*Shout out to Josh Hild for the photo via Unsplash.

Where is your happiest place?

Where is your place of peace?

Where do you feel closest to the divine?

These questions lead me to truth, over and over again. Sometimes the simple truth of the answers. Sometimes, a more complex reasoning for why. And lastly, sometimes the truth is that there is no answer for a specific point in time… which is uncomfortable.

Today, I think of my favorite place to be as by the ocean. Now, I haven’t actually seen the ocean in person since we moved away from Philadelphia about 6 years ago…. And boy do I miss it. It is my first answer to all 3 questions. The salty sweet air, the rushing of waves and sound of water laughing to itself. The feeling of sand and pebbles beneath my toes. The breeze. The chatter of seagulls or people or both? filling in the background sounds. The sun sizzling on my skin, or the clouds somehow reflecting on the water…

The ocean is a place of restoration for my soul. It is ideal.

Today, in my day to day life, the answers vary in comparison. My happiest place? Probably the comfort of our ‘new to us’ couches, curled up with a blanket. My place of peace? It’s an internal calm center I find, usually when I’m in the shower or walking on the treadmill. Where do I feel closest to the divine? In the middle of a group worship night or when I’m doing the same but at home alone.

Most recently, I’ve been trying to collect memories and hold onto the peace and joy and moments where the divine seems so very close. Some of these memories include:

• Talking and playing games with my sister when she came to visit.

• Chatting in the truck with my stepdad on the way to return the Uhaul.

• Chatting with my brother and his wife in the parking lot outside their apartment.

• Blowing bubbles with my nephew and watching him try to shoot them out of the sky with a water squirter.

• Holding my other nephew to help calm him, and then making dinosaur sounds for who knows how long.

• Talking to my niece about the new things she got to experience during summer camp.

• My other niece begging me not to leave and then asking if we can come over the next day.

• Going to support my husband at his first live show in our new city… and getting to watch him perform his own music.

• Holding hands at the laundromat.

• Chatting with my sibling-in-laws on the 4th of July.

When I stop to make a list like this and get a few down, I could just keep going and going… it’s a great way of reflecting, remembering, and holding space for things like joy, peace, and spiritual renewal. I should do this more often than my journals pages are familiar with- This is a great way to help me to see the beauty in my own journey, and in my own present.

What are some ways you try to show up for yourself?

How do you hold space for peace, joy, and the divine?

I’d love to hear more in the comments! Please leave one before you exit the page 🤗