Overcoming October

Overcoming another October doesn’t mean conquering every challenge. Sometimes it means taking a walk or driving to family; other times, it means resting without guilt. It means remaining open to life’s little blessings, even when energy is limited. My body may need rest between the moments, but my faith keeps finding strength in the One who holds me.

A note from behind the flannel 💚

I’ve been noticing something about my writing journey: a blog post rarely happens in one sitting. Between my health and schedule, it can take me several days (week?) to piece my thoughts together. ~~Living~~ Thriving with NET cancer means learning to work around fatigue. I often need to rest between the moments I treasure. Recognizing my limitations is part of the noticing. So, I’m learning to be flexible with the process-to give myself grace along the way. Today’s article is about noticing while November will begin with remembering. Both themes have been stirring in my heart as I reflect on another month lived and another season changing.

The end of October found me noticing more (finding focus?) through moonlight, meanderings, and meaningful moments.

Moonlight

Close-up view of a full moon with detailed surface craters, set against a black background.

I’ve embraced the fact that sleep and I don’t always see eye to eye during a full moon! Rather than focusing only on the frustration of being awake, I’ve noticed that I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of the moonlight and the quiet it brings. Those hours offer space to pray, reflect, and simply be! The moon was quiet-the world was loud!

Meanderings & Meaningful Moments

WIth the constant hum of headlines, the glow of screens, and the election noise blasting for our attention, the world feels…deafening. In my meanderings on a nature walk, I thought of how our world with technology is on overload! It expects us to carry the weight of a thousand opinions, alerts, and worries that our systems were never created to bear; can’t we come equipped with our own silent system? When we step away from the digital noise, real life is happening in the face-to-face moments.

Mid-month brought the simple joy of sitting side-by-side at my granddaughter’s Grandparents Breakfast—precious minutes shared over morning coffee, donuts, hugs, and bright smiles. I was completely grounded in what matters most!

As October drew to a close, a visit to my parents’ home brought the laughter of little trick-or-treaters in their costumes, reminding me of the generational threads of love and memory that stitch our families together.

Ecclesiastes reminds us, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV).

Currently I’m reading a book suggested by a fellow NET cancer thriver (thank you, Brent). As David Gibson writes in Living Life Backward, “Ecclesiastes tells us to learn now, today, that there really is time for everything. Learning now that the season or seasons I am in will not always be the season of my life can at least help me prepare for the chapters of my life God has yet to write” (p.61).

The seasons and natural cycles of the world are content to come and go, but we sweat and toil to make believe that it will not be so with us. Things repeat themselves over and over and so it is time to learn that life has a repetitiveness built into it which we are not meant to try to escape…change and constancy are the two balancing weights on the see-saw of human experience, and God has given humanity the means to enjoy both of them by patterning the world with rhythm.
David Gibson

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

The seasons will come and go, kids still grow up in the blink of an eye, elections will occur, and emotions will rise and fall. When the world feels heavy and loud, how do you quiet your soul?

Cozy interior of a bookstore with tall bookshelves, a plush sofa, and armchairs, featuring a decorative ceiling and large windows overlooking the street. — Can you see the verse written backwards? It reads the truth when you see the REFLECTION! Just as we can reflect Christ IN US! No words, needed. Just…action.

A playful ghost decoration made from a white sheet with black eyes and mouth, sitting on a wooden floor beside a potted plant, bookshelves, and a brown leather chair. — Can you see the verse written backwards? It reads the truth when you see the REFLECTION! Just as we can reflect Christ IN US! No words, needed. Just…action.

For my friends in the 417-Land–if you visit C-Street, you must meet Laurali, the owner of One More Page bookstore, and Rod, owner of Ozarks Life. You will enter and leave with a smile!