Gather is a very “en vogue” word lately. We see it printed on banners and painted on signs because it hopes to offer a sense of warmth. For me, it brings to mind the idea of gathering my people and compiling the memories of the year. Together we take stock of what’s come and gone….
Category: Sarah Clews
3 Truths I Need When I Doubt Myself
I’m overwhelmed. I don’t have this. I’m not smart enough. I’m not strong enough. I’m just not enough. These are some of the thoughts that swirl sometimes as I’m trying to tackle the different parts of my life. I’m striving, striving, striving. But there aren’t enough hours in the day. I don’t have enough emotional…
Longing for Home
With the advent of a new school year, I’ve been thinking about what home means and especially what it means for my daughter when she returns from school. I want our home to always be that safe haven for her, a place where she feels secure, and a place where she ALWAYS feels she belongs….
Finding Who I am amongst All the Girls I’ve Been
Hanging on the wall in my bedroom is a photo from my wedding 9 ½ years ago. In the picture, my husband and I are running forward in our wedding garb. I love it because I feel like it was hugely symbolic for us running forward into the future together. And yet…I feel a separation…
3 Reasons to Embrace Conviction
I loved Anne of Green Gables as a child, not this new-fangled imposter gracing Netflix with an E, but L.M. Montgomery’s creation. In Anne of the Island, Anne is talking to Davy, a child that she and Marilla took in. “That was your conscience punishing you, Davy.” “What’s my conscience? I want to know.” “It’s…
3 Paths to Lead You Away from Fear
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word “fear” is our car accident nearly a year ago. I’m reminded of how I felt as I crouched on the dusty sidewalk off Hwy 22. Sobbing, I clutched my four-year-old, my two-year-old, and my six-week old baby and assured myself that they were…
Unsatisfied Thirst
When I think of being hungry or thirsty, my mind goes to one thought, “never satisfied.” It’s annoying really. We have to eat and drink fluids or we die. Somehow, the body is never satisfied. We fill it knowing we will continue to be thirsty. The Samaritan woman in the Bible felt that frustration of…
An Extravagant God
After a cold, rainy, windy, bleary winter, I welcome the signs of spring with open arms. The bright pops of yellow in clusters of daffodils, the tentative pink clusters of cherry blossoms, the days when the sun is actually providing a little warmth; lately, I’ve felt struck by the unnecessary beauty of these things. I’ve…
Choosing Thankfulness
I know bitterness holds people back. It feels like being stuck. The “bitter old woman” is a bit of a cliché, but when I hear that phrase, I think of someone who is somehow cemented in the past, unforgiving, and resentful. This has certainly been true of me at various points in my life. I’ve…
The Christmas Baby
This Christmas season of tinsel, trees, and treats brings only joy—for some. For others, it feels like a cruel reminder of life’s disappointments or awakens emotions about absent family members. For both, Christmas might be a time when the magic of the manger gets lost in the pressing realities of life. This year for me,…
Anchored Voices 