Welcome to What We Learned, where we pause to reflect on the past season before we move ahead into the future. At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this quarter – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful. I like to share a mix of all of those.

If you’re visiting for the first time from my podcast The Next Right Thing, welcome! We do this every quarter and will share our next list (What We Learned in Fall) on Thursday November 30. Grab your free printable list here to help you keep track and plan to share with us then.

Here are 10 things I learned this summer in no particular order.

1. It’s no good to save your abilities for later.

“Very often people seem afraid to put their own capabilities to use, as though one could save one’s abilities and draw interest on them.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

This line in Eleanor Roosevelt’s little book, You Learn by Living stuck with me. The more I study the intersection of faith and creativity, the more I see how fear keeps people from moving toward what makes us come alive. Following your desire and calling is not a selfish endeavor. It’s vital to the Body of Christ.

2. The Popcast is better than People magazine.

I’ve been listening to The Popcast for a while now, but this summer has sealed the deal for me: I officially choose Knox and Jamie over People magazine for my pop culture news. I knew this when, on an airplane, I had a crisp new People right there in my hand and I chose to listen to The Popcast instead.

Knox McCoy, Kendra Adachi, me, and Jamie B. Golden

If you like strong opinions on “things that entertain but do not matter” listen and subscribe to The Popcast now. Like, right now.

3. It’s MANwich, not Mamwich.

My entire childhood history has shifted on its axis this summer when I finally read the can of sloppy Joe sauce – John! Wait! It’s MAN-wich. Like a sandwich for a MAN?!

Uh, yeah.

Wait, WHAT?! I thought it was MAM-wich. Always. Forever! It’s always been MAM-wich right? 

Nope.

Hold please while I re-think everything.

4. Schmidt was on Gilmore Girls.

Schmidt from New Girl (Max Greenfield) appeared Gilmore Girls Season 4 Episode 4 “Chicken or Beef?” I was re-watching and heard a familiar albeit slightly higher pitched voice. It’s Schmidt!

5. A 93.8% eclipse is not the same as a 100% eclipse.

I knew this. But I learned it first-hand this summer, as reflected in this post I wrote: For All the Sad Americans Who Missed the Total Eclipse.

6. When you see the quiet faith of a woman who is 104, it changes you.

Visiting John’s grandmother in Memphis this summer was a gift. She’s adorable, quick-witted and remarkably present. She drives, lives by herself, goes to Wal-Mart, teaches 1st grade Sunday school.

And she is 104.

She is kind of a miracle. Or a unicorn. Or both.

Listening to her talk simply about her faith in Jesus brought tears to my eyes, over and over again. Upon reflection, I realized why.

It’s because we are a generation of tired people, longing to see evidence that what we wait for in secret is worth it.

We believe and want help in our unbelief.

Our souls make quiet work of always scanning for truth. When we find it, the tears spill over and take us by surprise.

7. Collections makes Instagram more fun + useful.

I learned by accident what most of you have probably known for a hundred years: that when you see a photo on Instagram you can not only bookmark it and save it (I’ve known that for a while) but if you hold down the bookmark icon on the photo, your collections pop up at the bottom of the screen and you can file it immediately! Saves so many steps.

8. Don’t expect your ideas to explain themselves. That’s not their job.

This is something I’ve been learning for the last three years or so, but I continue to learn it on new levels. Ideas won’t tell you what they are, where they came from, or what they want to become. That’s not their job.

Instead, they simply present themselves and it’s our job to figure out what to do with them. I share more about this process in 8 Ways to Start a Project Even When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing.

9. What bothers you is the beginning of redemption. It’s the first step to admitting something is wrong.

Without discomfort, there is no change. In the face of heartbreak, division, longing, confusion, racial tension, terrorism and actual white supremacy, it’s more important than ever for us to be who we uniquely are in Christ.

Let’s be people who are bothered and let it wake us up to action, to movement, and to bear God’s image in the world.

10. How to record, edit, and launch a podcast.

I learned that this summer – learned how to record, edit, and launch a podcast. That’s the technical part, though. Really, I learned how to start before I’m ready, how to move even when I’m not sure where I’m going, and how to do the next right thing in love. I’m 5 episodes in and am loving it so far.

You can listen to The Next Right Thing right here (just click on the episode you want) or subscribe in iTunes, SoundCloud or Stitcher.

***

I keep track of what I’m learning by using my seasonal reflection lists. You can get your own printable lists for tracking your reflections by signing up right here. If you’re new around here and want to know what, how, and tools to track what you’re learning, check out A New Page for Your Bullet Journal.

Some linking tips: 

• Just use your name for the “link title” – it’s simpler
• Be sure to link back here on  your post so your readers can join in!

Welcome to What We Learned, where we pause to reflect on the past season before we move ahead into the future. At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this quarter – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful. I like to share a mix of all of those.

Here are 10 things I learned this spring in no particular order.

1. Watching your kids grow up feels like torn lace, like smoke, like wedding mints melting on your tongue.

For several years I’ve been trying to put into words what it feels like to have not-quite-grown kids but also not little kids, either. I was finally able to write my way through it here: What it Feels Like When Your Kids Are Growing Up.

2. Clarity cannot be rushed.

Thank you for that, Marie Forleo.

3. I prefer half and half to flavored creamer.

This is a small detail of my life. But two years ago I could not have imagined my coffee without flavored creamer. Then I went off sugar for 30 days and used milk instead of fancy creamer and then when I tried the fancy creamer again it tasted like perfume and I haven’t been able to go back.

4. The meaning of quid-pro-quo.

I have lived 40 years and never knew what this meant. But then they said it on Designated Survivor so I looked it up. Incase you also don’t know, it means doing something as a favor with an expectation that you’ll get a favor in return. Like, I’ll give you the quid if you give me the quo. That kind of thing.

5. If you cook eggs too fast they get tough.

I guess I knew this sort of  but I never thought about why. It’s because eggs are protein! Of course. I listened to this interview with The Barefoot Contessa and she casually mentioned this simple and obvious fact I’ve never thought of before.

6. Alcoholism doesn’t have to get the final say.

Dad stopped drinking nearly 30 years ago, but this month brings it all back around again as his first book releases into the world next week.

I wish I could tell my ten-year-old self that one day my alcoholic, non-believing-in-Jesus dad would write a book about about God and family and grace and what it means to get along with the people who matter most.

7. If God has something to tell me, He won’t let me miss it.

This I’ve learned from Dallas Willard. He writes in Hearing God that when he asks something of God – for direction or clarity in some way – he states it simply and then devotes the next hour or so to “housework, gardening, driving about on errands or paying bills,” things that keep his hands busy but his mind open.

Then he says this: “I’ve learned not to worry about whether or not this is going to work. I know it does not have to work, but I am sure that it will work if God has something he really wants me to know or do. This is ultimately because I am sure of how great and good He is.”

Over the last three months, that has helped me to rest in the midst of my unknowing.

8. Turning 40 is a relief.

I didn’t realize it until after my birthday in April, but I have been symbolically holding my breath for a year in anticipation of this milestone birthday. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I think 39 was somewhat of a grieving for me on many different levels.

As it turns out, I’ve experienced a peace I can’t quite explain over the past month – hopeful for the future, grateful for life, and glad to be growing in wisdom and perspective.

9. I crave time with whole-hearted creative women.

In March I spent some time thinking about what it means to be a whole-hearted creative woman and I came up with a list of 8 things whole-hearted creative women do differently. Since then, that phrase has felt glad on my lips. In the last several months, I’ve decided to be intentional with these kinds of women – to learn from them, to work beside them, and to champion their work.

10. It all counts.

A short walk around the block, one yoga class per month, writing or reading a paragraph per day, choosing kindness once when you could haven chosen defense – it all counts. Small movement is still movement.

***

I keep track of what I’m learning by using my seasonal reflection lists. You can get your own printable lists for tracking your reflections by signing up right here. If you’re new around here and want to know what, how, and tools to track what you’re learning, check out A New Page for Your Bullet Journal.

Some linking tips: 

• Just use your name for the “link title” – it’s simpler
• Be sure to link back here on  your post so your readers can join in!

Welcome to What We Learned, where we pause to reflect on the past season before we move ahead into the future.

Before I share my list of what I learned this winter, I wanted to be sure you saw these free printable lists we made for you to help keep track of your own reflections.

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At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this quarter – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful.

I like to share a mix of all of those. Here are 8 things I learned this winter in no particular order.

1. One of my strengths is the ability to bear witness to grief and/or pain without trying to fix it.

When John and I took the kids to the doctor for shots when they were little, I always felt like a bad mom because it didn’t bother me to watch them get pricked. I mean, I didn’t like it, but I was okay being with them, holding them, and comforting them in the midst of their pain.

And maybe I would have seen that as a strength, except for the fact that my husband always had to leave the room, sometimes in tears. What is wrong with me?!

But then I learned through The Road Back to You Podcast that Enneagram 4s are able to bear witness to grieve and pain without having to fix it. I’ve known I’m a 4 for years now, but this was the first time I realized this comfort I have with grief and pain can actually be a strength to serve others.

2. The Facebook Groups App changed my Facebook experience.

This winter I learned the truth about my Facebook experience – 90 percent of my Facebook time is spent inside private groups.

I love these private groups but don’t love having to get on Facebook to get to them. Enter the Facebook Groups app. All of what I want, none of what I don’t want.

3. How to do things one at at a time.

I’ve never really chosen a word for the year, but one thing I have done is choose a theme for a quarter. This quarter’s theme is all about the spiritual practice of doing one thing at a time. I haven’t fully learned that yet but one thing I learned for sure – it’s hard to do one thing at a time.

4. My little Indiana hometown is known around the world.

I grew up on the same street as the hospital where I was born in Columbus, Indiana. I thought every town had colorful ramps in their elementary school, odd sculptures outside the library that looked like elephants legs, and storybook clock towers in the town square.

Turns out that little town where I’m from is “known around the world for its collection of work by renowned architects, landscape architects, and artists.” The town is referred to as a must-see for any fan of mid-century modern architecture.

A movie called simply “Columbus” debuted at Sundance this year with rave reviews.

Reading about this film has taken me back to my childhood. Now I see the smooth concrete walls of my elementary school and the newspaper offices made of glass with brand new eyes. And I love it.

5. My Grandpa enlisted in the army just a week before Pearl Harbor.

Over Christmas break I signed up for Ancestry.com and I went in deep, y’all. I learned all kinds of things about my family I didn’t know and one interesting fact was that mom’s dad joined the army just a week before Pearl Harbor (and he was 5’8” and weighed 136 pounds at the time.)

I have so many questions about his experience, but there aren’t a lot of answers as he died in the early 2000s. But learning little details about my family from generations back has been fascinating.

6. Wearing tall shoes helps me feel productive.

When my work requires me to do a lot of sitting at my desk, I’ve found it helps my productivity to wear my tall shoes on those days. I’m 5’4 on a good day, so when I get up from my desk to refill my coffee and all of a sudden I’m 5’9? It’s time to change the world!

7. Though I pride myself on embracing mystery + curious questions, I would secretly prefer everything have a reason.

I threw my back out a few weeks ago and spent a few days walking around hunched over like the old lady version of myself. My mother-in-law gifted me a massage and when I went, the therapist told me the side of my back that was not injured was actually more tight than the one I injured.

“Is that weird?” I asked, wanting her to diagnose my problem.

“It’s just information,” she answered.

And I realized in that moment that a lot of my life I’ve spent asking is that weird? in various situations, wanting to find a reason or explanation for things. I’m learning the importance of simply letting things be what they are without demanding a reason or an explanation. Everything doesn’t have to have a story. Some things just are.

8. Pinto beans make me happy.

I’ve been craving beans lately. I made pinto beans for the first time this winter and topped them with some sour cream and salsa and cilantro and then I died of happiness. What took me so long?

***

I keep track of what I’m learning by using my seasonal reflection lists. You can get your own printable lists for tracking your reflections by signing up at the top of the posts or right here.

Some linking tips: 

• Just use your name for the “link title” – it’s simpler
• Be sure to link back here on  your post so your readers can join in!

Welcome to What We Learned, a series I’ve been hosting here for over two years. In the past we did it monthly but we’ve switched to a quarterly schedule where we spend a little time reflecting on the past three months before we move ahead into the future.

At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this month – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful.

Here are 12 things I learned this Fall:

1. How to create and launch an online course.

At the end of August I was deep in the work of learning how to create an online course. At the end of September, I finally launched it.

As it turns out Marie Forleo is right – everything is figure-out-able. (At least when it comes to stuff I didn’t know how to do online.) Course enrollment is closed now, but here’s where you can see proof that I did it and get on the waitlist to be notified when enrollment opens again.

2. Vivian Howard’s chicken and rice tastes as good as it looks on TV.

Vivian is a chef in Kinston, NC and host of the show A Chef’s Life. We haven’t been to her restaurant yet, but we got to taste her food from her book tour food truck in Chapel Hill. Her mom’s chicken and rice recipe with the magic celery leaves on top was divine.

3. Grace for the Good Girl has been translated into Dutch!

Two years or so ago, my publisher told me a Dutch publisher bought the rights to publish my first book in their language and I promptly forgot about it. So when I got the book in the mail, my first thought was “Why has a foreign businessman put my name on his book?!”

Evidently they did not consult the English Urban Dictionary when titling it. (insert cry laugh face and also red-face emoji).

4. Instagram stories are fun. I think?

Do we like Instagram stories? I think I do. Now, I’ve never been on Snapchat, though I have a username because it seemed like the right thing to do. But when Instagram launched their story feature a few months ago, it seemed an easy place to experiment with video.

I’m still figuring out how to use it well, but I already know my favorite ones to watch are the ones that actually feel like stories. To be continued.
 

5. I am more fully myself with Yoga and Zumba in my life.

I tried spinning (once – yuck), run-jogging (my knees!) and elliptical action (this one I still do some). But this past year I finally found the movement combination that fits my body. And then I promptly stopped going in August because of traveling and TV and deep work and making dinner and the Internet.

Finally a week or so ago, I’ve gotten back to it and I remember all over again why I started in the first place. Give me all the deep stretching, thoughtful breath, and old lady latin dancing thank you and amen.

6. Kitties are yoga masters and John isn’t allergic yet.

We’ve had a dog for years but never got a cat, mainly because John is allergic. I grew up with outside kitties and loved them so very much. But then to my sister’s cat had kittens and I brought one home in October to try it out and never gave it back.

He is friendly and lovely and flexible (is he right side up or upside down?!) and lives inside my house. Also he matches our dog. And John hasn’t sneezed yet.
 

7. Hope*writers has a life of its own.

It’s been a year now since we first launched our membership community for writers.

We hosted our first live workshop last month and after meeting over 200 of our hope*writers in person, I realized this is more than an online membership site – it’s a community and a mindset.

Theres me, my dad, my sister, and our friend Brian taking a selfie with the hope*writers just before we recorded The Hope*Writers Podcast Live. (You can listen to it here).

8. From now on I will vote on election day (not early).

I voted early this year because I was nervous about long lines and didn’t think it was a thing. But then when election day came, I had this weird FOMO thing happening and remembered how much I enjoy voting on actual election day even if the lines are long.

9. Acknowledging the feelings and experience of others goes a mighty long way.

The morning after the election, I wrote a post called I Dare Not Tell You How to Feel This Morning. It is now my most visited post in months. This reminded me how important it is to be sensitive to the experience and perspective of other people.

10. I still have trouble knowing how to rest well.

Even after that book I wrote about celebrating smallness and learning to waste time well, after writing for over 10 years about the importance of creating space for our soul to breathe, I still have to work on resting well.

For example, my number one biggest work goal this year was to create and launch my first online course. And then I did it (I did it!) and promptly forgot to feel like I accomplished something. While I’ve been wise enough not to take on another giant project like that yet, I still have this brain gremlin that pushes me around, bullying me into productivity.

11. I love recording audiobooks.

This month I had the honor of recording the audiobook version of my third book, A Million Little Ways. It was so much work and so much fun. It felt like such an honor to read the words I wrote directly to a reader. What a gift. (I’ll let you know when it’s available!)

12. Israel is more beautiful than I ever imagined.

Surprising to absolutely no one, I still haven’t fully processed my trip to Israel at the end of August. (Slow process much?) I did write one post about it: This is Not How I Pictured Jerusalem. But one thing I learned for sure is this: Israel is a stunningly beautiful country.

Sharing what we learn is a little practice we’ve been engaging in here for over two years, where we spend a little time reflecting on the past before we move ahead into the future. It’s the middle of August and many of you are already in the fall-schedule swing. Before you move too far into your routine, let’s reflect on your summer, shall we?

At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this month – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful. First, here are 12 things I learned this summer in no particular order.

1. The First Families pay for their own food bill each month.

I learned so many interesting facts from reading First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies this summer. But this one sticks out more than any. They don’t pay for the State dinners and such, but they pay for their own eggs in the morning as well as when their family comes to visit. I don’t know, guys. This feels weird to me.

2. We’ve been quoting Neil Armstrong’s moon words wrong. Maybe.

When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he intended to say One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. But what came out (or what was heard) was One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Leaving off the tiny letter “a” before “man” rendered the phrase redundant, as man and mankind pretty much mean the same thing without the “a”.

Even more interesting is how hotly debated this phrase was and is. We’re talking studies, experts, researchers and communicative science. I did not know this!

3. Coins really do add up.

This is a real life example of “start small, celebrate progress.” Y’all. I’m embarrassed to tell you that we cashed in coins this summer at that coin cash machine thing at the grocery store and, well. Look.

4. I have a deep and abiding love for arugula.

Before this summer I never paid much attention to arugla. It just looked like puny leaves to me. But in Italy they served it in the salads and every bite made me so happy! Pepper lettuce! Now I can’t get enough.

5. Bruschetta is pronounced brusketta. I did not know this!

Italy also did this to me. Not that we ate a lot of bruschetta, but that it forced me to pay attention to how it’s pronounced once I got home. A hard “k” sound instead of an “sh.” I feel like I should have known this before now.

6. I’m kind of obsessed with the pre-loaded instagram image.

You know how the images are blurry now before they fully load in instagram? Well I always want to like the pre-clear image. Even poor images look lovely muted and blurred together.

7. The most difficult person to be kind to is me.

For all the ways I believe in being kind to yourself, for all the ways I write about it and encourage you to practice it, I still struggle with practicing it myself. Listening to Andrew Peterson’s Be Kind to Yourself on repeat this summer and tearing up every time I watch this video of him singing with his kids.

8. Creative work no one knows about is hard work to finish.

If you don’t do it, no one will ever ask for it, expect it, or miss it when it doesn’t show up. But you will know. And you will miss it. This summer I’ve learned to embrace the secret work of creating even when no one knows about. It’s important and none of it is wasted.

9. My eyes are old.

This summer I haven’t been reading as much as I used to and I realized (translation: John realized) it was because the words on the page are kind of sort of blurry a little bit. I finally admitted the truth, picked up a pair of readers, and can once again read with ease. Amen.

10. The creative process can be trusted.

Sometimes when the words won’t come, I experience temporary amnesia, forgetting how an inability to express an experience does not render it meaningless. It simply means I need more time. I go through seasons of forgetting this, but I always come back around to believe it again. Finally writing this post was healing and faith-building for me after returning from Italy this summer.

11. Only eat oysters in months with an “r”.

I’m learning a lot about cooking from Vivian Howard, the chef in the docu-series A Chef’s Life on PBS. My sister has been trying to get me to watch it forever and I finally did this summer. Fancy southern food + Avett Brother’s theme song + light-hearted restaurant drama + North Carolina = Yes please. And you learn fun and interesting facts like when to serve oysters.

12. When hard things happen, truth doesn’t stop being true but it might be lost for a while.

It was a summer filled with heartbreak and tragedy in our country and around the world, wasn’t it? As we still grieve the loss of so many people earlier this summer in Orlando, the rising racial tensions around our country, and the political unease, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged.

And then we cheer for Team USA during the Olympics and cry a little bit when Simone and Simone win gold medals and we all feel a lot of mixed up allegiances when it comes to the land of the free and home of the brave.

When tragedy strikes, things we know to be true don’t stop being true even if the shock of it shakes the truth right out of our hands.

Truth might be misplaced for a while. But truth is still true, God is still Good, and beautiful things still happen in this messed up world.

***

It’s the last day of May and that means it’s time for us to share what we learned this month. It’s a little practice we’ve been engaging in here for over two years, where we spend a little time reflecting on the last month before we move ahead into the next.

At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this month – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful.

Here are 8 things I learned in May in no particular order:

1. When a yes is easy, pay attention.

When Claire Diaz Ortiz asked me to join her for her online Work By Design Summit, my yes was swift and easy – it was actually my easiest yes so far this year when it comes to work-related activity. It’s important to pay attention to those easy yeses as they can give a hint to what makes us come most fully alive.

I enjoyed this post on Twitter from someone who watched my interview with Claire from 32K feet!

You can still attend the summit, by the way. Just sign up here for free – my interview has expired but there are still many to come from other smart people. And if you want a lifetime all access pass, you can purchase that as well. With the pass, you can see my interview as well as over 60 others and watch at your own pace. Check it out!

2. Writing headlines before you have content helps you have content.

I read Stop Waiting for Last-Minute Writing Inspiration, a post by Ann Kroeker and ended up trying it myself. I didn’t come up with 50, but I wrote down 15 almost immediately and the hope*writers will have Ann Kroeker to thank for the new content that will be coming this summer.

3. The word is integral not intregal.

Oh dear. Here I go again, not knowing English. Until I saw the word written down this month, I didn’t realize I’ve been saying slash spelling it wrong.

4. I have found the most comfortable flats – my favorite airport-travel shoe.

I wore my Tieks by Gavrieli when I traveled to Chicago last week and they have now officially become my airport shoes. They are the most comfortable flats I’ve had and get more comfortable every time I wear them.

I wasn’t sure if I would love them the first week I got them because they left red marks on my toes and heels. But that has gone completely away and now they are my favorite. For traveling, they’re easy to slip on and off at security and I felt sure-footed as a I hustled on the moving sidewalk to my gate. Recommend!

5. You can save posts for later on Facebook.

I saw this in our hope*writers Facebook group this month. Thank you, Barbara, for this tip! One of my major problems with Facebook is if I see a headline I want to check out, I click it immediately for fear I’ll never be able to find it in my newsfeed again. But now, I can save it for later!

6. If you look like Kate Middleton, you can have a job looking like Kate Middleton.

I’m so uncomfortable right now.

I guess I have seen those photos where they staged Kate’s baby shower and had a fake Kate, Carmella, Kate’s mom and the Queen. I saw one once and was like They are looking rather…casual.

And then of course I realized it was just people dressing up to look like them. But I didn’t realize these were PROFESSIONAL LOOK-ALIKES. And they have real jobs doing this work. Google it, but don’t go too deep.

It gets weird is all I’m saying.

7. I have found my new favorite way to shop second-hand.

ThredUp you guys. Have you tried it? I just ordered clothes from there for the first time and loved it ALL. The clothes are second-hand which makes me happy. I’m only returning 2 things because they didn’t fit (returns are free shipping if you use store credit instead of a refund.) I am so impressed with them so far.

Here’s a portion of my last order:

If you use my referral link to shop at ThredUp, you can get $10 to spend. Just to give you an idea, for each piece I bought I spent an average of about $12. Some tops were only $5 and I bought a dress for $30. I am sending some of my own clothes to sell with them – we shall see how that goes.

8. “Within the Christian faith there are many different and acceptable ways of demonstrating our love for God.”  – Gary Thomas

I’m almost finished with Gary Thomas’ Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path to God. While Jesus is the only way to the Father, the book explores nine different expressions of worshiping and connecting with God depending on our temperament.

While it’s clear which temperaments the author has a special affinity for (as he seems to respect those more than the others no matter how much he tries to remain neutral in his writing), it’s been an informative resource for me and has helped me to appreciate how we can all serve one God in many different ways.

Meet us back here at the end of July where we’ll have a special What I Learned This Summer link up. Want to be sure not to miss it? Join the community to be notified when new posts go live!

This post includes some affiliate links which makes it possible for me to provide free content here for ever 10 years – thanks! I only ever recommend things I try and love.

It’s the last weekday in April and that means it’s time for us to share what we learned this month. It’s a little practice we’ve been engaging in here for over two years, where we spend a little time reflecting on the last month before we move ahead into the next.

At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this month – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful.

Here are 5 things I learned in April in no particular order:

1. Growth may not always look familiar.

“We’re meant to grow, but not necessarily into something bigger. You have to be true to the self that’s growing within you.” My spiritual director, Marion, said that to me this month. It’s the gospel, really. But it’s difficult to accept sometimes.

2. The verdict is still out on Tieks.

I posted this photo on Instagram a few weeks back about the book I was reading and several of you wanted to talk about the shoes because of course you did.

They are Tieks by Gavrieli and yes, I paid for them with my own money. I say that because they are not cheap. But after several weeks of research, review reading, and pondering, I decided to buy a pair.

I have several trips coming up that will require much walking and I thought “the most versatile designer flats in the world, made of the finest Italian leathers and designed to fold and fit in a purse, wearable all day, every day” would be a good investment.

It took a little over a week to break them in and now they are, in fact, very comfortable. But I can’t yet decide if they are “worth it” which is what everyone wants to know. Maybe that’s what I’ll learn in May.

3. You are endlessly kind.

Last week I sent out my monthly note from the bench and included some recent losses my family has experienced. I was surprised to receive well over 200 emails back from you, dear readers, offering your thoughts, prayers, personal stories, and encouragement.

I read every single word of every single email. You are such an important part of my life and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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4. In April I finally realized who Rory Gilmore reminds me of.

The other day I’m watching Gilmore Girls, as one does, the one where Rory has an internship at the newspaper and she’s looking down all sheepishly when Logan asks her to skip work early and I’m all – ugh – WHO does she remind me of?!

It’s been haunting me for months, actually as these things often do.

What other person does this person keep reminding me of? And I can’t fully relax until I figure it out.

And then it came to me.

In a flash of glorious enlightment I realized who it is.

Now settle down. I know what you’re thinking.

How could she compare our beloved Rory to the kitchen maid?! But have you seen Daisy in regular person clothes?

And for those of you who need more convincing:

I know it isn’t perfect. I know they do not look like twins. But they have a way about them that relates to the other.

This was the mystery my brain has been trying to work through in the background and April brought some relief. Thank you and Amen.

And finally, in April I learned this:

5. Listening to your life will help you make decisions.

When I felt overwhelmed, unsure, or stuck this month, I spent a little time in the presence of God with my ear pressed gently against the heartbeat of my own life. What I heard is helping me to plan the rest of my personal and professional year and it feels right.

Just for fun, here are my April lists from the past 2 years:

What I Learned in April 2015 

What I Learned in April 2014