𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 ⚾️
A couple of curve balls have been thrown at us this weekend.

And 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 how life is sometimes. We make plans and are required to pivot and make new ones.

Something that always helps during these times for me is practicing gratitude for small things within my day.
It keeps me intentionally scouting for the 'blessings or goods.'

What keeps this practice fresh and meaningful for me is making sure it is 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 to each day.

Three things I am grateful for today are: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

What are some small things you feel grateful for today?👇🏼

📸 Feat. a sweaty forehead and an unimpressed Kobe that we have stopped to take a moment 😆 ...

'𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞'
It can be so difficult to talk to children about loss.

Special books like '𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦' are such fantastic tools to aid in these difficult discussions and help normalise the grief experience at an age appropriate level.

@cloe_willetts beautifully captures many of the key sentiments surrounding loss in a gentle and authentic way. The illustrations are stunning (as you can see) and the characters themselves, absolutely adorable.

One of my favourite parts of the book reads...

'...In the golden hour sunlight
that streams on your face,
or the clouds that form shapes
up high in space.

I'll be the star glowing biggest
and brightest at dark,
A pohutakawa flower blooming
from branches of bark...'

You can check out more about the books here👇🏼
@the_dizzy_waggle_books
https://thedizzywaggle.com/ ...

'Hope waits for us in the dark, in the light, and everywhere in between.' ✨️ ...

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Last Saturday morning I had the privilege of presenting and sharing to some very special people from our 'helper professions.'

It is always difficult discerning what to share and how best to share it in a way that hits the mark and adds value to those in attendance.

Do you know what I rumble with the 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 though?

Striking the balance between acknowledging the hard 𝙖𝙣𝙙 honouring the hope.

It is so important to me that the hope is shared, but not at the expense of romanticizing or glazing over the hard.
Just as the hard must be acknowledged, but not in the absence of hope.

To authentically and genuinely honour 'hard seasons,' we need to share it all.
The beauty 𝘢𝘯𝘥 the ugly.
The hope 𝘢𝘯𝘥 the hard.

It was a privilege to serve and an honour to bear witness to other's journeys.
And the cherry on top? Getting to see one of my exceptional ex-students shining in their chosen profession.

A very full heart indeed 🤍 ...

𝐌𝐮𝐌 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲

At the beginning of last year I watched this incredible documentary, '𝙈𝙪𝙈: 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙜𝙚' and it has recently become available to stream on Netflix.

@tahynamacmanus courageously and vulnerably shares her experiences of miscarriage alongside a number of other couples.

I was deeply moved by her authentic, honest, and raw account of her journey, not to mention her excruciating vulnerability. It is heartbreakingly beautiful✨

So many of the experiences shared strongly resonated with my own, and many of the pertinent themes addressed and discussed so eloquently in MuM align with those within YSiW.

There were many stand out moments for me, but if I had to pick one it would be when Tahyna encourages, '𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.'

Thank you @tahynamacmanus for so vulnerably continuing the conversation, while saving space for others. This will continue to touch, support, and inspire many for years to come 🤍✨ ...

Slowing up. Taking a moment after a special day presenting alongside some incredibly courageous speakers in service of the 'helper professions.' What a privilage ✨️ ...

𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐬 n̷o̷t̷ 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲

I have come across this message in a number of different places and platforms.

'𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺.'

I believe it is intended to imply that strategy requires action, and hoping is not this.

I disagree.

Hope 𝙞𝙨 a strategy - an extremely good one at that.

Sure it needs some action, or perhaps even intention, but let's not underestimate the powerful nature of hope.

'Hoping' can make tough and unthinkable hardships bearable.

On hearing our baby's heart had stopped, hope acted as a buffer protecting, then gradually releasing me towards the harsh realities of baby loss.
During this time, hope temporarily weaved it's gentle stitches to hold the pieces of my heart together.

Vietnamese peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh said, '𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺.'

Perhaps it is not until we've experienced a moment where it appears lost, that we understand hope's true power and potential in our lives.

Hope 𝙄𝙎 a strategy.

📸 A photo I took after a special walk with friends early one cold Christchurch morning ...