❄️💙❄️ Welcome, Sisterhood Community! Today marks the midpoint of January 2022—halfway through the first month of the year. How does it find you? Maybe you’re following through with every New Year’s resolution or maybe you refused to make any at all. (I’m in the second category 😆—NB) Maybe you’re right on track or maybe you feel you’re going off the rails. Maybe 2022 began with sweet & unexpected surprises or maybe you opened this year with hesitation, hoping for nothing to fall and break.
In our little world & for our family, January started a bit icy and a touch too cold. We experienced the loss of a brother in Christ and witnessed other losses in our community. Fighting frigid, frozen feelings of bleak midwinter. Too cold to keep. Too cold to share. A winter season of the soul. Maybe you can relate.
One observation I have this new year is that we all deal with our winter seasons in different ways. Sometimes we close the blinds, shut the door tight, crank up the heat, and light a candle. We put on the fuzzy socks and sweater, grab the coziest blanket and wait indoors until the situation warms a bit. Hibernation of the heart. But sometimes we look out the window at the sky and the arms of bare trees reaching out, reaching upward and we find there may be something inside us too—reaching up, reaching out. And whether we decide on taking a walk or going for a drive, we go ahead and venture outdoors. We come across a place to sit & rest, with room enough to share.
Bread & Wine #shaunaniequistquotes
Maybe on that day it doesn’t seem as though we have anything worth sharing, but before long we’re not the only one walking outside in winter. We spot another sweet sister brave enough to bundle up against the outdoors, and we invite her to come and sit. This is how we start—right where we are. This is community. Saving grace in our winter seasons.
So while we’re waiting on the weather (0-20” ❄️ anyone?), waiting on a change of pace, or waiting on a miracle, I hope we find our people and wait it out together—never alone. This is waiting well. Sisters, this is your community. This year on The Pearl, we are saving a seat for you. We hope you find a place to be heard, a place to be inspired by these stories, songs, & prayers, and a community that loves you in the Lord and cares about your seasons. Let’s walk through together in 2022.
❄️💙❄️ This week we’ve been sharing winter thoughts on social media & we have a winter gift for you. You can find our weekly wrap-up at this link along with the songs we’re carrying through this season. (There’s also a winter Spotify playlist just for you.) We hope you enjoy it!
❄️💙❄️ Community Conversation: How can you start where you are this winter? Let us know in the comments. —Nicki & Carly, The Pearl Community
THE PEARL COMMUNITY 