Choosing Thankfulness
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Kristy Cammell

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twelve hope-soaked prompts for advent (free download)

Christmas is a mixed bag sometimes. Joy enfolded in pain; hope caught amid struggle; living happening in the middle of the mess. That’s where Advent finds us. I’ve created a set of twelve Advent prompts for you that acknowledge the hard and the ‘real’ of the times we’re living in, Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 2 yearsDecember 1, 2022 ago
Hope for hard places

the shadows prove the sunshine

Seventeen years ago this month we lost a dear soul at the tender age of seventeen. His battle against the odds was one that he won, just not in a way any of us could ever have anticipated. His headstone reads, “Let my shadows prove the sunshine.”And oh, how they Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 2 yearsNovember 29, 2022 ago
Real life reflections

when the noise overwhelms

We noticed it first as a low buzzing sound. Sailing in our silver car down the familiar three-lane motorway, just like any other day. Then, the hum. It emerged quite unexpectedly from behind us, quickly transitioning into a low roar that filled our senses. You know, the kind of sound Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsNovember 2, 2022 ago
Joy in the journeying

it takes practice

It does, you know. Gratitude, I mean. It’s so, so much more than seeing the positive in everything. It’s learning to look at life with a new mindset. To grow in your awareness of the present moment of the simple things.To notice and embrace the little things.To acknowledge the hard Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsAugust 19, 2022 ago
One small step at a time

just enough light

Just enough light for the step you’re on. Sometimes that’s how it feels, isn’t it? Whether that phrase conjures up the image of a rickety staircase, a towering mountain, a vast plain or a long winding road, the reality is that there are seasons that find you stepping between shadows. Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsAugust 1, 2022 ago
One small step at a time

remember the why

It’s all about the WHY. Last week, I very nearly took a break. You know why? Because I was tired. All the way down to my toes, tired. And weary. You know, the kind of weary that makes your steps feel heavy. And very, very stretched. But as I crafted Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsJuly 8, 2022 ago
Hope for hard places

the hard and the beautiful

This day? The day the photos below were snapped? It was hard. We walked our children through unexpectedly farewelling a beloved pet and laying her to rest. This day was also beautiful. We gathered with family who had finally managed to visit from Australia after nearly 3yrs of trying, and Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsJune 28, 2022 ago
birds flying on a twilight sky
Real life reflections

the dawn of 40

I turn 40 today. It’s kind of a big deal, right? It’s also just another day, of another year. Yet somehow, as the years have passed, I feel more… well… like me! As for why? Perhaps it’s getting older, more mature. (Although I don’t always feel it!) Perhaps it’s life Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsJune 3, 2022 ago
Breathing room for your soul

lean into grace

That’s the key, really. Leaning into grace. Because for me? It’s not about what I can do: it’s about trusting God to lead. Letting Him guide each step. The big, the little, the in-between. All of them. So don’t lose heart, my friend.Lean into grace. His grace.Moment by moment.You can Read more…

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsMay 17, 2022 ago
Joy in the journeying

dance

It’s brave, you know.To acknowledge heartache,and then dance, anyway. It’s a way to embrace the joy and the tears.A beacon of hope for the hurting.An act of thankfulness.A soulful release.A metaphor.Brave.

By Kristy Cammell, 3 yearsApril 4, 2022 ago

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choosingthankfulness

Life can be relentless, can’t it? It just keeps Life can be relentless, can’t it? 
It just keeps on going.
And going.
And going.

Like housework. And sleepless nights. Storms. Traffic. And sometimes even silence. There’s the list of odd jobs that you never quite manage to get done. The errands that always need doing. The demands at work, or at home. 

Relentless. 
We all feel it.
The relentlessness of things
beyond our control.

And there are so many.
So many.

Are you feeling it?

Are your shoulders drooping under the weight of all the to-do’s?

Or the if onlys and regrets?

The pressure that just won’t ease?

The pain that just won’t leave?

I know I have.
It’s relentless.

But you know what else I’ve noticed?

When life feels relentless, it’s relentlessness that I’m drawn to.  Let me explain.

There are other things that are relentless. Things that seep life,
and hope,
and grace,
into my soul…

Read the rest on the blog, by searching “relentless” 🌊 

Thankful for you,

Kristy x

[These are words and images I created awhile ago, but as we forge through the relentlessness of cancer in our family, I’m reminded again that the word “relentless” is a double sided coin.  Friend, may this serve to encourage your heart today, too.]
Knowing this to be true doesn’t take the difficu Knowing this to be true doesn’t take the difficult times away.  But it does bring light to dark places and hope in the face of pain.

As our family faces the unimaginable, I find myself clinging to the reminders of times past, and the beauty that I have seen emerge through some of my darkest times.

Friend, it can happen again.
For you, and for me.

May you know this to be true today, even if you find yourself in a difficult place. 

We may not choose these things nor wish them on anyone else, but there is still beauty to be found and joy to be experienced. 

Even here. 

Thankful for you,

Kristy x

PS if you would like to stay connected with me as I journey through this particular valley with my family (at a time when I am less often able to post here) please drop a 🦋 and I’ll let you know how you can.  Each of you matter to me, and I don’t want to lose touch! 💛
When something goes wrong in your life, yell “pl When something goes wrong in your life, yell “plot twist!” and carry on!  So… about that…

I’ve been in hospital with my eldest since Friday.  There are more questions than answers and a lot of pain involved, but we’re in the right place.

Your thoughts and prayers are very welcome 🙏

Pic of an amazing mural on the wall while I sit here waiting for her to return from getting an MRI 💙

I may be around a bit, because hospitals mean a lot of waiting.  But if I’m awol, now you know why.

Thankful for you,

Kristy x
In case no one has reminded you yet today 💛 In case no one has reminded you yet today 💛
Recognise what’s not yours to carry… and lay i Recognise what’s not yours to carry… and lay it down.

A soft heart and a bent toward peacemaking is so important in this world. 

YET it’s equally (or even more) important to ensure that you’re not bearing what is not yours to carry 🕊 

It can happen so easily, so often without even realising.  But we were not designed to carry the burdens of those around us. 

We can feel them - oh, we can feel them!  But carrying them is not our responsibility 💼 

Unless... you’re carrying them to the foot of the cross & laying them there, in prayer 🙏

I encourage you to take a moment today to check your heart: 

🪷 what are you carrying?
🪷 what do you need to lay down?

My prayer for you today is that you would have the discernment to recognise what’s not yours to carry, and the courage to lay it down.

(And, if you’re anything like me, may you also have the persistence to lay it down again... and again... and again... and again... until it stays there 🤣)

Kristy x

📷 = Eleanor Brownn with 2N’s (on Facebook)
I love Little Women... I love books... but I can’t say that I love housework quite as much (I try though, really I do! 😆) 

Isn’t this quote gorgeous though?!

This is your reminder (and mine!) that approaching the mundane with love in your heart can make even the simplest of tasks, beautiful.

May you be able to count yourself blessed today for all of those humble tasks that need done, that you can do. 

Yes, even the most thankless ones 😬😉🥰

Thankful for you,

Kristy x

📷 = The Humbled Homemaker
Your perspective counts & your story matters 🌻 Your perspective counts
& your story matters 🌻
Thanks to The Rising Phoenix (on Facebook) for this gorgeous graphic 💛
May you and your family find ways to embrace toget May you and your family find ways to embrace togetherness this coming weekend 💙

Today is a holiday on our New Zealand calendar.  It marks the start of the Maori new year: Matariki.  A time of kai (food) and whanau (family) togetherness. 

(And let’s not forget: a sweet interlude from the midwinter chill 🥰)

So: may you and your whanau have a wonderful weekend ✨

Thankful for you!

Kristy x
We all need reminders (some days more than others, We all need reminders (some days more than others, right?! 😉) to count our blessings 🥰

This morning, I’m reminiscing years gone by. 

I’m so grateful to the God who has carried us through, and always will. 

Even in seasons that hold disappointment, His grace never fails to amaze me.

Even when days don’t go according to plan... I’m thankful that God’s plan always turns out so much better than mine.

It makes me wonder if perhaps disappointment gives us the gift of a better grasp on His grace. 

Grace for each moment. 
Every moment; any moment. 

It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? 🙌

May you know how truly carried you are, this day and every day.

🌻 Kristy x

📷 = thanks @simplifydays
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