I set a simple goal to send monthly letters of encouragement to friends and family, snail mail style. Then I stumbled upon a few inspiring blogs that showed me writing online could be genuine and good, clean and kind, and truly add sunshine into the world. No postage required! I set up a blog (this very one), published my first post, and embraced my love of words and spreading light right there and then.

Then came the unexpected

when we welcomed our second baby into our home and hearts. Only a few short months into the snuggles, kisses, and diaper changes, I lost my ability to walk. And with it, life as I knew it. Turns out, my muscles and brain were fine, but the nervous system connecting them, decidedly, was not. 

I spent almost four weeks in the hospital relearning how to walk and get the broken connection between my brain and body (kind of) working again… then spent even longer getting strong enough to take care of myself and my two little ones again. It was here—with a life behind me I could never go back to and a life ahead of me I barely recognized—that what matters most truly became what mattered most. 

My first guided journal

52 Meaningful Moments, was an answer to my own search for purpose and joy. Since then, I've written books (and more journals), designed encouragement cards and had the total joy and honor of sending monthly sunshine to hundreds of inboxes of brave, beautiful people just like you—all in the name of building a life around what really matters. 

Today

I still share life with a malfunctioning nervous system and the disorder causing it. Which on my bad days can impact the muscles in my arms, face and diaphragm almost as much as my legs. I use a walker (sometimes wheelchair) to get around. And most of the time my body is just plain wiped out. 

But life with two cute kiddos and an angel and warrior of a husband means a life filled with laughter, read-a-thons, and meaningful moments.

This life is definitely not the one I pictured for myself, but what I now know without a doubt and what I hope my projects will whisper to your heart: Even though life isn't perfect, life is good. Progress doesn't have to be big to be worth it. And that a life lived to the fullest starts with you… and is a whole lot closer than you think.

Now make yourself at home, friend

and welcome to Simplicity Avenue where the road to refocusing on what matters most is a bumpy but beautiful one. I hope your visit here leaves you feeling a little brighter than before. 

 

PS: In case you're new around here, a few places to start:

• Start savoring the simple things with my free guidebook and journaling pages. 
• Read my writing on positivity, self acceptance, and intentional living (I've gathered a few of my favorites here, or you can pick up my latest book here).
• Dive into the pages of my goal planner to make what matters happen one tiny step at a time... because doing your best doesn't always mean doing more.
• Fill up one of my journals and find joy and purpose right where you are.
• Spread around some encouragement cards and bring more sunshine into your life by brightening someone else's.