We’ve Moved + Life Updates + The First Cornerstone

Hello, hello, friends! It’s been awhile, and I’m so happy to be back in this space with you! As you might have gathered from my last email, we had some big changes going on in our lives, and I just had to get through it. And, as you might have gathered from the subject line of this email, we’ve moved! After a year of temporary living situations and closed doors in both Texas and Oklahoma, God opened the door for us in Arkansas! Yes, Arkansas! We found a quirky, modest little farmhouse in the Arkansas Ozarks that feels like our own little slice of heaven. We’re still in the process of getting settled in and getting plugged into our new community, but I am really excited for all of it. I’ll share more details as we go along, but I just have to take a moment to truly give God, The Creator of All Things, glory and thanks for the work that’s been done in our lives and hearts over the past year. It has been a real journey, but God has been with us every step of the way, and I truly believe we were planted here, in this home, in this area, at this exact time, for a reason – and none of it would be happening without God’s guidance, grace, mercy and provision Every. Single. Step. of. The. Way. I’m just beyond grateful. ​

Like I said, I’ll be sharing more about our journey and our home as we go along – we’ve got a lot of work to do around the property and it will be fun to share our progress – but right now, I want to get back to our series on practical wellness. I’ve talked a lot before about all of my health issues over the years and what led me to completely change careers and go back to school for nutrition eleven years ago. Just as a quick recap for those of you who are new here, over my lifetime, I’ve dealt with chronic pain (headaches literally every single day for decades – there wasn’t a day that I didn’t wake up or go to bed without a headache from the ages of 12 – 35), high blood pressure, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, depression, anxiety, liver dysfunction, adrenal and thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, what my doctor suspected was endometriosis (I say suspected because I declined exploratory surgery and chose to instead just follow the treatment for it), chronic fatigue, brain fog, trauma, etc. Right now in my life, I seem to be dealing with flares of adrenal and thyroid issues, liver dysfunction, and for a little extra fun, I’ve added in a dash of perimenopause symptoms

I’m sharing this with you now because I’ve spent the last decade of my life experimenting with a variety of health protocols, elimination diets, supplements, workouts, treatments and procedures – you name it, I’ve likely tried it. It has been a process of trial and error to find protocols, systems, and supplements that actually work for me. I spent years focused on just nutrition, supplements and workouts before realizing that unless I tended to the health of my soul and mind, too (hello, Proverbs 17:22), that I was never going to have true wellness. I had to address body, mind, and soul – consistently – and keep all of those areas in balance and healthy in order for true wellness to exist for me. With that, I’ve spent the last five years developing a system for myself that helps me to establish and meet goals, establish a daily flow and routine (rhythm), and that keeps soul, body, and mind as a priority focus in my days.

As we’ve gone through this last year of transitions, and now this move into our new home, I’m having to really use my own little system to get myself organized and into a new routine. On top of that, I mentioned earlier this year that I’ve had a flare of thyroid/adrenal/liver/hormone symptoms, and while I’ve helped my body through that flare crisis and my symptoms aren’t as bad right this moment, my body is really needing some specific things to truly heal. I’m having to actively use this system I’ve created for myself to seek a deeper level of wellness in my life. As such, I thought the most authentic way I could share all of this with you is to just take you on the journey with me. I’m going to show you exactly what steps I take to get myself on track, to care for the active symptoms I have, and to seek deeper levels of healing. I’ll be sharing with you all of the resources that I have so that maybe you can use those resources in your own healing journey. I do want to be clear: I’m not saying that you should do everything that I do, but I do hope that by sharing my own processes and the resources I have, that you’re able to take the things that resonate with you and apply them in your own life. As always, I encourage you to pray about everything you read here, do your own research, seek wisdom and discernment. Anything that doesn’t resonate, just leave here.

Ok, so what do we do, and where do we start? This is A Practical Guide to Wellness, so let’s get real and get practical. First, as you might have suspected, we have to discuss the definition of practical. Practical is an adjective that means:

1. Of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas
2. (of an idea, plan, or method) likely to succeed or be effective in real circumstances; feasible
   1. Suitable for a particular purpose
   2. (of a person) sensible or realistic in their approach to a situation or problem
   3. (of a person) skilled at manual tasks

In order for something to be practical it has to be feasible and realistic, but it also says here that being practical means being concerned with the actual doing of something. In other words, it’s great that we’ve got this foundation for wellness with the breakdown of Proverbs 17:22, but unless we have some realistic, actionable things to do, and we’re actually willing to either put these things into action, or prayerfully seek discernment about what’s right for ourselves, then nothing changes. Also note that nowhere in the definition of practical, does it say easy. None of this is easy. Many of the things we need for our everyday health are simple, but being accountable and consistent is not necessarily easy. Doing the practical work of a merry heart is a daily choice. So let’s get to some ways to look at our overall health and wellness and then look at a strategy for starting to implement some of these ideas.

In my last email, I shared a simple drawing that represents my takeaways from Proverbs 17:22, and how I use Proverbs 17:22 to build my wellness foundation. If you haven’t read that email, please do so, but here’s a quick recap: In the context of Proverbs 17:22, I picture this overall square as the foundation of my health and wellness. Soul, Body, Mind, and Consistency are the cornerstones of my foundation. If one of my cornerstones gets out of plumb or out of level, then my foundation ends up sagging or breaking – each cornerstone helps to hold up the other. In the middle of my foundation I have Love and Gratitude. We learned that having a “merry heart” means living in thankfulness. We also learned that we have to act in love towards ourselves and others as part of true wellness. Love and Gratitude have to be infused into everything we do. As I work on Soul, Body and Mind Consistently I add on more stones or bricks to my structure, and Love and Gratitude are the mortar, or glue, that hold it all together. When Love and Gratitude are the mortar for my structure, and it is infused into everything I do, it allows me to fully dwell in gratitude. It comes from my core, and surrounds me in my very being.

​So, using this as the blueprint for my foundation, I have to begin by assessing each of my cornerstones. In each section we discuss next, I’ll share some of my own habits/work in each area, some practical takeaways you can use for inspiration, and some self-assessment questions to get started for yourself. ​

Soul, Body and Mind

The Soul is the first cornerstone of our foundation. Our Souls need food and nourishment and care the same way our minds and bodies do. This area is particularly personal to each of us. This is not about religion or theology or going to church (although, that’s wonderful if those things resonate with you). This is about your personal relationship with God, Source, Spirit.

All I want to do for this cornerstone is to point you back to God, The Creator of All Things. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” In whatever ways you seek God, connect with God and nourish your soul, do those things, and do them consistently – daily and throughout the day. If you have spiritual pains that need resolution and healing, take the time to pray about these areas – seek spiritual food, seek the Creator. 

My Personal Application:

• In the mornings, I like to make my coffee or tea and give myself a few minutes to wake up, and then I take in spiritual food. I most often read a chapter from the bible, a devotional, or other spiritual book. Right now, I’m reading a book about the life of Jesus. Then I like to pray before going about my day.
• I also watch video (YouTube) content about spirituality to help further my understanding. 
• I try to offer up gratitude and thanks throughout my day, pray for others throughout the day, etc.
• I like to spend time outside, in nature – sometimes I just try to quiet my mind, others I am actively talking to God, The Creator of All Things. 
• I like to walk barefoot on the earth, and feel connected to nature – I am part of nature, and want to be connected.
• I sing. Singing helps to connect me straight to source energy, and also helps to regulate my nervous system, which in turn makes me more open to higher energy.
• There are many other ways that I feed my soul, but this gives you an idea of actual things that I do. As a side note, I’ve talked before about my spiritual beliefs changing over the years. As I’ve studied more, read more, and researched more, I probably have more questions than answers, but what I can tell you is that it’s okay to ask questions about your faith, it’s okay to change your mind about what you believe, it’s okay to seek God in new ways and in new places. The most important thing is that you seek God. Period. Full stop. Even if you have questions, just never stop seeking. Jesus tells us straight up “Seek first the kingdom of God.” The Creator of All Things is waiting for you to realize that you are the Temple, and God meets you there – right where you are, as you are.

Practical Takeaways:

• Take time to pray and seek discernment about your own relationship with The Creator. 
• Take time to read the Bible or other spiritual texts, devotionals, books, etc. Seek food and nourishment for your soul daily.
• Spend time in quiet prayer or meditation.
• Spend time in nature, get lots of fresh air and sunshine, walk on the earth with your bare feet, grow plants and put your bare hands in the dirt, connect with the plants, trees, animals and people around you.
• Sing, dance, move your body, listen to music that lifts your spirits and soothes your soul.
• Offer up gratitude throughout the day, keep a gratitude journal, make gratitude part of your dwelling-place.
• Look for ways to show kindness to others, to bring light to the world, to share what you have, to lift others up.
• Pray for those who have hurt you and seek to forgive even if it’s only in your own heart.
• Make a list of things that light up YOUR spirit and make YOU feel connected to God. Use your list as a guideline for setting your spiritual cornerstone.
• Once again, just seek God. Put God first, make your faith your first cornerstone however that looks for you in your own life.

In the next post, we’ll talk about body and mind and how they are gateways and ways we can practically approach those cornerstones. For now, I truly want to encourage you to seek The Creator and think about ways to build up your cornerstone of soul (faith, spirituality). Our spiritual health and spiritual life is the first cornerstone, the stone that every other stone is set by – if it’s out of plumb, or level (out of balance), then all the other cornerstones end up wonky, too. 

Take time to think about what you’ve read here, and prayerfully consider your own Soul (Spiritual) Cornerstone. Are there ways in which your soul cornerstone is out of balance? Are you making time to connect to God on a daily basis? What are some of the ways you connect with The Creator?

I’d love to hear from you, and hear what you’re working on in your own life. Send a reply to this email so we can chat! Also, if you’re traveling through the Arkansas Ozarks, we’d love to see you, so please reach out! I’ll be back very soon with the next email in the series. Have a lovely weekend!

With gratitude, sending love and blessings,

Kelly