I wrote a poem earlier this month that I thought I’d share here. It’s a reminder I need often! What a gift it is to walk with a sovereign God through “ordinary” days.
This isn’t going to be a poetic post…it’s just me trying to kill two birds with one stone. The first bird is my hope to post more frequently here, and the second bird is to make a fall bucket list.
And speaking of birds, I saw a bald eagle flying almost at eye level the other day!! (My eyes were higher up than they usually are because I was in a tractor, but still. I love bald eagles, and it was an audible gasp-worthy moment.)
Anyway.
The list.
Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
My friend Danielle always puts this on her monthly goals posts, and I’m stealing it because it’s such a good reminder of how to order my hopes and dreams.
Make apple fritters!!
I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and it’s always one of the first things I look forward to when the temperatures start dropping. I only let myself make them in autumn, so the process (and the product) are a delicious seasonal treat!
Not allow my phone or an open laptop in the kitchen and instead keep a current read close at hand.
If I’m eating alone, it’s all too easy for me to default to looking at a screen, and I’m sick of it. For several weeks now I’ve often been keeping books on the kitchen table to grab instead of my phone, but I’m signing the practice into law now.
Take discipleship more seriously, both on the giving and receiving end.
Seeking the friendship and counsel of older women and sharing friendship and counsel with younger women is something I want to pursue more intentionally this autumn…and the rest of my life.
Do a hike + picnic when the fall colors are the most vibrant.
Ahh!!!
Host a bonfire (or two or more).
Iam so grateful I don’t live in an area that is frequently under burn bans! I would be so miserable. I love fire.
Faithfully show up to write and let it be as messy as it needs to be.
I’m no longer one of those people who has a thousand book ideas floating around in her head, so the weeks after a book release can leave me feeling rudderless as far as writing goes. I don’t know exactly where writing will take me next, so it’s difficult to set goals for that apart from aiming to be faithful to sit down and at least turn the faucet on to see what comes out! My official goal for myself is to spend 30 minutes writing something each day…but it’s been a struggle, so that may just end up being a habit I hope to have implemented by the end of autumn.
Put a pot of mums in front of the house.
I actually just did this yesterday!! They look so happy.
I’d love to hear in the comments…what are some of your hopes and goals for this autumn?
Well…it’s not the first day of autumn, but now that it’s September, I’m letting myself pretend it’s autumn. It has taken discipline, but now my inner Winnie-the-Pooh is going to fully enjoy the chilly, hot chocolate-y mornings.
But August was a lovely month…
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Things worth remembering…
weather cool enough to open windows
FaceTiming with my brothers
overcooking a sweet potato in the microwave
playing “Blessed Be Your Name” with my little sisters
flowers and a thoughtful note on my front steps after a long week
sunrise walks
a celebratory anniversary dinner
young adult Bible studies
spending a couple of weeks with a dear friend
seeing Beauty Even Here in print for the first time
building a castle (a small one, uninhabitable) with a cousin
walking to the post office
meeting my brother’s new puppy (a.k.a. falling in love)
watching The Fellowship of the Ring for the very first time
“That’s why we made them for you,” cried Tommy, standing on his head as the most appropriate way of expressing his emotions.
I’m so glad one of my sisters recommended this book to me…it is such a joy!! Louisa May Alcott’s writing style is one of my favorites, and this is just such a jovial yet heartfelt story. It’s also really sweet to see the characters from Little Women as more mature adults. I’m savoring every minute of it.
This entire time I’ve been closing myself off from love, but it’s been the solution all along. I’ve built walls at every turn. No more.
Oof. YA isn’t my genre, but I was fascinated by the concept of this story (a slight Beauty and the Beast retelling) and had some audiobook hours to use. I didn’t go into it knowing it was a TRILOGY, and now the epilogue might twist my arm into braving the rest of the teenage angst and listening to the rest of the audiobooks. (Love triangles exasperate me, though, so we’ll see what happens, hehe.)
The mill owner’s wife persists. “A dollar, my foot! Fifty cents. That’s my last offer. Goodness, woman, you can get another one.” In answer, my friend gently reflects: “I doubt it. There’s never two of anything.”
My grandma lent me an illustrated version of this short story, and goodness sakes…don’t read it if you don’t want an emotional ending! It’s beautiful, though…a skillfully written recollection (I realized halfway through that it’s autobiographical!) of a bittersweet childhood Christmas with all of the feels.
Don’t you know that your Father in heaven knows just what you’re needing? seek Him first and everything else that you need will be given don’t you see, He loves you much more than the lilies and sparrows come and rest don’t waste a day being scared of tomorrow.
My times are in Your hand, and it is a strong, wise, loving one. ❤
Lord, thank You that these trials do not need to define me the way Satan wants them to. He wants to use them to harden my heart, sharpen my tongue, weaken my mind and resolve. When I walk through them with You, You will use them to soften my hard edges, tune my ear to Your voice, sharpen my eye for Your heart and Your goodness. What a gift, Father…may I be faithful to steward it well.
God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we, as well as He, can, in divine communion, enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)
O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.
psalm 89:8-9
Things worth remembering…
coffee and crocheting with my mom
dabbling in songwriting again
watching fireworks from my brother’s pickup
not completely missing my cousin’s bridal shower due to traffic…🫠
completing my twenty-third trip around the sun
enjoying the malt wagon and the county fair with siblings
TRAILER RACES
book club with sisters and friends
lotsss of music practice
playing country music over a football game (SO much more fun than listening to the announcer, hehe!)
I’m not a fan of the romance genre, but I did so enjoy reading through this book with a book club!! Nicole Deese’s characters and prose were absolutely delightful…and the conversations and elephant pits that sprang up around it were certainly a highlight of the summer.
And honestly, that’s about all…there was so much life this July, I didn’t read too much. XD
Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:9-10
From the journal…
May we be utterly surrendered to You and Your leading. Let our brokenness gentle us to hear Your voice and to joyfully heed.
I know that in making a way, You must clear out a good deal of brush…make our hearts and lives surrendered to Your purpose-filled demolition so You may build beauty here.
Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom Lead Thou me on; The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on; Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene, One step enough for me.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)
I haven’t shared a poem on the blog in…a very long time. Let’s change that today, shall we?I’ve come to find that I love referencing seasons and months in my poetry, and this poem reflects that. I hope it can be an encouragement to you.🫶🏼
One of my dear friends started a book club, and we’re reading through this one! I’ve really been enjoying this reread…Nicole Deese has such a lovely way of wording things.
This is a short story, and Caitlin doesn’t waste a single word. This was a beautifully written and powerful read…plus it’s free for her newsletter subscribers!
The secret of joy is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
Elisabeth Elliot
From the journal…
I think of how I have come to recognize the voices of singers…by repeated listening. May I repeatedly listen to and choose Your song, O Lord!
Don’t let me despise the small, weighty quietness of this season.
Deepen my trust in and remembrance of Your goodness and mercy, for they do pursue me each and every day of my life. I have exchanged vows with You that extend infinitely beyond the veil of death, and have covenanted with the God-Man whose Word has never returned void.
My deepest vocation is to be a witness to the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)
Beauty Even Here records a weariness familiar to many: one of aching restlessness on a stretch of unwanted road. But often it is that road, running through the depths of our grief and near despair, that can lead us to catch clearer glimpses of God’s goodness in our waiting, His steadfast love in the midst of our suffering, and the glimmers of hope He tucks in the cracks of our shattered dreams and expectations.
Laced with nature imagery and alternating between cadenced pieces and freestyle poetry, this cathartic collection is for the weary Christian, and seeks to offer a fresh yet deeply honest way of seeing our seasons of prolonged pain for what they are: an opportunity to long deeper still for another world, and to see more clearly the heart and love of Christ.
✨Coming August 26th, 2025✨
I can’t wait to share this collection with you!! Preorders will be opening soon, so stay tuned.🫶🏼
Release day for my upcoming poetry collection is less than two and a half months away,and I’m looking for a group of people who…
love finding beauty in the tiniest corners of life
want to see my poetry make its way a little farther in the world
can commit to helping me spread the word online about my upcoming poetry release
could go for a good bookish freebie or two (but hey, isn’t that all of us??)
If that describes you, you may be interested in joining my street team! I’ve linked the application below, and there you can find some more details about what being a street team member would entail.
That’s it for today, friends! Regardless of whether or not you’re able to commit to joining the street team, I am so grateful for your readership and your support. Thank you for being here!🫶🏼
A few weeks ago I was FaceTiming a friend, very messily eating my noodle soup and rambling about how much I missed blogs and blogging.
Blogs were such a joy for my teenage self, both as a creative outlet and as a means by which I could be encouraged and inspired by other women I would never have been able to “know” otherwise. I was by no means a perfect teenager (HA!), but the intentionality and convictions I did possess were fueled and shaped in part by the blogs I read. I’m so grateful for them.
In my corner of the writing world, however, blogging isn’t a huge deal anymore. So much of it now is all about building a thriving IG community, creating digital resources, and putting out consistent newsletters.
I miss the days of rambling blog posts, of not trying to sum up a complicated thought process in a way that will capture a short attention span, of posts that read more like a letter from a friend than a best-foot-forward scramble for likes and engagement.
(Don’t get me wrong…social media has so many perks, but lately I’ve been seeing more of its detrimental effects, both on my attention span, my time management, and even the way I want to spend my time. I don’t like it at all, and I’m trying to figure out what my use of it should look like going forward.
Anyway.)
I so miss blogging…so what if I tried doing it again? The way I used to, but, you know, hopefully better? Much better??
“You should do it,”my friend said, without batting an eye. “If you’ve thought about it this much, you should just do it.”
I knew she was right, but then the second-guessing came in.
But I’m a mess!
I’m not qualified.
I don’t know what I’m doing…I really don’t know what I’m doing.
But Ikind of feel like I should start blogging again.
I got to chat with a friend on a hike the other day, and in talking about something completely unrelated to my hesitations about blogging, she shared about part of the exchange between Moses and God at the burning bush…
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? So He [God] said, “I will certainly be with you.”
exodus 3:11-12a
Moses’ qualifications for the way in which God wanted him to walk did not lie within himself, but in God’s presence and calling.
I will forever, on this side of eternity, be a mess.
I will forever be unqualified in some way.
I will forever be still learning the ropes of my current season.
But I feel convicted to start blogging again…to write through and about what I’m navigating in this gloriously wild chapter of life. That includes but is not limited to:
Living singleness well, undistracted and wholly for Jesus
Stewarding my time well
Cooking for one (or for a mob; there is rarely an in-between)
Knowing and loving more deeply the heart of my precious Savior
Being a better friend
Reading across a few different genres…okay, a lot
Doing my work well – whether as an employee or as a writer
Carpe-ing the diem
Hear me clearly: I really don’t know what I’m doing, and I think I may be more aware of that than ever. I am young and inexperienced in so many ways, but if I can bring a bit of encouragement, hope, a feeling of being understood, or even just a good laugh to someone in this corner of the internet, I will be happy.
I’ll be writing primarily with an audience of women my own age or younger in mind, but I hope that my posts can be a blessing in some way to any woman who stumbles across this blog.
So.✨
Let me know in the comments if there’s a certain topic (or two or three) that I listed above that most interests you, and I just may let the feedback determine the next post!
Let your care and wish be to glorify God by your life here as long as He pleases, even though it be in the midst of toil, and conflict, and suffering, and leave Him to say when “it is enough”.
charles spurgeon
Things worth remembering…
finding rue anemone in the woods
a small road trip with my mom
COUSIN TIME!!!
guacamole
blossoms on the tree in the front yard
Reading Poppletonand Alfie with the aforementioned cousin
a random child at the lake sitting down next to me while I was reading
printing off a copy of Beauty Even Here for edits (!!!)
experiencing the temporary tattoo parlor that popped up around the dining room table one night
finding a solution for my lack of bookshelves problem…three cheers for double decker coffee tables!
watching Mrs. Miniver with Grandma and finding that it’s a new favorite
This was the final book in the If I Run Christian mystery and suspense trilogy. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first two…it got into the mind of one of the villains while he was doing his bad things and that’s something I personally don’t care for. I was grateful for resolution at last, though!!😅
Disclaimer: due to thematic elements, I personally will not recommend this series to anyone younger than 18.
I got a hundred pages in (it’s ginormous!!) and it just wasn’t clicking with me yet so I set it down. I definitely want to come back to this one of these days because I’ve enjoyed the previous two books in The Chronicles of Elira, but I guess that day is not today!
Ahhh!!! I’m so glad I’m finally into this book. It’s a YA thriller, and a sequel to a book I really enjoyed. The banter is so. much. fun.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Proverbs 21:1
From the journal…
My life is not my own. It rests in the hands of my omniscient, omnipotent Father, who loves me so deeply, more deeply than I can be loved by anyone else. Therefore I don’t have to wonder if there is meaning or intention in where He has me now. I don’t need to fear that I’ve somehow missed an exit or an on ramp. I am not overlooked or crowded out by other items on His to-do list.
May I pursue You as You pursue me, day after day after day, filled with Your goodness, lost in Your love.
I thank You that Your goodness and Your mercy are truly running after me every day of my life…even on the ones when I feel that I’ve botched it.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)
Laurel Luehmann 