Lord, I See Your Hands in Everything ❤️

Some mornings, you wake up and realize just how much God has done for your family. Today, I’m taking a moment to recognize His faithfulness, His provision, and all the little blessings that make this life so beautiful.

Sometimes, the most beautiful prayer we can say is simply, “Thank You, Lord.”

🎧 Don’t have time to read? Let’s listen together! ❤️

I know how busy life can get, especially as moms! So, if you’re folding laundry, making breakfast, enjoying your morning coffee, or just need a little encouragement while going about your day, you can listen to today’s post instead.
Just press play and let’s spend a few minutes together! I hope these words bless your heart as much as writing them blessed mine. ❤️

Hi friends! Good morning! ❤️

I hope you’re all doing well and having a beautiful start to your day!

I know I’ve been a little quiet around here lately, but life has been quite busy!

My husband has been traveling for work, and honestly, trying to keep up with everything at home, the girls, our routines, and all the little responsibilities that come with motherhood has been a little overwhelming.

By the time the day is over, I barely have the energy to do anything else, let alone sit down and write. Haha!

But yesterday, we had the sweetest surprise!

My husband came home from his work trip earlier than expected, and he didn’t even tell us he was coming! He just showed up, and we were all so surprised and SO happy to have him back home. ❤️

And let me tell you, friends, last night was the first night in a while that I actually got to rest a little more.

Having him home and being able to share the responsibilities again made such a difference. Sometimes we don’t even realize how exhausted we are until we finally get a chance to rest a little, right?

So this morning, I woke up feeling a lot more like myself. A little more rested, a little less overwhelmed, and finally feeling inspired to sit down and write again.

I’m really hoping that over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be able to spend a little more time here, sharing my thoughts, little stories, and everything that’s been on my heart.

I’ve missed writing!

But anyways, enough about my little life update. Haha! Let’s get to today’s post, friends, because I woke up with something really special on my heart this morning.

Gratitude. ❤️

Not because everything in my life is perfect, because believe me, it’s not. Haha!

There are always things to figure out, responsibilities to take care of, bills to pay, plans that don’t go the way we expected, and a million little things happening all at once.

But today, I just feel incredibly thankful.

Thankful for my family, for our health, for our home, for my husband, for my girls, and for all the little blessings that sometimes we get so used to having that we forget just how special they are.

And most importantly, I’m thankful for God’s faithfulness.

You know, friends, sometimes life gets overwhelming. There are moments when we look at a situation and genuinely don’t know what to do next.

Maybe it’s something financial, maybe it’s something happening in our family, maybe it’s a door that closed unexpectedly, or a situation that seems to have absolutely no solution.

And if you’re anything like me, you probably spend a good amount of time trying to figure everything out yourself. Haha!

We make plans, we think about every possible solution, we worry, and sometimes we even lose sleep over things we simply cannot control.

But something I’ve been recognizing more and more in my life is that God always knows what we need, even when we have no idea how things are going to work out.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself in situations where I genuinely couldn’t see a way forward.

And then, somehow, a solution appeared.

An opportunity came along. Something worked out unexpectedly. A door opened that I didn’t even know existed.

And I find myself thinking, Lord, that was You.

Because I know it was.

I know that not everything happens the way we want, or when we want. And I’ve certainly had moments when I’ve wished God would answer my prayers a little faster. Haven’t we all?

But when I look back at everything we’ve experienced as a family, I can see how the Lord has been taking care of us through every season.

Even the difficult ones.

Especially the difficult ones.

And I don’t want to overlook that.

I don’t want to be so busy asking God for the next blessing that I forget to recognize the ones He’s already given me.

Sometimes, I look around our house and see the girls playing, hear their little voices, watch my husband spending time with them, or simply enjoy one of those rare quiet moments when everyone is sleeping.

And I think to myself, Wow, Lord. Look at everything You’ve given us.

A home filled with love. Two beautiful little girls. A family to share life with. Food on our table. A place to rest. Our health.

Of course, there are hard days. There are exhausting days. There are days when the house is a mess, the kids need me every five seconds, and I feel like I haven’t accomplished a single thing.

But even on those days, there’s so much to be thankful for.

Because the life that sometimes feels overwhelming is also the life I’ve prayed for.

And what a blessing that is.

There’s a beautiful verse in James 1:17 that reminds us:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17 (KJV)

I love that reminder.

Because everything we have, everything good in our lives, is a gift from the Lord.

And today, I don’t want to come to God with a list of things I need Him to fix.

I just want to say thank You.

Thank You, Lord, for our home.

Thank You for our health.

Thank You for my marriage and my children.

Thank You for providing when we didn’t know how we would make things work.

Thank You for opening doors, for protecting us from things we couldn’t see, and for carrying us through situations that once felt impossible.

And thank You for reminding me, over and over again, that we’re never walking through this life alone.

I know there will still be challenges ahead. There will be more worries, more uncertainties, and probably plenty of moments when I’ll find myself wondering how everything is going to work out.

But I want to remember what God has already done.

Because the same Lord who took care of us yesterday is the Lord who is taking care of us today.

And isn’t that such a beautiful reason to be thankful?

A Little Prayer for Today 🙏

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today, I don’t want to ask You for anything. I simply want to thank You.

Thank You for waking me up this morning, for giving me another day with my family, and for all the blessings You have placed in our lives.

Lord, thank You for our home. For the roof over our heads, for the food on our table, for our health, and for the everyday comforts that we sometimes take for granted.

Thank You for my husband and my children. Thank You for the privilege of being a wife and a mother, for the laughter that fills our home, for the little hugs, the sweet moments, and even the messy, exhausting days that are part of this beautiful life You’ve given us.

Father, I especially want to thank You for Your provision.

You know every struggle we’ve faced. Every worry, every uncertainty, every moment when we didn’t know what our next step should be.

And yet, Lord, You have continued to take care of us.

Sometimes in ways we never expected, and sometimes in ways we didn’t even recognize until much later.

But today, Father, I want to tell You that I see it.

I see Your hands in our lives. I see Your goodness in our home. I see Your love and Your faithfulness in the way You continue to guide and provide for our family.

Forgive me for the times when I’ve allowed my worries to become bigger than my trust in You.

Help me remember that even when I cannot see a solution, You are still working.

And Lord, please give me a heart that never becomes too busy, too distracted, or too worried to recognize Your blessings.

I don’t want to spend my days focusing only on what we don’t have or what hasn’t happened yet.

I want to appreciate the beautiful life You’ve already given us.

Thank You for loving us, for hearing our prayers, and for never leaving us alone.

I love You, Lord. And I am so incredibly grateful for everything You have done and continue to do for our family.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

One Last Thought, Mama… ❤️

If you’re reading this today, I want to encourage you to take just a little moment to look around.

Maybe your house isn’t perfectly clean. Maybe you have bills waiting to be paid. Maybe you’re in a season where so many things feel uncertain.

I understand.

But I hope you can still find something today that reminds you of God’s goodness.

Maybe it’s your little one sleeping peacefully beside you. Maybe it’s your morning coffee, your husband’s hug, or simply the fact that you woke up to another day.

And if you’re currently praying for a solution to something that feels impossible, I pray that God fills your heart with peace while you wait.

Not every prayer is answered the way we expect, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t listening.

Sometimes, we just need to look back and remember how far He’s already brought us.

“Thus far the LORD has helped us.” – 1 Samuel 7:12 (ESV)

And today, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Just looking around, recognizing His goodness, and saying:

Thank You, Lord. For everything.

With love & grace,

Tay ❤️

God Was There Through It All

Even in the exhausting, overwhelming seasons of motherhood, God is still present. A reflection on trusting Him, finding strength when we have none left, and remembering that He is always taking care of us – even in ways we cannot yet see.

🎧 Listen to today’s post

Hi, friend. If reading isn’t convenient right now, you can listen instead. I recorded today’s post for you, so press play button and let’s spend these next few minutes together. 🤍

Hi friends. I hope you’re all doing well.

I’m so sorry I haven’t shown up here for the past several days. I was on such a good streak, right? I was posting every day, and then… life happened.

My youngest daughter got sick. My husband was traveling. I was home alone with both girls and our dog, taking care of everyone 24/7. My little one was waking up several times throughout the night, and I was so, so tired.

Honestly, I was exhausted.

I didn’t have the energy to be creative. I didn’t have much left in me to sit down and write. And I couldn’t really be present here because I needed to be fully present in my real life, with my girls.

Those days were a lot.

Having to find the energy to care for both of them all day after barely sleeping at night was not easy. There were moments when they both needed me at the same time, and I felt like I was trying to split myself in half just to comfort everyone.

And if I’m being completely transparent, there were moments when I wasn’t as patient as I wanted to be.

Sometimes my oldest daughter would become extra clingy or fussy at the exact moment I felt like I was already at my limit. And there were times when I reacted more strongly than I wish I had because I was just so incredibly tired.

I think that is important to admit too.

Motherhood is beautiful, but some days are really, really hard.

This honestly felt like one of the hardest stretches I have experienced since becoming a mom. Being alone, having sick little ones, barely sleeping, and still needing to somehow keep going was a lot.

But… we made it, friends.

We made it through.

And looking back now, I can see that God was with me through every single moment of it.

He gave me energy when I truly felt like I had none left.

He gave me patience when mine was running very thin.

He gave me strength to keep getting up, keep comforting, keep caring, keep loving, and keep doing the next thing in front of me.

And that is something I have been thinking about a lot lately: the ways God shows up in our lives.

Sometimes God shows up in the quietest ways.

Not always through something huge or dramatic. Sometimes it is through a door opening at exactly the right time. A prayer being answered in a way we never expected. A person reaching out when we needed encouragement. A little bit of provision when we were worried about how something would work out.

And sometimes, it is simply the strength to make it through a day we honestly did not think we had the strength for.

There have been so many moments in my life when I have worried about what comes next.

How will this work out?

What if things do not go the way I hoped?

What am I supposed to do now?

And somehow, over and over again, God gently reminds me:

I am already there.

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to figure everything out that we forget we were never meant to carry everything by ourselves.

We make plans. We worry. We try to predict every possible outcome. But God sees the entire picture while we can only see the little piece right in front of us.

And I think one of the most beautiful parts of faith is learning to trust Him even before we understand what He is doing.

Sometimes something good happens when we least expect it, and it almost feels like God whispering, See? I have not forgotten you.

Sometimes the blessing looks completely different from what we prayed for, but later we realize it was exactly what we needed.

And sometimes nothing around us has changed yet, but somehow our hearts have.

There is peace.

There is hope.

There is this quiet confidence that says, God is still in control.

That does not mean we will never have difficult days. It does not mean we will never feel afraid, disappointed, confused, overwhelmed, or tired.

Faith does not remove every storm.

But it reminds us that we are never walking through the storm alone.

God is in the details we notice and the ones we do not. He is protecting us from things we may never even know about. He is preparing things we cannot see yet. He is guiding our steps, closing some doors, opening others, and working in places we cannot reach.

And maybe that is where real peace comes from.

Not from knowing exactly what tomorrow will look like, but from knowing Who is already there.

I am learning to loosen my grip a little more.

To pray instead of panic.

To trust instead of trying to control every detail.

To remember the many times God has already carried me through situations I once thought were impossible.

Because if He was faithful then, He will be faithful again.

So if you are in a season where you do not know exactly what comes next, I hope you remember this today:

God has not forgotten you.

He sees you.

He hears every prayer, even the ones you can barely find the words to pray.

He knows what you need before you even know how to ask for it.

And even when you cannot see what He is doing, you can trust that He is still working.

Sometimes the greatest peace comes when we finally say,

“God, I don’t know what happens next, but I know You do. And that is enough for me.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
– Proverbs 3:5

Today, I am choosing to trust that God is leading, providing, protecting, and taking care of the things I cannot control.

And somehow, knowing that makes my heart feel a little lighter. 🤍

I hope you have a blessed day.

With love & grace,

Tay

The Hard Part About Goodbyes

Sometimes home exists in two places, and saying goodbye to the people we love never gets easier. A little reflection on distance, family, changing seasons, and trusting God to give us strength through every goodbye – and hope for the next hello.

Hi friends,

Today I’ve been thinking about goodbyes.

Not necessarily the forever kind of goodbye, but those goodbyes that come when a beautiful season reaches its end. When a visit is over. When someone packs their suitcase. When the guest room becomes empty again. When the house suddenly feels a little quieter than it did the day before.

A friend of mine has been going through this right now. Her parents came from Brazil to spend time with her after she had her baby. They stayed for about a month, loving on her, helping her, spending time with their grandchildren, and simply being together.

One of the sweet little memories from their visit is actually the photo I’m sharing with this post. My friend asked me if I could make a charcuterie board because her mom really loves cheese, and of course I said yes. 🙂 I went over for dinner, her mom made the most delicious creamy potato and chicken soup, I brought the charcuterie board, and we had bread with the soup. It was such a simple, cozy moment, but one of many really special moments we got to share while they were here.

And now it is time for them to go home.

I think there is something especially difficult about these goodbyes when you live far away from the people you love.

When you move to another country, the word home starts becoming a little complicated.

Home is where you grew up. Home is where your parents are. Home is the familiar food, the language you grew up speaking, the streets you remember, the people who knew you before you became the person you are today.

But then, somehow, home becomes somewhere else too.

Home becomes the place where your husband is. Where your babies sleep. Where your children are growing up. Where you have built your routines, your traditions, your friendships, and your little family.

And suddenly your heart belongs to two places.

You can miss Brazil while sitting inside the house you prayed for in America.

You can desperately want to visit your family and, at the same time, miss your own bed while you are there.

You can cry when your parents leave and still know that the life you have built here is exactly where you want to be.

Those feelings can exist together.

And I think sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to feel all of them.

Goodbyes are hard because they remind us how deeply we love.

If we didn’t care, leaving wouldn’t hurt.

If those weeks together hadn’t been special, the airport wouldn’t feel so heavy.

Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a season for everything – a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. Life is filled with seasons. They begin, they grow, and eventually they change.

And no matter how much we know the goodbye is coming, somehow we are never completely ready for it.

We count the days.

“Three more weeks.”

“Ten more days.”

“Only two days left.”

And then suddenly it is tomorrow.

You can prepare the luggage. You can organize the documents. You can plan the ride to the airport. But preparing your heart is a completely different thing.

Sometimes there really isn’t a way to prepare it.

You simply walk through the moment when it comes.

You hug a little tighter. You cry. You say one more “I love you.” You watch them walk away.

And then you go home.

And somehow, life keeps moving.

The babies still need breakfast.

The laundry still needs to be folded.

The dishes are still waiting.

Someone needs a diaper change.

Someone wants a snack.

And little by little, the rhythm of everyday life carries you forward again.

The first day might feel strange.

The second might still feel quiet.

You may walk into a room and expect to see them sitting there.

But slowly, things begin to settle again.

That doesn’t mean you stop missing them. It simply means God gives us grace for the season we are standing in.

I love Psalm 34:18, which reminds us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

Even in something as ordinary as saying goodbye after a family visit, God cares about the ache in our hearts.

He understands homesickness.

He understands longing.

He understands missing someone before they have even left.

And when our hearts feel divided between here and there, we can remember that our true security has never been found in a country, a house, or even in having everyone we love close to us.

Our security is in Him.

Isaiah 41:10 reminds us not to fear because God is with us. He strengthens us, helps us, and holds us.

So if you are saying goodbye to someone you love today, give yourself permission to cry.

Let the hug last a little longer.

Take the extra picture.

Say the things you want to say.

Don’t rush yourself through the sadness because you think you should be stronger.

You can be grateful for the time you had and sad that it is ending.

You can trust God and still cry at the airport.

Faith doesn’t mean we never feel heartbreak.

Faith means knowing that even while our hearts hurt, we are still being held.

And then tomorrow comes.

And the next day.

And slowly life finds its rhythm again.

Until another plane ticket is booked.

Another countdown begins.

Another airport hug happens – this time an arrival instead of a departure.

Maybe that is one of the strange and beautiful things about loving people who live far away.

There are so many goodbyes.

But there are also so many beautiful hellos.

And until the next one, may God give you peace for the distance, strength for the goodbye, and gratitude for every beautiful moment you were able to have together.

One season may be ending.

But the love remains.

And God is already waiting for you in the next one. 🤍

With love & grace,

Tay

Another Year of Choosing Each Other

Today, on our anniversary, I’m feeling especially grateful for the life David and I have built together – for the friendship, the laughter, the hard seasons we’ve walked through, and the beautiful family God has blessed us with. More than anything, I’m thankful that through every season, we have continued choosing each other.

Today is our anniversary, and I just keep thinking about how grateful I am for David.

He is truly my best friend. My buddy. The person I tell the craziest things to, the person I feel the most comfortable with in this whole world, and probably the funniest person on Earth.

He is also incredibly annoying sometimes. 😂

And somehow, that makes me love him even more.

I love that we have built something so beautiful together. We have a family now. We have a home. We have our girls. We have our dog. We have each other.

Sometimes I look around and think, Wow. Look at everything we built together.

There is something so special about having someone in your life who goes along with your crazy ideas, supports your dreams, listens to all your plans, and stands beside you through every season.

David has always been that person for me.

What I love most about us is that we have continued to choose each other.

Life has not always been easy. We have gone through difficult seasons. We have had stressful moments, changes, challenges, and so many things happen throughout the years.

But here we are.

Still together.

Still loving each other.

Still building.

Still choosing one another.

And I think that is one of the most beautiful things about marriage.

Love is not only in the big romantic moments. Sometimes love is in staying. In forgiving. In growing together. In supporting each other when life feels heavy. In laughing when things feel ridiculous. In remembering that you are on the same team.

And I am so grateful that God has given us so many opportunities throughout our marriage to see just how much we truly love each other and how much we want to keep walking through life together.

I am especially grateful for the way David provides for our family and supports me being home with our girls. Being able to stay home with our children is something that means so much to me, and I never want to take for granted the sacrifices and hard work that make that possible.

I am grateful for the little things too.

For the flowers he surprises me with every now and then.

For the way he remembers things I like and brings me something special.

For the surprises he plans and then absolutely cannot keep secret from me. 😂

For the jokes.

For the conversations.

For the ridiculous moments.

For having someone I can completely be myself with.

There is just something so beautiful about having a person who knows you so well and still says, Yep, that’s my person.

And after all these years, I can say the same thing.

That’s my person.

My best friend.

My husband.

My partner in all the craziness of life.

I love him. I love us. I love the life we have built together.

And more than anything, I am so grateful to the Lord for every blessing He has given us through our marriage.

Our home.

Our children.

Our family.

Our memories.

Our love.

And another year of choosing each other.

Happy anniversary to us. 🤍

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9

With love & grace,

Tay

You Don’t Need a Perfect Day to Have a Joyful Day

Some days, we wake up tired, overwhelmed, and completely unmotivated – and that’s okay. Today’s little devotional is a reminder to slow down, notice God’s goodness in the ordinary moments, and receive His grace one day at a time. 🤍

Hi friends, good morning. 🤍

I hope you’re all doing well.

This morning, I wanted to talk a little bit about motivation.

Sometimes, we just don’t feel like doing anything.

Sometimes we are tired. And as mothers especially, we can feel tired all the time because motherhood is busy. It is beautiful, but it is exhausting too.

If you are caring for your children, doing things for them, keeping up with the house, preparing meals, cleaning, organizing, remembering appointments, thinking about everyone’s needs, and doing all the little things that nobody really sees, it can feel like an endless job.

And sometimes, somehow, it feels like we are doing so much and at the same time doing nothing.

That feeling can be exhausting.

Sometimes we are simply not motivated. We are tired. We don’t feel like doing much, and that is okay.

Not every day is going to be a day when we wake up saying, “Yes! Let’s do this! Let’s get everything done!”

Some days we wake up and think, “I am tired. I don’t feel like doing much today.”

And that is okay too.

I just wanted to remind you this morning that you are not alone.

Today, my devotional was focused on motivation. I prayed for the Lord to give me patience, kindness, wisdom, energy, and gratitude.

I am incredibly grateful for what I have and for where I am in life. But being grateful does not mean that everything will always be easy.

Problems will come. Difficult days will come. There will be things we have to work through, wait for, pray about, and work hard for.

That is simply part of life.

Not everything is going to happen instantly. Not everything will come easily.

Sometimes we really do have to work hard for the things that matter.

And motherhood is one of those things.

We work so hard for our children.

But then we receive the sweetest rewards.

The first time I heard my daughter say, “I love you,” I wanted to cry so badly.

Honestly, I still do sometimes.

There is something so special about hearing those little words from your child.

The hugs. The kisses. The little arms wrapped around you. The way they look for you when they need comfort.

That love is one of the greatest rewards motherhood can give us.

And it reminds me that even on the exhausting days, what we are doing matters.

We only have today to live today.

And just the fact that we woke up this morning is already something to be grateful for.

I often wake up with a little prayer:

“Lord, thank You for my life. Thank You for another night of rest. Thank You for another day. Let’s do this.”

Psalm 118:24 says:

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Today is a gift.

It is a gift from the Lord that we woke up.

It is a gift that we are alive.

It is a gift that we can see, hear, read, eat, walk around our homes, hold our children, talk to the people we love, and experience another day.

Our children are a gift.

Our homes are a gift.

The food on our tables is a gift.

Even the home we sometimes complain about cleaning is a blessing.

There is so much grace hidden inside the ordinary parts of our lives.

So whenever you feel sad, discouraged, overwhelmed, or simply unmotivated, try to live one day at a time.

Sometimes even one moment at a time.

You do not have to solve tomorrow today.

You do not have to carry every problem at once.

Let today be today.

Pray while you are washing dishes.

Pray while you are folding laundry.

Pray while you are holding your babies.

Pray over your children.

Pray over your home.

Pray over the things God has entrusted to you.

Let the Holy Spirit guide you through the ordinary moments too.

And please don’t let one frustrating moment steal the beauty of an entire day.

Something might go wrong.

Someone might have a meltdown.

The house might get messy five minutes after you clean it. 😂

Plans might change.

You might lose your patience.

But one hard moment does not mean the whole day is ruined.

There is still goodness ahead.

There is still grace.

There is still an opportunity to begin again.

God is still with you.

So today, if your motivation is low, I hope this little devotional gives you a tiny boost.

And whenever you feel discouraged, pray and ask the Lord to remind you of His grace.

We are not walking through our days alone.

He is with us.

He is already ahead of us.

A Prayer for Today

Father,

Thank You for waking me up to another day.

Fill my heart with joy today.

Give me energy for the things I need to do and peace about the things I cannot control.

Help me notice Your goodness in the little moments.

When I feel overwhelmed, remind me that I do not have to carry everything at once.

Give me patience with my family, kindness in my words, wisdom in my decisions, and gratitude in my heart.

Please protect my home and everyone I love.

Let there be laughter here today.

Let there be peace here.

Let Your presence be felt in the ordinary moments.

And when my motivation disappears, remind me that I am not walking through this day alone.

You are already ahead of me.

Today is a gift, Lord.

Help me enjoy it.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen. 🤍

And here is one little thought I want you to keep with you today:

I don’t need a perfect day to have a joyful day.

God has already given you enough grace for today.

You just have to receive it one little moment at a time.

And since today also happens to be the beginning of one of my favorite seasons…

Happy fall, y’all. 🍂🤎

Happy autumn.

Happy pumpkin season.

I absolutely love this time of year, and of course I will be sharing more about it here on the blog because… why not? ☕🍁

I hope you have a beautiful, joyful, grace-filled week.

And if today starts feeling heavy, remember:

One moment at a time.

One prayer at a time.

One little blessing at a time. 🤍

With love & grace,

Tay

The Kind of Friendships I Pray For

A little reflection on faith, discernment, and the kind of friendships I pray for-relationships filled with grace, understanding, genuine care, and people who bring us closer to the Lord.

Hi friends, good morning. 🤍

As many of you know, I created this little corner of the internet simply to share whenever I feel something placed on my heart. Sometimes that means sharing my thoughts, emotions, motherhood, or something the Lord has been teaching me.

But I also want this space to grow with me.

So, little heads up: you may start seeing a little more variety around here: things I love, products I genuinely use, little tips, motherhood things, home things, and whatever else feels worth sharing. Faith will always be at the heart of this blog, but there is so much more of life that I would love to share with you too.

For today, though, I simply wanted to wish you a beautiful and blessed week and leave you with something that has been on my heart lately.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the people we allow close to us.

One of the things I pray for is friendships that bring me closer to the Lord. Not friendships that simply look Christian from the outside, but friendships where faith is genuinely lived.

I want friends who will pray before a meal with me. Friends who will say, “Please pray for me,” when they’re going through something. Friends who will remind me to trust God when I’m struggling. Friends who will genuinely say, “I’m praying for you,” and actually mean it.

Because following Jesus isn’t just about saying the right things.

It isn’t always hearts and flowers. It isn’t about appearing perfect or appearing godly. Following Jesus requires obedience, humility, forgiveness, self-control, love, and sometimes doing the exact opposite of what our emotions are telling us to do.

And goodness, that can be hard.

Recently I was reading 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and one part especially stayed with me:

“Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

That really made me think about discernment.

Sometimes God allows situations to reveal things we couldn’t see before. Sometimes relationships change. Sometimes people we thought would remain close to us don’t. And sometimes what initially feels like disappointment may actually be God’s protection.

I’m learning to be thankful for that too.

At this season of my life, especially as a mom, I don’t want relationships that feel heavy or complicated. I pray for friendships filled with grace and understanding… friendships where we don’t have to talk every single day to know that we love one another.

I want friendships where months, miles, busy schedules, babies, work, and life don’t erase genuine care.

Where we come back to one another with kindness.

Where we pray for one another.

Where we encourage one another.

Where we make one another’s lives a little lighter instead of heavier.

And above everything else, where we help one another walk closer to Jesus.

I don’t want faith in my life to ever be something I simply display. I want it to shape the way I speak, forgive, love, choose my relationships, raise my children, and live my everyday life.

My prayer continues to be very simple:

Lord, place people in my life who bring me closer to You, and give me the wisdom to recognize the relationships that don’t.

And when God reveals something to us – even when the lesson hurts – I pray that we have enough faith to trust that He sees what we cannot see.

Sometimes being redirected is protection.

Sometimes losing something is actually being spared from something.

And sometimes God clearing space in our lives is simply making room for what He has next. 🤍

With love & grace,

Tay

Hang On, Mama: A Reminder for the Heavy Days

Finding Comfort in Faith: Overcoming Difficult Days as a Mama.

Hi friends, good morning.

Today, I wanted to share a little reminder for all the mamas who might be carrying a heavy load.

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend, and she had to go. Later, she sent me a message apologizing and explaining that she was going through a lot. She is a mama of three, with a home, a husband, and so many things needing her attention. Sometimes, all of that comes with emotions that are difficult to put into words.

And I understood. Because the load can be heavy, right?

We all have those days when we think, Okay, I’ve got this. We feel confident, we find our rhythm, and we move through the day feeling pretty good about how we are handling everything.

Then there are the other days.

The days when everything feels difficult. The house is a mess, everyone needs something, and we barely have a moment to hear our own thoughts. We feel overwhelmed, touched out, emotional, and tired in a way that one good night of sleep might not even fix.

Mama, if that is where you are today, I want you to know that you do not need to apologize for having a hard time.

You are allowed to have moments when you need to step away, catch your breath, or say, “I need a little help.”

A difficult day does not make you a bad mother.

Living by faith does not mean that we never struggle. Giving grace to others, and especially to ourselves, can be difficult when we feel stretched so thin. We can love our families with our whole hearts and still feel overwhelmed by everything we carry.

But even here, we have a loving, powerful Father beside us. We can reach for Him when we do not know what else to do.

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
– 2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV

I find so much comfort in that reminder. We do not have to arrive before God with everything figured out. We can come tired. We can come crying. We can come with a prayer that is nothing more than, “Lord, please help me right now.”

He hears that prayer, too.

And mama, you do not have to be strong all the time. You do not have to be patient every single second, have a spotless house, or finish everything on your list to be worthy of love and care.

You are enough, even while you are learning and growing. Your worth does not disappear because you lost your patience or needed a break. God made you with care, and there is so much love you bring to your family that you may overlook on the days when all you can see is what went wrong.

Sometimes, you need rest. Sometimes, you need someone to hold the baby while you eat a warm meal. Sometimes, you need a quiet moment, a good cry, or a friend who will listen without expecting you to explain everything perfectly.

You are allowed to need those things.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
– Matthew 11:28, KJV

So today, take a breath with me. Slowly, in and out. Let your shoulders relax. You do not have to solve everything in this moment.

The Lord is our shepherd. Even when we feel lost, He has not lost sight of us.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
– Psalm 23:1, KJV⁠

We may not know how every problem will work out, or when a difficult season will become easier. But we can trust Him to guide us through the next moment, the next conversation, and the next thing that needs our attention.

Hang on, mama. There is room for you to rest, ask for help, and begin again.

You are loved. Your efforts matter. And you are not walking through this alone.

Let’s pray together.

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being our shepherd and guiding us when we feel lost. Thank You for holding us close when we feel shaken.

On the days when the house is a mess, our patience is thin, and everything feels like too much, help us pause and turn to You. Give us peace for this moment and strength for the next step.

Lord, sometimes all we can say is, “Please help me. Remind me that I will get through this.” Meet us there. Help us receive Your grace, accept support, and rest without guilt.

Bless every mama reading this today. Bring comfort to her heart, gentleness to her words, and people who will care for her as she cares for her family. Remind her that she is deeply loved.

We trust You, Lord. Thank You for staying beside us through every season. Bless our homes, our families, and our day.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

——-

Have a blessed week 💕

With love & grace,

Tay

Forgiveness: Letting Go Without Going Back

A heartfelt reflection on forgiveness, letting go of hurt, setting healthy boundaries, and trusting God throughout the journey.

Hi, friends. Good morning! I hope you’re all doing well.

It’s early.. about 6:30 in the morning.. and I’ve been awake since 4:30. I have so much to get done today: work for my studio, things around the house, responsibilities for my daughters, packing, and what feels like a never-ending list of little tasks.

But we’ll get it all done. This is life, isn’t it? We always seem to be busy. Even when we stay home, there is constantly something (or someone) needing our attention.

Today, though, I want to slow down for a moment and write about something that is a sensitive subject for me. I talk about it openly with close friends, but I feel like it’s time to open my heart and write about it here, too.

I want to talk about forgiveness.

The truth is, I have a difficult time forgiving people. When someone hurts me – or especially when someone hurts somebody I love – I take it very personally. I hold on to what happened, replay it in my mind, and sometimes carry the hurt for much longer than I should.

I hold grudges.

That isn’t something I’m proud of, but it is something I’m aware of, and I have been working on it for a long time. Holding on to hurt gets in my way. It affects my heart, steals my peace, and keeps me emotionally attached to situations I wish I could leave behind.

This morning, I read a short devotional about forgiveness, and it made me think: Why is forgiving so hard for me? Why do some people seem able to forgive so easily while I struggle so much?

I don’t have a simple answer. Maybe it’s because the pain was deep. Maybe it’s because I remember exactly how someone made me feel. Maybe part of me thinks that forgiving means pretending what happened wasn’t wrong.

But I am learning that forgiveness does not mean giving someone another chance to hurt me.

Forgiveness does not mean I have to trust that person again. It does not mean I have to invite them back into my life, restore the same relationship, or pretend that nothing ever happened. Forgiveness does not remove wisdom, boundaries, or consequences.

Sometimes, forgiveness simply means letting go and not looking back.

It means placing the hurt in God’s hands instead of carrying it everywhere I go. It means deciding that what someone did will no longer control my thoughts, my emotions, or my peace.

The other person may never even know that I forgave them. Forgiveness is not always a conversation or a reconciliation. Sometimes it is a quiet decision made between my heart and God.

And forgiveness is not only for the other person. It is also for us.

When we hold on to anger, resentment, and pain, we continue carrying the burden of what happened. The person who hurt us may have already moved on, while we are still living inside that moment. Forgiveness allows us to put that burden down.

The Lord tells us to forgive because He knows what unforgiveness can do to our hearts.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
– Ephesians 4:32

We are all sinners. We make mistakes every day because we are human. We try to follow the Holy Spirit and live in a way that pleases God, but we still fall short. We say the wrong things, make poor decisions, and sometimes have thoughts that do not reflect the heart we want to have.

Still, the Lord continues to forgive us.

He forgives us again and again, and He asks us to extend forgiveness to others. He invites us to lay our burdens at His feet and trust Him with the pain, the injustice, and everything we cannot fix on our own.

That is what I am trying to do.

I am doing much better than I used to, but forgiveness is still a journey for me. Every time I am hurt, I have to work through it again. I have to pray, surrender my feelings to God, and remind myself that forgiving does not make me weak or foolish.

It means I am choosing freedom.

Sometimes forgiveness happens quickly, but sometimes it is a decision we have to make repeatedly. We may forgive someone today and feel the pain returning tomorrow. When that happens, perhaps we simply bring it back to God and say, “Lord, I gave this to You before, and I am giving it to You again.”

It hurts, and it is difficult – but I know I am getting somewhere.

Every time we study forgiveness, pray about it, and intentionally work on our hearts, we are making progress. Every time we choose peace instead of resentment, we are growing. We may not get there overnight, but with God’s help, we will get there.

If you are carrying something that someone did to you – or to someone you love – I want to encourage you to begin letting it go. Forgive them, even if you need to do it one day at a time. Forgive them even if they never apologize. Forgive them while still keeping the boundaries you need.

Do it for your own heart. Do it for your own peace. Most importantly, do it because God has forgiven us and calls us to forgive others.

I believe the Lord sees every sincere effort we make to grow. He knows when forgiveness is difficult for us, and He will patiently help us through every step of the journey.

We are going to make it. We will get there, and the Lord will be beside us every step of the way.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, friends.

With love and grace,

Tay