Happy Tuesday! Or a Tuesday that feels much like a Monday, thanks to Memorial Day yesterday. We pray your holiday was restful and reflective!

 

Summer is unofficially here, with all the joy and sweat and spontaneity that comes with her! Summer does something in all of us, a kind of loosening of the tie, that we see as a grand invitation from our Good Father to something...different.

 

 

This is probably most strong for our mamas in the house, when kids come how and the next three months feel like a daily game of "well what now?" But even if you don't have kids, our work lives get punctured with more vacations and likely different expectations. 

 

We don't believe that these next 3 months need to be spent on defense, always trying to rebound from feeling off-balance, only to realize in September that we missed all the fun.

 

But, let's be for real: Schedules and what's "normal" are kind of off the table. So let's create some rhythms and touchpoints that will give just enough structure to our summers to make sure the important things get the attention they need, and we have the freedom to embrace spontaneity as she comes.

 

 

 

We sometimes say in the office that the only thing breezy about us is our dresses 👯‍♀️ We love a plan. We love strategy and working in a rhythm. And if you're like, "same, girl," then you probably feel thrown in the summer, and might be tempted white-knuckle it through the whole season until you return to "normal."

 

Just because the mission looks different in the summer — softer, flexible, gentle, gleeful — does not mean that God has checked out of what He's doing in and through you.

 

 

 

How is summer both the season of LESS and also MORE? More playdates, more travel, more BBQs, more weddings, more more more. It's beautiful, isn't it, that we all feel inspired to gather and celebrate and invest so deeply in this season!

 

But let's not pack the plans so tightly that you're stressed and overwhelmed by June 5th. A reminder that this should be fun.

Commit to your core people before the invites roll in. What do you family, your team, your close friends need? What will you schedule and commit to with intention, and what white space will you leave for the off-hand invite?

 

 

 

It's tempting to fill in the margin of summer with more work, more impact, more stuff, but can we encourage you to embrace the unexpected lull? We live in a distracted, overwhelming world. You know what's best for you, if this is the season to rev up the input because of the margin created. 

 

But if you find yourself grasping for more work or play dates or adventures to fill in the margin, you're invited to use that extra time and space to reflect, to expand, to go deeper in prayer and restoration. How are those goals going from the beginning of the year? What vision do you want to cultivate now for the rest of 2024? Now is the time for such check-ins!

 

 

We know that many of you do a "word of the year" (Jess's are victory and abundance), but do you have a word for the summer? Cast vision for this wild and joyful season! Reply to this email with your word, we'd love to hear about it.