10 Comments

Loved this, Liv. And I say yes to the nesting party! You have two kids and a dog (and jobs!). People could bring gifts and take on a task, because it's not asking too much to receive the care you need when you need it 🩷 I'll bet so many people actually want to show up for you.

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So kind, Bre. Thanks for saying this and for reading along.

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Words that I didn’t know I needed to hear. I’m not a mother of my own children, but a contemplating one. This gave me a lot of perspective and the truth that two different realities can exist.

The Book of Longings is my favorite book, and you reminded me to reread it…today. It’s that good.

I agree you can have a nesting party. I love this better than a baby shower with games because people who care about you can provide a tangible need you may have.

I pray for you and your word ‘expansion’ this year. May God reveal its fullness to you.

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Wow, thank you, Lisa.

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I'm honored and you're beautiful.

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🫶🏼🫶🏼 thank you.

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What an absolutely beautiful reflection, Liv. I love that your word for the year is expand, and I found a lot of encouragement in the way you find nuance in your experiences of motherhood and pregnancy, when so much of the time it's not portrayed that way. Here's to leaning into all of it, and continuing to find healing.

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Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Krista.

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I need a tutorial on how to have these cool second parts to a substack post! Basic b over here..but I got dreams. Also, first thought on mantras was just the one I had which was exodus 33:14 God will go before you, and give you rest. I like that mysterious idea of God going before you, knowing what you need and giving that through you, through others around you, through your body, and being that which you need somehow God's-self. It's like a trust fall of cautious hope. And I like the expansion word. Holds everything. Excitement, fear, hope, pain. Also do this nesting party. Whoever lives close, help Liv with this. So cool. And as always, I'm feeling glad that you share words because they are real and needed. And I'll end with whatever goes down this delivery and post partum, I pray it will be merciful and the beauty of it will be loudest. And I know you have done some hard things (including existing as a home for a human right now while wrangling two other humans etc) however hard, you can do it. And I hope instead it is mostly soft. 💜

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Thank you, sweet friend. That's beautiful and worth pondering. I appreciate you holding space for me/us and praying these things into being.

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