Peace Hope Love Project

It's been quite a year...

Facing the Anxiety of the Unknown HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Or is it??? In traditional fashion, the new year has arrived with fireworks and fanfare, toasts and celebration. And more than any other week of the year it is the promise of a f…

Sharing from my heart. For all those that want to be "liked", I hope this encourages you ❤️

They Know Not What They Do I might ruffle your feathers a little today. I’ve just spent the last couple days sitting on a porch by myself in the country and I invite you to pull up a chair on the porch with me. I would…

I'm sharing a late post this week on grief/loss. I didn't stress over the timing of posting it because I am "fasting" from unrealistic expectations. I hope this is as much a blessing to you as it was to me to study this passage of scripture.

https://shelleyharrington.com/2021/03/03/who-are-you-looking-for/?fbclid=IwAR2sYvTTflrics9B_hisYToPr7HFOgbL9DRZ0pVKfP39mOucO9AIXm0epaU

Who Are You Looking For? On left: With my mom at the Garden Tomb, Jerusalem, 1970 In 1970, my parents traveled with me as a baby for 4 months through Asia and Europe. They were young and energetic and wanted to see the wor…

Meet "Applesauce Bear", one of the most fragile ornaments on my tree.

Why is it fragile?
It's made of cinnamon and applesauce and was baked in the oven in 1993 for a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree we created for a family gathering in a small cabin in the mountains of New Mexico. We wrap it in tissue paper every year and place it in a special box. When we pull it out each year to place on the tree, we marvel at how it continues to survive year after year.

But that's not why it's special.
That year was the year that my husband's mom battled breast cancer and she had recently had a full mastectomy. During her recovery she wanted to spend Christmas in the peaceful woods of the mountains in Ruidoso, NM where they had a cabin.

So we went. We couldn't take a lot with us in the car so we cut down a small tree in the forest, made hand-made ornaments, and basically had a very simple Christmas together. It is still one of my favorite Christmases ever. It wasn't about preparations and getting and giving. It wasn't about going and doing. It was about BEING. It was about God WITH us.

My mother-in-law survived cancer for 5 years after that. And then it came back with a vengeance in her bones. I prayed for more time but we only had a few more years. We think of her and miss her often.

What's significant about Applesauce Bear is the reminder to truly embrace the gift of life and look beyond just "survival". Each year is precious. We don't know how long we will have with our loved ones. Many of us are missing loved ones during the holidays. This doesn't mean we ignore our heartache. Quite the opposite actually. Are we simply surviving when we could be thriving? Are we handing our hearts over to Jesus fully and completely?

May you know truly during the advent season that no matter how you may be feeling this year, know that you are not alone. Each day you have is a GIFT. Don't waste it sitting in sorrow OR not dealing with sorrow if you have been ignoring your need to feel it. Either way, what do you need? It's time to thrive and take care of yourself.

I have learned these last 8 months of many challenges we've all faced that I no longer want to just survive through hard things, I want to THRIVE. And that means I actually have to accept what I can't change, change what I personally have control over, and seek the wisdom from the Lord to know the difference. I have to do this by taking things ONE moment at a time, and living for TODAY.

I actually used to think of myself as a little fragile inside but I would never show it and I wasn't really putting myself first. So now when I see Applesauce Bear at the top of my tree I remind myself that I am not just a survivor, I am a THRIVER. I'm seeking God in my BEING. I'm seeking God WITH me in Jesus.

How about you? What do you need to do to take care of yourself and thrive during this holiday season? I would love to hear from you ❤️
-Shelley

"May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13