One way to reconnect this month, even with caregiving duties and responsibilities, is to engage in low-pressure community activities. 🌿

Some suggestions recommended by loneliness and aging researchers include restarting a hobby, joining a gentle exercise class, or participating in a faith-based group. 💛

Hello! That’s right up my alley! 😊

I’m not trying to humblebrag. I only want to encourage you because, if I can do it, I believe you can too. If you set your mind to it and God gives you strength—which He loves to do—you can do any of these things too. 🙏

This year, I recommitted to reading consistently. 📚 At the beginning of the year, my goal was to read one book a week. By God’s grace, I’ve done that and more. Part of the reason is that I was also intentional about building meaningful female friendships and surrounding myself with sisters of like faith and purpose. ❤️

I felt led to invite them to join me in a chronological Bible study, and most of them said yes! Hallelujah! Amen, count me in! 🙌🏾. We started on January 1 in Genesis, and the rest is history. Six months later, we’re still going strong, reading together to know God better.

This month in our Bible reading, we finished:

• 📖 Proverbs
• 📖 1 Kings
• 📖 Ecclesiastes

Whew!

Then, I read the book of 📖 Matthew on my own. ✝️

If you’ve read those books, you understand the journey of seeing people who have God on their side and yet still act badly, make poor choices, and struggle with obedience. You also see yourself in some of their behavior and stand in awe of the way God shows up—with grace, through people, and with power. ✨

Just like He does today.

That’s one reason the Bible remains so relevant.

“Only a true gospel, preached and demonstrated by God’s people, can overcome the moral corruption in our country. Study! Pray! Live!”

— Paul Washer

Washer’s advice is timeless:

Study. Pray. Live. 

Peace.

That’s what we need—more peace. 🕊️

One of the books my caregiver groups recently finished was The Peaceful Caregiver by Mary Tutterow. We walked through it together, and I think we all felt more peaceful because of it. 💚

Outside of my Bible reading, I also read:

• 📚 Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith by J. D. Vance (my latest book finished)
• 📚 Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
• 📚 Purple State by Dana Perino

Overall, I loved the mix of wisdom literature, history, Christianity, and memoirs this month. ❤️

Soon I’ll finish The Case for Miracles by Lee Strobel. And when I do, I hope to share some of the amazing things I learned from it. 🤯✨

My life feels lighter after rediscovering my old hobby of reading often. 📖💙

If you’re a bibliophile who’s been too busy to read even a paragraph, I invite you to pick one book and commit to reading for at least ten minutes a day. Eventually, it will become a habit.

Or maybe reading isn’t your hobby. That’s okay. Exchange my hobby for one of your own. 🌱 Start where you are and do what you can. No stress.

It took me a good length of time to even remember the things I enjoyed before life became consumed with healing and caregiving. Just know that you can get back to the things that make you smile, too. 😊

You deserve to return to places of peace, joy, and enjoyment as often as you can. 🌼

Remember, small activities help you reconnect with your identity beyond being a caregiver. 💙

I’d love to hear from you. 💬 Have you ever forgotten the activities you enjoyed before caregiving? How did you feel once you reunited with a favorite pastime? What helped you reconnect with yourself?

And if you’ve read a great book recently, I’d love to hear about that too! 📚💕 Drop it in the comments. Peace. 

My life feels lighter after rediscovering my old hobby of reading often. 📖💙

📚 How I Reconnected with an Old Hobby

Then	Now
📚 I loved reading but slowly stopped.	📖 I read every day, even if it’s only a few pages.
⏰ I told myself I didn’t have time.	⏱️ I make time because it refreshes my spirit and renews my mind.
💭 Caregiving and healing filled every waking thought.	🌿 Reading gives me space to learn, reflect, and breathe.
🤝 I often read alone.	❤️ Now, I also read with friends through a chronological Bible study where we can share personal reflections.
🎯 My goal was simply to survive.	✨ My goal is to continue growing while caring for the people I love.

🌱 This Month’s Reconnection Challenge

This week, spend 10 minutes doing one thing you loved before caregiving—reading, gardening, sewing, painting, walking, music, photography. Whatever made you smile. Then come back and tell me how good it felt.