PAUSE

NOVEMBER. One of my favorite months of the year. After living in the south my entire life I have found that it is one of the few months we can usually count on having actual fall weather all month long. The boots and sweaters come out and the leaves put on a show with their magical change in color.

But at the same time, it’s “already” November. It means nailing down schedules with family and friends as you plan for Thanksgiving. It means circling the store parking lots countless times before giving up and making the long hike in. It means standing in long lines as you wait to check out as the frantic holiday shoppers start making their appearance. It means runny noses and flu season beckoning us in. It means you’re about to face the holidays again and you’re just not prepared for any of it.

If we are not careful (notice I said WE there), we can easily look over the beauty of the November I love with the sweetness of a fresh season and the crisp fall air. Instead, we can fall into the overwhelmed category that I so easily find myself in as the holiday season gets closer by the minute. We can stress about not getting everything done. We can worry about those relationships we haven’t faced since Christmas last year. We can try and make every special memory and tradition happen with our kids and inevitably fail (and probably lose our patience in the process). We can let this season come and go with a hurried spirit and not even realize it until we’re dragging our Christmas tree out the front door.

Whew. Have I depressed you yet?

I think I’m just writing this for my own accountability. I love this month. I love this upcoming season. But I too can so easily fall into the categories above and miss out on the goodness around me.

So I am going to make myself stop. Okay not stop, but at least PAUSE. (I mean, someone still has to make sure there is a menu plan for Thanksgiving and gifts around the tree, am I right?)

But in the chaos, excitement, and even fear, I am going to PAUSE. I am going to watch my girls play in the fall leaves. I’m going to sit on the patio with my husband in the cool weather. I’m going to try and make those holiday cookies with my toddler and remind myself that it doesn’t matter what they look like, simply making them is what counts. ;)

But I am also going to PAUSE my spirit. I am going to check on how I am doing. What I am learning? What am I reading? Am I even making time to read and learn? Why do I get anxious going into the holidays? Do I need to apologize to anyone? Do I need to forgive anyone? Do I need to forgive MYSELF?

Pausing and being still can be fun when you want to enjoy the moment, but it can be difficult when you’re asking yourself the hard questions. Regardless of fun or difficult, it can be so, so GOOD. I don’t want to stuff my feelings down and be that family member that could explode at any minute. I don’t want to fake it so much that I don’t even know who the “real" me is anymore. I want to pause and take care of my soul. I want to be emotionally healthy for myself and for my people. I want to look forward to the holidays for all the fun and all the growth that can come from it.

So for now, before my schedule gets away from me, I am pausing and I am looking inward. I’m not perfect and I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I can be the best version of myself with Christ in me. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. As I pause, I am going to choose to view all of those roles as blessings instead of burdens. Feel free to remind me, I know I’ll need it.

Do you need to pause? Do you need to take care of yourself before you take care of others? Maybe that’s just me, but if you do, I’m with you and we’re in this together. Happy November, my friends. I think it’s going to be a good one.