When Everything Fell Apart...

Dear Friend,

The week before Christmas, I got sick.

What I thought would be a quick recovery stretched into almost two months.

Just as I was finally starting to feel like myself again, my family caught another bug—one that I’m only now getting over.

At first, I resisted slowing down. There were things to do, plans I had made, and a long list of expectations—mostly ones I had placed on myself.

I kept thinking, If I can just push through, I’ll catch up. 

But the harder I tried, the clearer it became: I couldn’t do it all.

So I had to make a choice—one I should have made long before I got sick.

What really needs to be done, and what are just wants?

Meals needed to be made, but they didn’t have to be elaborate.

My kids needed my love and attention, but they didn’t need every activity to be perfectly planned.

My home needed to be functional, but it didn’t need to be spotless.

Even my prayer life needed some adjusting—I had to let go of my usual structure and embrace simple, heartfelt prayers in the middle of everything else.

What I thought were “musts” were actually just preferences; and in letting go of the non-essentials, I found something unexpected: peace.

I think we all fall into this trap sometimes—believing that in order to be a good mom, a good wife, a good Catholic, we have to do everything and do it well. 

But that’s not what God asks of us. He doesn’t measure our worth by how much we accomplish.

He asks us to be faithful, to trust Him, and to be present in the life He has given us.

Maybe you’re in a season of life where everything feels overwhelming.

If so, I encourage you to take a step back and ask yourself: What actually needs to be done today? What can wait a few days or weeks? And what can I let go of completely?

Sometimes, the greatest act of faith is surrendering our plans and embracing the grace found in what’s already in front of us.

I’d love to hear from you—have you ever had to let go of non-essentials? What did you learn from it? Hit reply and let me know!

With grace,
Melissa

P.S. It’s easy to get frustrated when things don’t go our way, but sometimes that’s exactly when God’s grace shows up the most. What’s a time in your life when an unexpected setback led to something even better? Hit reply and share—I’d love to hear from you!