International Women’s Day Reflection

Have you ever experienced a moment when all you did was doubt yourself—when you felt burned out, misunderstood, weak, and simply wanted to hide from the world?

And then later, when you revisit that very moment, you wonder why you were ever so hard on yourself.

The truth is that when we are standing inside our own storms, it is nearly impossible to see clearly. We question who we are, what we are capable of, and whether the fire inside of us is something to fear or something to trust.

But time has a way of shifting perspective.

It is like standing six inches away from a Monet painting—nothing makes sense at first. The colors blur together, the brushstrokes seem chaotic. Yet when you step back, when you give yourself distance, everything begins to reveal its purpose.

You begin to see the strength that was forming within you all along.

And you realize something you could not see before.

You were never burning out.

You were becoming the fire.

— Excerpt from “You Were the Fire”

There is something about our senses that can return us to another time and place — to maple leaves, warm kitchens, and grandmotherly love.
Tin Can is a Sundays with Grace reflection on how scent carries memory across miles and years.

A mother’s wishes carried on the wind—through childhood, growing up, and letting go.