Emotional Endurance, Principle three: hope to heal
I have had the gift of gleaning from Leslie’s book club this summer, reading through her first draft of her book last year as she submitted it to her publisher, and hearing her heart for encouraging others at her Arete retreat.
She is an enthusiastic and encouraging women, who is sharing her heart and wisdom in Emotional Endurance : Faith Fueled Skills for Bouncing Back, her new book that releases this Tuesday, July 28th. You can preorder on Amazon or your favorite book retailer.
As I have reread the book this summer in tandem with the study guide, it has been a sweet time to reflect on life and how different aspects of Emotional Endurance play out in my life.
The book is broken up into six core principles. She details reflections and exercises to defining the why, how to break through set backs, and become resilient, where to find margin and rest, along with persevering and more.
With her book launch just three days away, I will be sharing daily reflections based on a Reflect + Connect question from each of the principles in her book till it releases.
There are seasons for production and seasons for rest. The agrarian society of ancient Israel was instructed not to glean from the corners of their fields and to let the soil rest as a sabbath every seventh year so it was prepared and refreshed for the next harvest. The intentionality of knowing what not to do creates necessary space in our lives, showing how there are appointed times and seasons for everything—including rest. Leslie Bosserman, Emotional Endurance, p. 79
Notice available opportunities to invite more rest into your routine. How can you intentionally use these times to recharge?
I announced my goal for the summer to my children: I want to be bored.
One child in particular likes to share how bored he is with me. I kindly let him know how lucky he was to be able to be bored and I hope that I can feel that way soon. You are weird was his reply.
Truthfully, it has been my desire for the summer and I am grateful to say I succeeded.
This past school year was a roller coaster ride and my body let me know how much it had endured. From my oldest son’s appendicitis hospital stay in October to his appendectomy in December followed by recovery and holidays and homeschooling, the fall was exhausting but I could not help but thank God for the constant provision and outcomes.
January was a blessing after all of the hustle and bustle until two of my children came down with a horrible bug that brought us to the ER lasting most of February, reminiscent of the sleepless newborn years.
We were grateful they recovered by March, allowing us to go on the weekend adventure trips we had given as Christmas presents - my boys got signatures from a few of their favorite baseball players at Spring Training (including Buster Posey), Ricardo and I went to our first symphony to see Ben Rector, we hosted sweet friends from out of town, and culminated the month with a nineteen mile bike ride with friends across Yosemite valley.
We also navigated naturopathic doctor appointments and changes in dietary needs. April and May were filled with baseball, theater performances, birthdays and celebrations.
Come June, I was ready to be bored. Grateful and exhausted. Ready for rest.
With my hopes to be bored and our summer schedule offering more time, I splurged on watercolor tubes to go with the water coloring book I found on a whim at a thrift store for twenty five cents by The Mint Gardener. The book included one of the best breakdowns of watercolors I have ever seen.
After playing with water colors for over a decade, I was surprised at how easy it was to understand the concepts and wished I found this gem when I first started. Her color recipes were the icing on the cake. If you are curious, you can grab a copy here (but it is more than twenty five cents).
Morning watercolor routines a few times a week, mixed with fresh herbs and flowers from my garden while my children worked on their own art projects was just what my heart needed to rest this summer.
I learned how to mix new colors, enjoying their hues as they filled the page and matched them to the colors found outside in the garden. I doodled my first zinnia bloom of the year, which felt late to be in June and filled its petals with varied peach and cream shades.
Art has a way of ushering in slow and rest, gently revealing its beauty.
Praying you are able to carve time out to rest and recharge this summer in a way that is life giving. May you find yourself bored this summer in the best of ways.
If watercolor or coloring piques your fancy, here are a few of my watercolor doodles to practice with.
To use: Print directly on watercolor paper, being mindful of which side has crevases. Trace with black waterproof pen (Micron 01 is my favorite). Cut apart into three prints. Mix paints and watercolor your heart out.