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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / {A fresh start.}

{A fresh start.}

March 15, 2013 · 16 Comments
Filed Under: inspiration

Yesterday was a hard day, the kind that makes you want to climb back into bed so you can avoid it all together.  You know the kind I’m talking about?  Where nothing catastrophic happens, but instead one small event after another adds up to an insurmountable mess?  Yes?  Well, that was my day.  Normally, I would work to choose joy and tell myself that tomorrow’s a new day, but this time I tried something different.

a fresh start

This time I reminded myself that I didn’t have to wait for tomorrow to start fresh because every single second, every minute, and every hour were a fresh start.  I also reminded myself that I don’t have to bear this burden myself.  Sometimes, okay most of the time, I forget that I can give God the small stuff I’m walking through the same way I give him the big things I’m walking through.

Needless to say, once I finally did hand my bad day worries over to the One that loves me more than anyone else, my day completely turned around!  The domino affect of bad day events didn’t necessarily stop, but they didn’t affect me in the same way.  I didn’t feel like I wanted to hide under the covers from them, and they certainly didn’t feel insurmountable.  Instead, I was able to deal with each one as it rolled my way.  What a gift that was!  I’m so thankful for a God that gives us a fresh start every single second of every single day.

fresh start 2

Do you give God your hard days, regardless of whether if’s full of small stuff or big stuff?  Do you let God help you start fresh?

Meet Heather Hamilton, our Inspiration contributor. She’s the wife to one + the momma to three; two that live in her house + one that lives in God’s. You can find her sharing her journey to becoming the girl God created her to be over at her blog, Life Made Lovely, and sharing her love of handmade in her new shop, The Paperie. She’s the founder of the Joyful Life Library and the curator of The Joyful Shop, which uses 100% of it’s profits to support the library project. And every day, she chooses joy.

 

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16 Comments
Filed Under: inspiration

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Comments

  1. Southern Gal says

    March 15, 2013 at 3:44 am

    Great post, Heather. We all need fresh starts, some days more than others.

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:32 pm

      @Southern Gal, Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Emily says

    March 15, 2013 at 6:00 am

    I had the same kind of day, yesterday. Thanks for the reminder to start fresh with each breath. :)

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:33 pm

      @Emily, Yay for fresh starts!

      Reply
  3. Brooke says

    March 15, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Thanks so much for the wonderful reminder! Blessings on your day!

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:33 pm

      @Brooke, Thank you Brooke!!

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth Smillie says

    March 15, 2013 at 8:11 am

    It’s truly amazing how God works – this post came at the perfect time {on the beginning of a rough day with kiddos} for me! Thank you <3

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      @Elizabeth Smillie, I love when He does that! xo

      Reply
  5. Lauren Cunningham says

    March 15, 2013 at 9:23 am

    Love, love, love this post, Heather!

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      @Lauren Cunningham, Thank you Lauren!!

      Reply
  6. Kate @ Songs Kate Sang says

    March 15, 2013 at 8:14 pm

    Love you, Heather. Great reminder! And I hope your day got a ton better!

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      @Kate @ Songs Kate Sang, Thank you friend! xo

      Reply
  7. Joy says

    March 16, 2013 at 9:51 am

    Yes! The Lord has been reminding me that He cares about the little stuff (like my baby getting enough sleep) as much as the big stuff (like my parent’s marriage) and that I can come to Him in prayer with ALL OF IT. It’s been so refreshing this week to know that Jesus will make the hard stuff not so overwhelming.

    Reply
    • heather says

      March 18, 2013 at 3:35 pm

      @Joy, I love that you are feeling the joys that come from giving God all of it! That’s so encouraging. xo

      Reply
  8. Kassie says

    March 21, 2013 at 7:18 pm

    A good thing, I need to remember!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. {Live in the sunshine.} says:
    April 18, 2013 at 3:00 am

    […] know that God wants all of me; my good days & my bad days, plus all the worries and anxieties that pop up in between, but it wasn’t until I realized […]

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

maggiewhitley
“We are preparing to wind down for the school ye “We are preparing to wind down for the school year with just a few more weeks of intentional table lessons. We will then transition to a lighter learning schedule during the summer months. Today I am grateful for the books and resources I’ve read that have helped keep me in my own lane. (Visit my blog to see a personal favorite.)

Even now, three years in, I appreciate the reminder to stay on the path that was designed with intentional thought just for me.”

✨ see #maggiewhitleydotcom for the full post ✨
I took off my “comparison / contemplation” gla I took off my “comparison / contemplation” glasses last month and it’s been soooooo good. See also: sooooo hard (because life is never and/or). I’ve been writing more, reading more, spending more time outside. Talking to friends faces and smelling their detergent. My heart feels lighter. I’m sharing a few updates on my blog if you’d like to read? 🌾🤓blog reading & writing is a much better pace for me. You too? Link in profile.
Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect o Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect on the moments I’ve felt my mind spinning, my emotions swirly, it’s almost always when I’m not feasting on the word of God. Not that reading scripture is the cure for anxiety —no! Rather, it’s hard to worry when we’re worshipping.
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#womenintheword #wearethehomemakers #scripture #dailyintheword #titus2woman #healthylifestyle #mentalhealth #anxiety #anxietyawareness
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A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is hot, and the whisper of a page turning. ♨️☕️📖 // We are breaking from school this week, my plan is to read a lot, walk a lot, and rest a lot. How about you?

#mothersofinstagram #tea #winterreading #hygge
I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

How about you? Tell me something about yourself so I can get to know you on a deeper heart level. 🖤🖤
How do you play in the winter? // We had a really How do you play in the winter? // We had a really great time visiting family in northern Michigan. On my blog I share a few ways we played outside, plus I describe a memorable childhood game ❄️☃️. Did you play it as a kiddo?
We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

But today! Today we reset the rhythm, and we have had a much happier home & time learning together. 👏🏻
Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — t Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — think outside the box in terms of how you view the definition of “motherhood” 💓😘 (also: look at my little friend, she’s sooooo snuggly)
It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hop It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hope to bundle up for another family nature walk, knowing the fresh air sweeps out any & all frustration, inviting inspiration inside. ✨That’s something we all need more of.
seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming the Laundry Beast (as a family of 6). Who wants the inside scoop? ✔️🧺👏🏻
Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomo Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomorrow :) small celebrations like this are very life giving! PS. thinking of starting a zoom book club — I need more sisterhood in my life. 👏🏻📖
The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are turning. The tea is calm. 🖤☕️🧺📖
Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his ful Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his full costume and laser blaster and of course the Buzz action figure he flys around 🌟💚💙💨someone has discovered a superhero crush! #joyinmotherhood #slowmornings #surprisedbymotherhood // Landon @ 2.5yo
Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to read this year. Plus my reading goal for the year. And a few practicals ways I fit in reading as a mama of four young children & homeschooling them. Basically, all the good stuff ☺️💓📖 #maggiewhitleydotcom #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks
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