I think God uses those seasons of quiet to plant something new inside us. He uses the stillness to add fresh soil, to toss in carefully hand-selected seeds.

Line upon line, this book will be written. It may be messy and incomplete, but it will be something. And it will be mine. 

January doesn’t own every opportunity for growth. Resolutions aren’t tied to a single season. We can change any time we want to.

Confession: I’ve always dreaded the days between Christmas and New Year's. To me, it feels like such a strange space to hang out in, an uncomfortable limbo where the exciting thing has already happened, and now we’re all just lying around, covered in candy wrappers, waiting for the next big thing. 

Sometimes God works in mysterious ways, but other times He’s quite obvious. He’s the artist splashing colors across the sky, reminding us to look at what He’s capable of. He’s the Father who sent His Son—the bringer of light and the maker of every sunset—to walk this path with each of us individually.

It’s on those long, slow days when nothing gets done, those days when I am simply existing that this love is put to the test. That’s when I have to dig deep and look for the truth: do I love myself or do I just have a crush on my productivity? 

Too often we miss these ideas because we’re not paying attention; we’re too busy, too distracted. And even on those quiet occasions when we do notice an idea that wants to work with us, that’s usually when the self-doubt starts to kick in: Who am I to think I could do such a thing? To make such a marvel? 

Compassion doesn’t deny that there is room to grow, but it clears space for new life while our critical voice wipes out any chance of it. 

I want to ask myself the hard question: will I even appreciate whatever is just around the corner if I don’t open my hands to gently receive the goodness that is already here?

A bittersweet goodbye.

I never planned on writing about death and grief when I started writing young adult novels.

I think learning to let go is one of the hardest parts of creating.

Today, I’m taking a leap of faith.