paper is cathartic and opens the gate to your heart. The page gives you space to spill open and just be. It never once judges what you put on it and that is an incredible gift. You are the one who chooses if you share it or not. You can rip it up, burn it, or let others read what you have wrote. You are the keeper of your words.
When you write you open up the gate to your heart and give yourself a little bit of breathing room. You can spill about your past or dream about your future. You decide where the pen is going to go.
I have been writing ever since I was small. It has been so long that I don't even know what life was like before I found the page. I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go and spill the contents of my heart into it. The pages aren't filled with pretty writing or the most eloquent of words but they are filled with my deepest desires, my worries and fears, list of places I want to visit, dreams I hope to one day accomplish, ramblings of things I didn't know I needed to work through, and moments of love and happiness.
I don't know who I would be if I didn't have the opportunity to figure it out on the page. Writing is an outlet for me that helps me untangle everything that get's twisted. It is my saving grace when I feel off kilter and overwhelmed. It provides me sanity, connection, and a chance to be compassionate with myself. I know that writing has save my life time and time again.
It wasn't just during my mothers death that I turned to writing but every day before that and every day since. I write through the daily stresses of showing up in life. Through those feelings of not feeling good enough, doing enough, being enough.
The page is a tool
helping me heal, grow, and expand.
Through my years of writing I have learned how to dig in and get to the heart of the matter. How to put the ego aside and allow the truth to spill open with compassion rather than criticism. I have different prompts that I use when I don't know what to write and tools that help me show up again and again.
I want to share all of this with YOU!
I want you to know that you do not have to walk this journey alone. We can do it together! I am here to hold your hand and walk beside you. We can do so much more when we do it together.
I offer two separate One-on-One mentoring programs.
One is an opportunity to dip your toe in the water through daily writing prompts delivered to your inbox for one week.
The prompts will be tailored just for you based on what you want to work on or through.
If you want to dive in deeper we can work together for a month. I will hold up the mirror for your so you can see how amazing you are as you work through different writing prompts, creative excursions, and secret missions.
This program is created based upon what you want to work on.
I know that writing heals. Spilling your own words and reading the words of others can open you up in a way that you never expected. It is a beautiful gift that we are able to easily give ourselves.
I remember one time sitting in the library writing about one thing but as I kept writing my heart took over and the words spilled into another direction completely. What began as complaints about my struggles at work ended up being a complete heart opening about a previous relationship I was in. These feelings were tucked deep into my heart. I didn't even realize that there was so much I had yet to work through. But the page knew and gave me the space to work through it.
Let's set free what you no longer need to carry around. Let's give a voice to those dreams that want to come true. Let's put your deepest desires into motion.
It is time for you to claim your life. Let's begin by taking it to the page and unearthing what you truly desire!
It would be an honor and a privilege to work with you.
Have a question? Please feel free to reach out to me at jennifer@jenniferbelthoff.com.
open your heart & share your story
Hello I'm Jennifer! A writer, podcaster and heart-centered guide. I believe in the power of the written word and am here to guide you in opening your heart.
