life – Laurel Luehmann

Dreams and goals for Autumn 2025

September 8, 2025September 8, 2025by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!

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).

I am 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?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Personal, writing updates

Shall we make blogging cool again?

June 9, 2025by Laurel Luehmann16 Comments

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 I kind 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!

Or I may not.

We shall see.

Till next time, stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Journaling, life, Personal, reading

A Month in Review – November 2020 Edition

November 30, 2020by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

It’s crazy to think it’s already time for this again!

Highlights of the month

voting for the very first time
writing (of course)
making an audio drama with cousins
a sibling sleepover
wearing cozy sweaters
sight-reading piano duets with a brother
building relationships with people in my writing community
cleaning my room
making mashed potatoes in a ginormous bowl
hanging white lights in my bedroom
accidentally winning this giveaway (!!!)

Books I’ve been reading this month

Last month I didn’t read very much. This month I read much more. Thankfully. And each book was in a different genre! Bonus points.

Prophet

I’ve not finished this one yet, but I’ve enjoyed it so far! I’m a huge fan of allegories, and Ela’s conversations with the Infinite help me understand and appreciate the Lord more. Oh, I love the power of fiction.:)

Great Expectations

I mentioned this one last month, but it’s worth mentioning again.:) I love reading this aloud to some of my siblings.

12 Days at Bleakly Manor

I’m reading this one with some family members, and so far it’s been very enjoyable… despite the fact that it’s a romance.:) The plot is so complex, and I love how some of the characters are based off of characters in Dickens’ Bleak House.

I’ve also been able to venture into the dystopian genre while reading/editing a friend’s incredibly amazing novel-in-progress!!!

Journal Snippets from this month

“I have been careless of my ways – letting life fly by while I grasp at bits of it for myself. God, I want to live whole-heartedly for You – nothing held back. God, let me seek You passionately and purposefully. I want to use this season to learn how to be a doormat for humanity. (reference to an Oswald Chambers quote)”

“God’s salvation and righteousness are enough to make me greatly rejoice… and He provides them even on my worst days. I have a reason to worship. Thank You, Jesus.”

“Oh, God… let me choose You and Your ways… first and always. Be the deepest desire of my heart and the love of my life. Be the reason I live and breathe.”

“Oh, God, guidance. Let me listen to Your gentle whisper rather than the wild throbs of my heart.”

And that’s a wrap! How was your month? Did you do/read/write anything you care to share?:)

life, Personal

Some Honest Ponderings + A Poll

November 5, 2020by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

Hey, friends!

I don’t have a lot for you today… just a smattering of thoughts and a poll for you to answer. If you don’t want to hear from me today, please at least zip to the end of the post and answer the poll for me… it won’t take more than 17 seconds! I’d love to hear from you so I can have a better idea of how I can serve you here.:)

But in case you do want to stick around and listen to me…

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about discipline, self control, prioritizing… all that good stuff.

And I feel like I’ve really lost it in these areas lately.

I don’t like it.

I used to be the girl who was so motivated and diligent with many things in her life. I had goals, and I fought for them. I knew where I was going. I was focused and fierce in pursuing what I knew God wanted me to do.

But then this summer I started spiraling out of control. So many things happened and changed, and I lost my foothold. I flew out away from the firm ground of order and left myself dangling on the end of a rope I couldn’t seem to climb – perpetually swinging in the winds of life.

I told myself, This is life now. Embrace the crazy.

But this doesn’t have to be life. I don’t have to be disorganized and scrambling. Of course, there will be plot twists that pop up throughout my days, weeks, and months, but what would happen if I tackle them with a disciplined mindset?

How much of the craziness in my life is self-inflicted?

I want to stop being all willy-nilly in the way I approach my life. Yes, I need to be flexible, but I don’t need to be floppy. God is a God of order, and I’m not convinced that I’m being the best image-bearer I can be when I’m not living my life in an order of some sort. I want to reflect God’s character as best I can.

So in conclusion…

I want to work on being disciplined and focused this month. I want to be seeking God whole-heartedly, and I want my life and habits to reflect it.

That’s all.:)

Have a lovely evening, friends.

-Laurel

Personal

Thousands of Words – Life of Late in Photos

November 2, 2020by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Happy Monday, all!

Quite honestly… I’m doing a photo post today because my brain feels completely shot at present and I don’t have much to give you guys… unless you want to hear me ramble incoherently about a zillion things all jumbled together into one big mess that just happens to be my train of thought.

Oof.

I doubt you want to hear that, so…

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few thousand words in the form of pics.:)

Ooh, yes… do let us begin with a lovely sunrise.:)

One of my favorite reads lately!

Coffee helps with… life.:)

We got a nice snow cover last month… thankfully it’s melted away now, but it sure made for a lovely walk. I love the stillness of snowy rambles.

I love C.S. Lewis quotes.

I snuck off to the pasture last weekend for a little undistracted planning time… in one of my scrappy and beloved sweatshirts, of course.:) Being purposed and intentional about the way that I live is something I want to get better about, and here I listed out some goals for a few different areas of my life… writing included.

Along the lines of intentional living, I ran across this song recently. Do check it out if you don’t already know it! It’s been a wonderful reminder to me… I truly want to live my life to hear Him say, “Well done.”

Am I living like that?

Are you?

Let’s.:)

❤ Laurel

life

First Things First… And Writing Isn’t One of Them

September 14, 2020by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

And you thought you knew me. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong; I love writing. As a kid, I liked nothing better than curling up with a notebook and pen, crafting stories and poetry. My addiction to scribbling words and trying to encapsulate my crazy thoughts in semi-understandable sentences has only grown over time. My obsession with words was always just one of my weird little quirks. End of story.

But recently it came to a horrifying climax. It seemed like so much of my mental energy was going into writing and my future as an author… trying to figure out what it would look like, and how I would get to where I wanted to be in the writing world. I was so enjoying what writing involved that I was letting it become my life.

I was pouring into my stories instead of my siblings. I was investing in my writing courses instead of my friends. I was focusing on myself and my dreams instead of on my Savior and His dreams for me.

What started as a harmless little hobby began to devour every aspect my life.

The thing is, I’m not just a writer. I’m also a daughter, a sister, and a friend. Most importantly, I’m a child of God, a member of the body of Christ, and a representative of Him.

These other roles and responsibilities are even more important than writing. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to pursue a career in something I so enjoy, but I need to remember that there are so many other aspects to my life than writing.

I need to remember my identity in Christ, and let my priorities flow from that.

My relationship with God comes first. Next, my family relationships. Next, all other relationships.

Last, writing.

I’m not saying that it’s evil to work diligently at your job and seek to be good at it. Not at all. Actually, I’m really focusing in on that this week. But note the key word, job.

My job should not become a synonym for my life.

Balance, folks. Balance is key.

Let’s set our priorities in the right place and live them out.

life

On Seasons

September 7, 2020September 7, 2020by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Don’t you just love this time of year? The weather is cooling down, the flies’ days are numbered (hooray!!!) and I’m loving my sweatshirts, hot coffee, and afghans.

The seasons are changing, and I’m so looking forward to fall.

Spend enough time around me and you’ll learn that it’s my tendency to look forward to things – always planning and dreaming and scheming, picturing where I’ll be next year, in two years, in five years, in ten years…

But that means I can get so caught up in my dreams that I’m tripping over the important things I dreamed about yesterday. That’s a problem.

However, in my mid-teens I was encouraged by several sources – books, a blog, friends – to embrace the season of life I was in at that moment, rather than always dreaming, always planning, always waiting for what was around the corner.

And so I did. While still making my lists and dreaming my dreams, I wholeheartedly embraced a season that brimmed with family, schoolwork, cooking, music, writing, and spunky calves. I threw myself into the thick of it and loved it.

And then I looked up. I was turning eighteen and graduating. The season in which I had learned to delight was deteriorating before my eyes.

My first response? “NOOOOO!!!!!!!”

Seriously. I went into mourning for about a week.

My beautiful life was about to be changed… forever. I would never get back those days of being a crazy little farm kid, of doing school around the dining room table with my mom and siblings, of having the relatively simple and easy life of a child. Never.

(Whaaaaaaahhhhhh…)

What was happening to my life? I liked it just the way it was… why did I have to grow up and graduate, ruining and complicating everything? Couldn’t life just stay the same? Nice and normal and… safe?

I knew that if I was kicking and screaming (figuratively!) on my way to high school graduation, something was seriously wrong with me.

My mindset had become flawed.

Gradually, unwittingly, I had allowed my season of life to occupy a place in my heart that was never meant for anyone or anything but God. I had let it become my delight, my satisfaction and my identity, when only God can truly be those things for me.

This summer God’s been teaching me to embrace, not my seasons, but Him, the never-changing Creator of my seasons.

He’s been instructing me to work heartily at the projects the day lays before me, but to shift gears quickly if need be.

He’s been reminding me to appreciate the abundance of blessings He daily showers on me, but to allow them to turn my eyes to Him, not away from Him.

He’s been revealing to me the glorious truth that with Him, each and every day is brimming with opportunities for growth, productivity, and joy… lots of incredible joy.

He’s been encouraging me to to make Him the very center of my life – in the midst of every crazy, beautiful season and all it contains.

I want to encourage you to center your life around this incredible God.

You will not regret it.