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Jessica Fralin

Jessica Fralin

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Author: Jessica Fralin

Posted on November 30, 2017November 30, 2017

hope on the rise.

As soon as the Christmas tree goes up every year, my morning routine shifts. All I want to do is pour a cup of coffee & linger in front of it, taking in the silence of the morning & the softness of its glow (team white lights FOREVER, you guys). I can see those little …

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Posted on May 1, 2017May 1, 2017

What I’m Reading: 2017 part one.

This year, I rediscovered the library. I've loved to read since I was three. (I know, the nerd in me showed up early & has been going strong ever since.) If I close my eyes, I can still picture the library in my hometown neighborhood, can still smell that well-read paper & feel that calming …

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Posted on April 17, 2017April 17, 2017

on taking deep breaths.

Tonight, I'm crashing into bed proud of myself. Over the past three weeks, I've pushed myself harder than I can remember. I took on three new clients in an already insane season. I worked a lot of 12+ hour days - and still went to bed on time. I took care of my body. Today, I …

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Posted on March 13, 2017

#makeMondaykind: An Introduction

Last week's giveaway was so much fun for me - not just because I got to share some of my favorite products with y'all (congrats to Lauren from Texas for winning!), but because I saw you guys get on board. You're ready to share kindness & kick start your week with a dose of encouragement. …

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Posted on March 6, 2017

The #makeMondaykind Giveaway!

It's my birthday week, but I want to give some things I love to YOU. So here we go - the very first #makeMondaykind giveaway! (To learn more about #makeMondaykind, click here.) The winner will receive: 1️⃣ Two copies of Darling Magazine No. 18 - one for you to keep, one for you to make Monday …

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Posted on December 24, 2016December 24, 2016

Something Worth Rejoicing Over

“A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new & glorious morn.” O Holy Night has always been my favorite Christmas song, & I've always held that lyric close. But this year, it hits new depths in my soul. Because this year, more than ever before, I’m weary. I’m weary of opinions …

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Posted on September 9, 2016September 9, 2016

The Year I Stopped Trying to Control People

2016 will go down as the year I stopped trying to control people. Not that I was successfully controlling them before. But I tried. Wow, did I try. My soul still has some scars that prove it — on their way to healed, but still visible if you look hard enough. I think my heart …

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LET’S GET TO SOCIALIZING.

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Look, I’m not an influencer, but it is my duty in this loungewear-only season to tell you that this romper is the softest & best thing I’ve ever put on my body, and it’s 25% off. I WOULDN’T BE A GOOD FRIEND IF I DIDN’T. I linked it in my bio so you can be blessed, too. On a deeper note, I’ve seen a ton of posts lately saying “weekends are just a construct now.” It’s true that while we’re staying at home, the days tend to run together. But what’s keeping me sane, and what I’d highly recommend, is keeping a rhythm of life, even when my calendar’s empty. On work days, I’m still doing my best to sit down at my computer around 9 & shut it all down at 5. I’m keeping my weekly calls and my lunch breaks. And when the weekend comes, I’m giving myself a glorious break, albeit less social than my usual ones. Weekends don’t have to be a construct. Stop checking your email for a day or two. Take care of yourself — cook a good meal, take a nap, go on a run. Call your friends. And, if nothing else, honor your sabbath. Even now, our souls were made to work & rest. Both are necessary. The balance is what keeps us balanced. So turn off your phone, your tv, your work, and just rest. Actually, if sabbath has never really been your rhythm, it’s a great time to start. Here are my two favorite thoughts on it. Sabbath is a day set aside purely for the enjoyment of God. You don’t strive, you don’t work, you don’t fill yourself up with anything else. You just soak in His goodness. And there’s plenty of it. And this, from @johnmarkcomer: “sabbath is the act of trusting God. It’s the belief that He can run the world without you for a day.” Enjoy God. Trust Him. Believe that you can take the day off & He’s still got it covered. 😉 and let your weekends be weekends. A good rhythm of work and rest might matter now more than ever.
Anyone else been tempted to avoid their feelings these days? Still, silent seasons bring unhealed places to the surface, and doing puzzles feels easier than doing deep work. But this is the time to heal - when we don't have packed social calendars and endless appointments and fear of missing out because, of course, no one‘s doing anything we could miss. When things come to the surface, let them. Let yourself feel whatever you've been holding at arm's length because you've just been too busy to deal with it. 
You’re not too busy now. I'd imagine that's a gift. We won't get a season like this again - not as a collective society, pushing pause together. I'm not minimizing the reason for that. It's awful. None of us would wish for it. But every shadow side has a light, too, and I think the light here is that we can pay attention to things we weren't able to before. I've seen pieces of myself I'd rather not stare too closely at rise to the surface as days tick on. But rather than shove them to the side, I'm writing them down. Asking God how He sees them. Partnering with Him to make them whole again, so that I'll walk out of this quarantine more healed than I walked in.

Maybe the things stirring up in you aren't heavy. Maybe you've been able to dream new dreams, or resurrect old ones. Maybe you can soak in the sun when you'd typically be in a cubicle. Maybe you'll pick up the phone and connect with a friend. Maybe you'll get intentional about creating space to meet with God - and not the "10 second prayer as you back out of the driveway" kind of meeting. This might be the season you learn to soak in His presence, to hear what His voice sounds like, to lay your heart bare, holding nothing back. 
There's an invitation in everything, even this. Don't miss it. As you grieve and wonder and clear the fog from your head about this "new normal," pay attention. This season may not be short, but it is surely temporary, and I want us to look back on it having planted new dreams and high hopes and deep healing in this tender dirt whenever we were able. ———————————————————————— This is an excerpt from this month’s Pour Over! You can read the whole thing at the link in my bio.
“Let’s get coffee.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken those words — as a freelancer, so much of my life is spent around tables with other creative people, problem solving over espresso. As a coffee fan, I spend a lot of hours sipping drinks with friends, too, unpacking the deep things and reading good books and enjoying each other’s company. Coffee’s a staple of my social world. We’re living in a very weird moment in time, as I’m sure you’re well aware. Coffee shops aren’t in our immediate future. But the hilarious conversations, the problem solving, the creative think tanks, the companionship — that doesn’t have to go anywhere. As long as we’re staying home, my calendar’s open, and I’d love to sit across the proverbial table from you. If all this extra time has prompted a new creative idea for you, let’s talk through it! If the social isolation is getting to you, I’d love to be a friend in these weird, hard moments. If you think we’re kindred spirits but we’ve never met in person, now’s the time! It’s only weird if you make it weird. 😂 If you want to talk about work or curate a reading list or just get social interaction for a few minutes when the house gets too quiet, let’s do it. Need prayer? I’ve got you covered. Wanna hang? Click the “Virtual Coffee” link in my bio - I’ve opened up calendar time every day. See ya soon, friends. Can’t wait to have coffee with you. 💕
It’s been... the weirdest birthday week I can remember. But no matter what the coming days hold, I’m really, really grateful that I got to ring in 27 with these two. 💕 So glad for a little family time in Nashville — even if we spent more time sitting on the couch than anything else, together’s the best place to be.
Went to my best friend / business partner’s house for a work meeting and got bombarded with a surprise family birthday dinner, one day early. When I blew out my candle (look closely - I’m turning three! 😂), the youngest turned to me and said, “you really are one of us!” 😭😭😭 from the mouths of babes, y’all. What she couldn’t have known was that I anticipated this birthday being a little “off.” There’s a LOT going on the world right now, a lot going on in the people I love, and a lot going on in me. Honestly, birthday aside, I’ve been feeling a little unseen — and I’ve been asking God to heal that wound. Just yesterday, I asked Him to remind me that I’m seen even when I feel hidden, that I’m known even when it doesn’t feel that way. And then today, I walked into a literal surprise party. He’s just that good. There’s nothing like a tangle of hugs from kids to remind you how loved you are. And there’s nothing like family that’s chosen to remind you just how good of a Father we’ve got. If you don’t think He’s for you, ask Him to prove you wrong. He will, again and again and again and again. If you feel out of place among His kids, thinking that everyone else is just a little more seen and known and loved, let Him look you full in the face and say, “you really are one of us.” You have a place with Him. He is the God who sees.
For me, it’s easy to get so caught up in a big dream, even a God-given one, that I miss the hundreds of tiny, character-forming steps I should be taking that‘ll prepare me to hold the dream well. Big things don't come to fruition overnight, of course. But what am I doing while I wait? Dreaming, and dreaming, and dreaming some more? Or tilling the soil so the dream has somewhere to sink its roots? As it turns out, God's not honored by the audacity of my dreams. He's honored by the consistency of my obedience. Staring far, far away with singular focus was never the point. We should be glancing at the ground in front of us, now, seeing where our feet should be planted today. Pulling up weeds, planting seeds, watering the parched places, preparing space to put the harvest once it grows. It's not that we lose hope for the "big" thing in the future - it's that we know the "little" things are where the real richness lies. We know that if we don’t take care of our storehouses, we won’t have anywhere to hold the harvest when it arrives. We won’t be able to enjoy any of the fruit if we don’t make space for it. Obedience, today. Those are the words on my lips when I'm unsure, overwhelmed, impatient. Obedience today is all that's asked of us. Clearing the storehouse. Making space for the fruit. So whatever that looks like for you, choose it. And keep choosing it, one step at a time. All those steps will lead you to a wildly good harvest that you hold right in your hands - and your character will be deeply rooted, so you'll hold that good gift well.
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Jessica Fralin
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