18 Comments

Wow. I am loving all of this, Joy. Your determination, honesty, and your stubborn hope. You're leaving me with so much to ponder, and that's a gift. <3

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Thank you for telling me this! You have no idea how much the encouragement means!

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Thank you for these reminders, Joy. As someone living abroad, I can definitely relate to the very specific desire and hesitancy for houseplants (plants feel homey and cozy but also unnecessary and extra). Really sweet to hear how God answered that unspoken prayer—big and small.

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So true!! They're such small things, really, but they make a huge impact. Thanks for reading!

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OH my gosh, Joy, I am so sorry about your manuscript. You are a rock star for rewriting and getting so far! I some how managed to delete my book proposal last year (and only realized it a couple of months ago). I was able to recover a portion of an older draft, but Google Docs isn't messing around when it goes to the trash... it's gone. :( Cheering you on!!

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Oh no!! That, I'm learning, is another massive undertaking! Hope you can come back with it stronger! You know I'm cheering you on, too! Thanks for reading!

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My first thought when I read the title was “and belief” 🥰 those prayers we don’t dare to pray are God placing telling us the markers on the path closer to Him. 💕

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That's beautiful!! So true!

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Lol glad you could discern it 😅

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🤍 you always leave me with so much to ponder on, be in awe of (nine weeks to write a manuscript!!), + be thankful for! I also wonder if think/hope stems from milso life too. And, of course, gotta love the PCS plant blessings 🌱

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Oh yes, I absolutely think it's exacerbated by the milso life! An earlier draft of this included a couple paragraphs about that, but I was at the top end of where I wanted the word count to be, so I cut them. It is truly extraordinary, I believe, to spend maybe twenty years of your life unsure if you can say on Thursday evening that your spouse will be home for the weekend. It definitely left me a bit twitchy! Thanks for reading and the kind encouragement!

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LOVE this: "And it’s okay to do more than think/ hope. We can believe."

Major kudos for finishing your manuscript after such a huge setback!!

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Thank you so much!

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Apr 14, 2023Liked by Joy Nicholas

Beautiful! Life is definitely full of challenges but the Lord does know our every thought and finds amazing ways to lift us up ❤️

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So, so true!! Thanks always for reading!! xo

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Apr 14, 2023Liked by Joy Nicholas

You have a wonderful gift of tenaciously working to have good come out of awkward or even bad situations. But there is one question left hanging. Please tell me you didn’t get blood in the ice cream!

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Lol!! No! I've developed very quick reflexes over the years, so we didn't have to throw the ice cream out! Whew! Thanks always for reading!

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You know I resonate with this so much!! Thank you for always being so honest while furiously holding onto hope, even if sometimes it feels like a thread of hope. Thank you for the encouragement to not just hope but believe. It's been such a gift walking with you the last few years!!

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