ALL IS WELL.

All is well, right here, right now. What a simple but, powerful reminder to be at peace with where I am at this very moment. My days are very scheduled but I always feel as though I am running two minutes and two steps behind. Sometimes I candidly refer to it as "controlled chaos". The truth is, it's not funny. 

Living with an almost constant feeling of "if I can just..." is exhausting. I have been the only one placing such unrealistic expectations on myself all these years. But how do you turn off wanting to be the best mom you can be to your children or, navigating marriage with additional patience and support when yours is tested and depleted? How do you maintain a balance of work and self-care when you feel like you're overwhelmed by caring for everyone else around you? How do you get it to stop?

I have to choose to stop. I have to be the one to break the cycle I created. 

Because when I do, I begin to look around me and I breathe. I see our children happy, loved, and thriving. I see a marriage that is over two decades strong. I see a home that's not always picture-perfect but, it's the perfect picture of a house filled with laughter, love, and ongoing memories. I see good friends, and kind neighbors. 

And when I breathe in quietly, sitting in the sunlight that warms our kitchen each morning, I can feel God's grace. And in that moment, I know all is well, right here, right now. 

Be kind to one another, sweethearts.

Emily