Celebrate Community

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson 

Top: Target || Similar Top || Skirt: Nordstrom || Similar skirt: Forever 21 || Shoes: Nordstrom

Can you seriously believe that we are in the last week of 2016? This year has absolutely flown by. Even though I still have no clue what I will do to ring in the new year, I know that this outfit will be part of it. When I first saw my friend Brittany from Loverly Grey wearing this ADORABLE top, I knew I had to get it, too. Especially because it is from Target! Yes. Target. That in and of itself is a reason to party!

In 2016, I made some big changes to my everyday normal. Of course, one of those big changes was this blog. It’s fun to share my thoughts with this online community and even better that there are people who actually want to hear them. But what I love most about a TAD more faith is the people I have connected with along the way. 

This blogger world can feel pretty cutthroat at times. One minute you are on your way up, while the next minute you feel like you are at a stand still… People who you thought would be supportive and helpful suddenly are not. It is a business that can really mess with your inner-self if you let it.

But then there are people like Brittany, who wanted to help me grow just because she believed in what I was trying to do. And friends like Bailey, who connected with me on a spiritual level and understood that it’s all about connecting more women with Jesus. Both girls owe me nothing, but have given me something that is priceless: friendship. They made room for me in their world and welcomed me when they easily could have shut me out. For this reason, I consider them my “blogging angels.” Sometimes, it’s someone that you never expected that makes you realize that you CAN do what your heart desires.

Jesus created this world for us to have community. Whether that community is in a small group or on Instagram, when “two or more are gathered in His name, there He will also be.” (Matthew 18:20). He wants you to go for it and encourage those around you to go for it, too. If you are both meant to be famous authors, He will create an audience for both of you. If you are both meant to start your own businesses, He will bring enough customers to support both of you.

So, as you look forward to the year ahead, I pray that you will remember the importance of community. The importance of lifting each other up in fellowship rather than tearing each other down in competition. And I pray that you will be blessed to find friends like Brittany and Bailey, who want nothing more than to celebrate you along the way. 

The Difference

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson || Dress: Hinge || Shoes: BP

My perspective on all things velvet has completely changed. A year ago, it wasn’t a trend I was crazy about. But, NOW, give me all the velvet dresses, shirts, and jumpsuits that you can find. I can’t get enough. The velvet in this otherwise simple black dress makes all the difference. I love how velvet can do that for any look.
 
While this season is a time for celebration, it is also a time for reflection, as yet another year comes to a close. Well, at least for me anyway. It is crazy to think about how my life is different from where it was this time last year. Some things have really changed while others have stayed the same. Isn’t that how it always seems to be?

Sometimes it is difficult to think about how our lives have changed over the course of a year. I know that for all the good that happened in my life, there are painful memories, too. But in looking back on those memories, I realize where they have brought me and what I have learned through each one. Yes, some are still hard to understand; but, in my opinion, this is because God isn’t finished with those lessons yet. I still have more to learn, understand, and trust with Him through those memories that—at least for now—don’t seem to make a lot of sense.
 
Based on how things have gone for me in the last 12 months, good or bad, I fully expect that come December 2017, I will be in a completely different place. Like always, some things will stay the same and some will totally change. But, I am holding onto the hope and letting go of the fear for what God has in store for me.
 
While a lot of things can change over the course of a year, there is one thing that will remain the same. He loves me. He loves you. He is ready to guide us through each and every mountain that we will inevitably face in the months ahead. And He doesn’t want us to go at it alone. Trusting God in your “pace and your place” can make all the difference in how you view the new year. So, I hope that in those moments of worry and doubt about what lies ahead, you will look back and see how far you have already come. In doing so, you will be able to let the words, “I trust you Lord with my pace and my place” ring through your heart and enable you to take on this world with Him.
 
“With His love, He will calm all your fears, He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” – Zephaniah 3:17

Pass You By

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson || Top: Hinge || Shoes: Target || Jeans: Madewell 

I have told you many times about my love for all things striped! This is especially true when those stripes are blue and white. Hello. I gravitate towards them every single time. Hinge (the brand, NOT the dating app) is one of my favorites from Nordstrom. So, you can only imagine my excitement when I found this striped peplum sweater hanging ever so perfectly in Nordstrom. I knew it was something that I couldn’t pass by.
 
While the holiday season is a time of joy and excitement, it brings mixed emotions for a lot of us. Indeed, for everything that is so magical about Christmas, it can also be one of the more stressful times of the year. I am no stranger to this feeling.

Because I am a school teacher, I know that stressed out feeling better than most. This time of year, my students somehow create a whole new level of LOUD. But I hate that in all their excitement, I just want them to be still. A stressed out teacher and loud noises is never a good combination. It makes me want to push them out the door and on to winter break. However, once May arrives and they head to the next grade, I will be begging for just a little more time. And because of that, I don’t want this special time of celebration for my kiddos to pass me by. I want to treasure these holiday moments with them.  
 
Similarly, I don’t want this Christmas season to pass you by. Don’t make the time spent with your loved ones and friends something you just check off your list. Shauna said it best when she wrote, “Don’t let this season pass without taking the time and energy and creativity and risk to speak plainly with the people you love about exactly what they bring to your life.” And that’s exactly what I want you to do. I pray you embrace the season instead of letting the stress get in the way. And I pray that we see that there is too much work to be done by showing love in His name than to worry about all the rest. 

"Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you" - Colossians 3:16