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Truly Yours, Jen

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What’s Next?

Filed Under: Encouragement Tagged With: #WhatsNext

What’s next? I feel like we are plagued by this question too often. ?It comes in different forms, but the?meaning is the same. What’s next? You are single. ?Are you dating anyone? You are dating. ?When are you going to get married? You get married. ?When are you having children? You have a child. ?Are you going to have more?…
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A New Adventure

Filed Under: Encouragement, Faith

Dear Friends, I am starting a new adventure. As my children are getting older, I am entering into a new season of life. ?With this season comes something that I have not experienced in a while. ?Daily quiet time. With my three oldest in elementary and my youngest napping, I have some?time every day when the house is quiet. For…
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Welcome

Hi there! I’m Jen, and I am so glad you are here. I write about faith, family, parenting, friendship, forgiveness, and my own struggles and joys in life (with a few recipes and decorating tips thrown in for fun). I hope my writing is like reading a letter from a friend, and that it brings you encouragement. Life is messy. We are all a little messy. Thankfully, God loves us through it all. Thank you for being here!
Truly Yours, Jen Read More…

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Truly Yours, Jen – Jennifer Thompson, Writer

Truly Yours, Jen – Jennifer Thompson, Writer

Top Posts

The Years Go Fast
Embracing Imperfection
To My Friend Who Would Rather Not Do Christmas This Holiday Season

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trulyyoursjen

I really wish they could type. I sure would love I really wish they could type. 
I sure would love to hear what they have to say. 😹😻
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Thank you so much @lovewhatmatters and @traceyferr Thank you so much @lovewhatmatters and @traceyferrin for having me as a guest on your Facebook page tonight! I had the best time talking with you, Tracey, and can’t wait to tune in to the Rock Your Kindness podcast tomorrow! 💗💗👏👏
To the one who made me a mom, I am more proud of To the one who made me a mom,

I am more proud of you than you know. 

You are kind and smart and funny and possess so many incredible qualities. 

I know life isn’t always easy, but you face the challenges that come your way with grace and when you get knocked down, you stand up and dust yourself off again and keep moving forward. 

Keep being true to who you are. Know you are loved beyond measure. By God. Your family. Your friends. 

One of the greatest gifts I have been given was the moment you were placed in my arms and I give thanks for every day I have had with you since. 

You are beautiful both inside and out. 

And I love you more than words can tell. 💗
It is such a gift 💗 It is such a gift 💗
To see our kids grow and change before our eyes. To see our kids grow and change before our eyes. 
To see them discover what they love. 
To watch them discover their gifts and follow their dreams. 
To watch them fall and get back up again. 
To be able to help them and pray for them and hope for them and dream alongside them. 

To be a part of it all. 
The good and the bad. 
The highs and the lows. 
The triumphs and the disappointments. 

It may not always be easy. 

But it will forever be one of my life’s greatest gifts. 
And one of my life’s greatest joys.
This is my bedside table. The stack of books kee This is my bedside table. 

The stack of books keeps growing and growing. And so does the pile of chocolate next to it. 

Two things I love. 

As I was walking past the table, I realized one of my hopes in the year to come is that I will take more time to do the things I love. 

That this pile will dwindle as I devour these books I’ve been wanting to read. 

That I will eat chocolate while I lie in bed with the book in my hands. 

That i will realize doing the things I love will not only help me, but also those in my life. 

We can’t pour from an empty cup. 
We can’t talk to our children about taking care of themselves if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. 

Doing what we love isn’t selfish. It’s not a waste of time.

On the contrary, it’s good for our souls. 

This year, I will read more books and eat more chocolate and take more naps. I will go on long walks in the woods and ride my bike through neighborhoods and maybe even get a cute little basket so I can carry things with me while I travel. I will send more handwritten notes and write in journals and spend more intentional time in the presence of those I love. I will plan trips and go on adventures and sing loudly in my car. 

This year, I will take the time I need to do the things that breathe life into my soul and not feel bad about it. 

This year, these piles will dwindle. 
And my joy will grow.
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Workout. Eat healthy. Keep the house clean. Be Workout. 
Eat healthy. 
Keep the house clean. 
Be successful. 
Stay on top of the laundry. 
Play with your kids more. 
Take time for yourself. 
Monitor the electronic devices. 
Develop deep relationships. 
Have regular date nights. 
Stay connected to your friends and family. 
Serve in your community. 

The list is long. 
The things we want to do. 
The relationships we want to invest in. 
The meals we want to make. 
The way we want our homes and our bodies to look. 
The goals we hope to achieve. 

But the reality is, there is only so much time in the day. 
And there is a whole lot of noise. 

A lot of should-dos and have-tos and you really should be doing whatever the next things may be in order for you to be living your very best life. 

The reality is, there is no way for us to do it all. We cannot excel at everything. We cannot do all the things all the time. 

We have to pick and we have to choose. 
We need to prioritize. 

What is best for us in the season of life we find ourselves in? 
What is best for our family? 

What are the rhythms that work in my day? 
What should I say yes to, and what can I get rid of in this season? 

There is no such thing as perfection. 
We will not have a perfect body. Or perfect house. Or perfect children. Or the perfect marriage. 
We cannot be all things and do all things and say yes to everything that comes our way. 

So this year, the word I am choosing for myself is Permission. 

I give myself permission. 

Permission to be still. 
Permission to rest. 
Permission to say no. 
Permission to be myself. 
Permission to find the rhythms that work for me and my family. 
Permission to invest in the things God has put on my heart and to let the rest go. 
Permission to eat the chocolate in bed and jump in the lake with my clothes on and be a little silly because I love silly. 

Permission to not do something because I feel like it’s what’s required of me. 
Permission to evaluate why I do what I do - and make the necessary changes when needed. 
Permission to not over-explain my choices. 

(Continued in comments)
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I wish you joy. I wish you peace. I wish you hap I wish you joy. 
I wish you peace. 
I wish you happiness. 
I wish you health. 
I wish you food on your plate and water in your cup. 
I wish you a warm place to lay your head at night. 
I wish you long lasting friendships. 
I wish you a shoulder to cry on in your time of need. 
I wish you a heart filled with gratitude. 
I wish you comfort in your times of sadness. 
I wish you a home filled with laughter. 
I wish you empathy and understanding when you need it most.
I wish you love. 

Happy New Year, friends. 
May God bless you and yours abundantly as we enter into the new year
I used to worry about what people would think of m I used to worry about what people would think of me. 

Am I too much? Too goofy? Too loud? Too silly? Too opinionated? Not opinionated enough? 

I would replay conversations in my head. 
Why did I say that?
Why did I respond that way? 
Did they know what I meant?
What if that came off wrong?

I would worry people were mad at me.
Or that they didn’t like me. 

It took up so much of my head space.

And the reality is, people probably weren’t thinking of me at all. They weren’t thinking of the things I said. And they surely weren’t mad, unless I actually gave them a reason to be. And in that case, I would probably know it and apologize. 

One of the things I love about growing older is the acceptance that comes with age. 

Not everyone is going to like me. 
I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
Some people may think I’m too much.
Some people may not want me around.

And that’s okay.
I don’t need to change.
I don’t need to become whatever it is they want me to be.
I don’t need to fit a mold. 

I don’t need to replay the conversations and worry about all the things I said or didn’t say. 

I just need to keep being who God created me to be. 
To accept who I am and accept others for who they are. 

Not everyone is going to like me.
And that’s okay.
They don’t have to. 

And the same goes for you, too. 
We all have our own gifts and talents and strengths and weaknesses. We all are constantly growing and changing, 

I hope in the new year I can grow more into who I am meant to be. To be brave and bold and not worried about what others think. To be myself. 

Unapologetically. Me.
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This is what happens when you have a ton of wrappi This is what happens when you have a ton of wrapping scraps that you don’t know what to do with and you don’t feel like getting out more wrapping paper. 

You get creative. 🎁
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My husband and I are all about game nights with fr My husband and I are all about game nights with friends and are so excited to try this fun, new game, ruin it, from @inspiration.play. The directions are super simple and it is obviously going to create a lot of laughs! And who doesn’t love that? 

#inspirationplay #partygame #adultgames #christmasgift #inspirationplaypartner @stackinfluence
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