LETTING GO OF FEAR

Let's talk about fear. What scares you? I've realized over the past few days especially that I am so often afraid of all different things: being a bad mother, wife, friend...  In this online life especially there are so many things that make me nervous + timid. I find myself being cautious and holding myself back, which in my real life is so unlike me. I would talk to the wall and have never met a stranger. I look for common ground with everyone, but here I've had a very quiet presence, hesitant to reach out + grow.

Today I listened to audio of Casey Wiegand speaking at The Influence Network Conference last year. I resonated with SO many things she was saying, tears were streaming down my face as I listened to her talk about being transparent and sharing your "mess" and the blessings that come from that. She also talked about the importance of using your influence, even if it's just for 12 people, make it count! As we dive into fall that is on my heart so much and I want to "take a leap" without worrying about people judging me. My heart's cry in this season is to worry about what God thinks of me, not other people. As a chronic people pleaser this stands to be one of my biggest struggles. I've been listening to this song on repeat: Spirit lead me to where my faith is without borders.

In thinking about being brave and conquering fears, I thought of my talented, daring, and go-getter cousin. I want to introduce you to someone dear to me who I think is extremely brave. My cousin Lauren Gilley is a writer, has been as long as I can remember. She's a dreamer and super creative. I have this vivid memory of watching her draw the most incredible horses as a child. Her writing equally imaginative, she would get lost in these worlds that she would dream up. I feel privileged to have been able to see those seeds planting themselves for what would be her life's work. She writes from a beautiful farm in northwest Georgia and has now written seven contemporary novels! So proud. Today I am sharing The Walker Series: Keep You/ Dream of You/ Better Than You/ Fix You.

Beginning with Lauren’s debut novel Keep You, the Walker Series takes readers inside a dynamic, crowded family, introducing a set of siblings struggling to find their callings and begin their own families. In Keep You, the novel follows the story of Tameron Wales, a boy who had to grow up too fast because his mother needed him, and who drove away the love of his life on purpose so that he might spare her from the violent threat of his father.Joanna Walker, twenty-three and youngest of five, struggling to make ends meet post-grad, still doesn’t understand exactly what happened four years ago when Tam left her standing up against her dorm building, in the rain, like something out of a bad made-for-TV movie. She only knows that her brother Mike’s wedding – an extravagant, farcical Irish castle ordeal ordered by his fiancée – will reunite her with Tam. The only thing more painful than remembering how it all ended is seeing him again. Jo Walker is the kind of girl who knows what she wants out of life, and she’s always wanted Tam, even if she kind of hates him a little bit right now. Their story, past and present, unfolds in part as a romance, but also as a story of Tam’s love for her family, and his wish to be one of them...

Proud of you Lauren for following your heart and making things happen. An inspiration for sure!

twitter/ facebook/ pinterest/ instagram/ bloglovin'