Remember Winter's Saving Graces - Natalie Ogbourne
When it comes to navigating the landscape of life, it’s dishearteningly easy to drift toward reacting in fear or finding my way by feel rather than walking by faith. One practice that helps me stay on course is paying attention. A little awareness helps me notice the good that’s already tucked into the landscape of my life. Noticing helps me cultivate gratitude. Gratitude leads to a more hopeful perspective and a healthier mindset. Recording helps me remember. To that end, I record the gifts of each season, along with the small saving graces that make life more manageable. This, for me, is vitally important. Here’s why: It’s rarely what I don’t know that gets me into trouble. It’s what I fail to remember.
This is my list for winter 2023 so far. While many of the people, places, things, and experiences on this list find their way here over and over again (I’m looking at you, crockpot and birds), there’s always something new.
cats
snow
birds
sunrise
Sabbath
deadlines
fairy lights
bird feeders
at home dates
mailbox walks
praying friends
tunisian crochet
fun conversations
Friday night pizza
hard conversations
favorite coffee mugs
sunlight & dark nights
learning from my kiddos
bedtime fiction or memoir
shawarma hummus bowls
knowing when it’s time to quit
the crock pot (always & forever)
wedding planning phone meetings
morning Christian living/non-fiction
Monday morning prayer pod on Zoom
Trello (How was I so late to this party?)
the beauty of water in the form of snow
rescheduling (and, also, not rescheduling)
celebrating Christmas, marriages, and birthdays
photo walls
coffee dates
boardgames
reading lists
Look at the landscape of your life. What gifts and saving graces are about you this winter season? (If you’d like to record your own, I’ve made a simple, no-strings-attached printable just for you. It will tuck into a journal, a planner, or even your Bible. Access it here–no strings attached.
take heart and happy trails ~ Natalie 🥾
