For me, it is easier to think in terms of small indulgences, where the stakes are low, but when I’m honest with myself, indulging daily is much grander than office supplies and pizza nights. It’s about being present and grateful and joyful in the moments when you can be, because sometimes you can’t. It’s about living in abundance, even if that abundance is something as simple as having a slice of hot blackberry pie for dinner.

Finding people is half the battle. Once we’ve found them, how do we move from the touch and go of superficial conversations and a few scrolls on our six inch screens? Trial, error, and a few acts of courage have taught me a few things.

Sadly, your friend or loved one has just been diagnosed with cancer. You want to write to them, but you don’t have a clue what to say. That is completely normal. Perhaps you’re tempted to wait until you find the perfect card or the perfect words – and so you write nothing. Hopefully, you already believe that writing to someone is an excellent thing to do (I don’t imagine you would be reading the More Love Letters blog if you didn’t), so here are some hints and tips which will, hopefully, encourage you to put pen to paper.

Today, I see my white cane as a badge of honor.

I see my white cane as a reminder of how far I’ve come. Every time I use it, I see a girl who felt despair the day she was diagnosed with RP to someone who is learning to love herself enough by embracing all parts of who she is. Today, there is nothing self-conscious about the cane. It’s simply a little help for my vision.

I love my hobby and there is no doubt that it has brought immense value to my life. But sometimes I wonder if I’ve taken it too far. We may get so into our hobbies that they turn into projects to tackle instead of simply enjoy.

We are yearning to come in from the rain. We are searching for safe spaces where we can rest and recover. We want to be welcomed – not in the polite way of strangers, but in the warm, reassuring way of family.

I don’t have all the answers. What I do know is that despite what society says, there is no requirement to abandon yourself to make others more comfortable. You don’t owe anyone a version of you that isn’t true to your soul.

As women in our thirties, we recognize that not everyone sticks around, nor would we want them to. We have learned the difference between the marigolds and the weeds.

We've internalized the message that doing something for our own enjoyment is not enough, not without the external validation of money, of praise. What if we created a society that didn't necessitate sacrificing free time to keep the roofs over our heads?

It’s so easy to hold back in our prayers. It’s tempting to ask for the mundane or expected, to ask for the things that seem guaranteed. But we are not told to pray timidly or half-heartedly. Hebrews tells us to approach the throne of grace with confidence, with boldness.

Eating outside offers up sounds, smells, and sensations we just can’t get in a sealed room. Sunshine, wind, dirt underfoot, bugs flying, flowers blooming, glittering snow… Getting outside our comfort zone bombards our senses and we notice things we otherwise wouldn’t.

I begin to pay attention consciously, to really notice what’s around me—not only in terms of what I can see, but also what I can hear, feel, or taste. And I find that beneath my initial assumption that ordinary equates to monotony, or even lack—this is all there is—there lies instead a teeming of tiny moments of beauty and joy.

As of yesterday, 169 letters have come in, from around 24 states and 3 countries (New Zealand, Canada, Australia)!

From years of experimentation, I’ve created my current diary setup, which I call my “Dailies.” I start a fresh page each day and use simple symbols to block off sections for supportive goals, acknowledging successes, practicing gratitude, and task management.

I’ve learned a lot about what it looks like to be single in my own skin and as much as I want to fight against the terminology and the boxes, I feel as if since they are there I have to learn to work with them.

A fully healed heart isn’t something you can force by sharing platitudes or deciding to fake it ‘til you make it. Heart healing is rarely a one-time thing.

It is more important than ever that we focus on appreciating what we have and try to maintain a positive mindset.

Is there something in your life that is taking time, practice, and a little bit of patience on your end? Maybe you’re in a new job, or searching for one, maybe you’d like to get closer to God, or maybe there’s a relationship that needs attention. Whatever it is, trust that the slow, small acts are valuable.

It’s important to pursue some reading as pure self-indulgence. I’m not talking about reading the self-help genre as a means of self-care. I mean reading anything, anything, just for the sake that it interests you. All genres are welcome and none are trash. Forget the phrase “guilty pleasure” when it comes to reading — if you enjoy it, enjoy it guilt-free.

If you think of your own life, I bet food was at the heart of some of your happiest or most cherished moments. And I bet in your family history, there was a woman who worked tirelessly to prepare that food. It is time to give our history the appreciation it deserves and reclaim a passion for food!