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Each small decision is an energetic vote for the woman we are becoming. Yet life has a way of introducing unexpected detours.
Recently, Kimberly and I paused our full-time RV journey to become primary caregivers for my 90-year-old father-in-law after the passing of his beloved wife. Living with dementia, he could no longer safely live alone.
This wasn’ t part of our travel plans. But it has become part of our life.
As caregivers, we’ ve walked similar paths before— with my maternal grandmother who had Alzheimer’ s, both of my parents, Kim’ s mother, and during Kim’ s own cancer journey over the past decade. None of these experiences were chapters we would have chosen, yet each one has deepened our compassion, strengthened our resilience, and reminded us of what truly matters.
“ Life rarely asks for our permission before changing direction. It simply asks for our presence.”
One practice that has sustained me throughout these seasons is intentional energy management. When circumstances feel beyond our control, we still have a choice about the energy we cultivate within ourselves. We can spend our precious energy replaying yesterday, worrying about tomorrow, or imagining worst-case scenarios. While understandable, those thoughts often pull us away from the peace available in this moment.
Instead, we can consciously return to LOVE. Not as denial. Not as spiritual bypassing. But as a grounded choice to reconnect with the wisdom, strength, and compassion already within us.
One recent Sunday, while seeking a little encouragement myself, I came across a beautiful song about standing still. It reminded me that sometimes life’ s greatest invitation isn’ t to push harder … it’ s simply to pause. That reminder became exactly what my heart needed.
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