The Morgan Harper Nichols Show

So much has happened this year, and now you're starting to see things in a new way. You're paying closer attention to the details. Your gratitude is growing. This year, you've been strong and you've been tender. You've shown up with courage, and you've taken time to rest. I hope more than anything that you can continue on this journey of seeing the world in a new way. I hope that as the days and weeks pass and the seasons begin to change all around you, a desire to learn and grow will run ever wild within you. Remain in the present. Let these become the days you look back on with gratitude for how you chose to come alive here. Let the photograph you're taking be the photographs that remind you: all along the little things were worth so much more than most would give them credit for. All along every day, light was pouring in, in a million subtle ways, and you chose to capture them. You chose to hold on to them. And years from now, this will matter more than you know. No one can take this from you. You may not know where you will be a year from now, but this moment, right here, exists all on its own. Every new breath you breathe is an invitation to come alive in it. So continue to make the most of where you are, as you are. Continue to trust that you are free to let light in, even when the future is uncertain. May you continue to experience a beautiful, meaningful life, all because you chose to see how it all begins - right here in the present moment. One day you will look back and be so glad that you chose to step forth in this season. You will be so grateful that even when you are met with resistance, it was worth it to keep pushing through. It was worth it to keep trusting and believing that there was more ahead of you. And not that this present season is perfect, and it is everything you thought it would be, but it is a place where you are learning and discovering there is just so much more to see. And even though you are being challenged, you are still growing. Your heart is opening and you are seeing new things coming together. You are awakening. You are awakening. Journal: What are you awakening to? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

If it's still in your mind, it is worth taking the risk. Paulo Coelho. Many of us have wondered: what are we supposed to do with our lives? Even if we don't think about it all the time, at one point or another, we have wondered: when are we supposed to settle down or shake things up? Where are we supposed to be working? Where are we supposed to be spending our time? These questions don't have easy answers. And at the same time, it often feels like if you have them, then finally - you will be able to breathe! Finally, you'll be able to plan for the future and actually start to look ahead in a hopeful way. We hold back from taking risks, because to take a risk is to dive into the deep end of the unknown. And oh, wouldn't it just be so much easier to know? Wouldn't it just be so much easier to finally get clarity that says, this is what you were supposed to do! This is where you were supposed to be! This is the clear choice that you should make! But the beautiful reality is that even without those clear cut answers, we learn to keep going anyway. We learn to keep trusting even when we don't realize we are trusting. Every day is brand new, and we wake up not knowing what is going to happen, and yet we show up anyway. We do the work that needs to be done. Questions find us and we continue to become who we were meant to be. So now that you know this, I hope that today can be a day that you lean into the questions. Right here, right now, you are free to pay attention to all of the thoughts that cross your mind, all of the feelings that you are able to identify, and wonder again and again. Maybe it's through these things that I can find the courage and strength to keep going. One example of this is to pay attention to the things that make you angry. Some of us have been told that we should never be angry, or we should never show negative feelings. Yet, it is often our anger and our frustration that reveals what we're truly passionate about - what change we want to see in the world. Our strong feelings may not tell us exactly what we're supposed to be doing in this season of life, but they might just show us where we can start to look. They might just show us as Paulo Coelho says, where we might want to take a ris. For perhaps taking a risk is just another way of saying: I'm going to try this. I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I'm going to try anyway. I don't know the outcome of every possible choice, so I'm going to choose courageously. I'm going to choose courageously knowing that I am going to learn and grow either way. For I am learning to be less afraid. I am learning that I am free to live fully even while I wait for things to fall in place. Journal: Where will you take a risk today? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

When you have an awareness of your own struggles, your awareness equips you with a certain kind of empathy - an empathy that is patient and kind, because you know what it's like to struggle. You're slower to judgment when you see someone else struggling, because you've been there. When you have an awareness of your own struggles, you have a way of holding space that matters more than you know. Even if your stories aren't exactly the same, if you have known pain, you know the value of being seen. You know this deeply and intimately. This is why you do the work you do. This is why you make the art you make. Something deep is driving you. This is why you seek justice when the scales have been drastically unbalanced, in favor of judgment, because you know what it feels like to be on the other side. On the other side of the gossip. On the other side of the rejection. You know what it's like to be the outcast, the different one, the misunderstood one. And one of the things that the struggle has taught you is that you don't want anyone in that position to feel that way. This is why you keep showing up every day. This is why you do the work you do. You are doing so much more than just traveling through. You care for those in vulnerable places, not only because you feel like you have to, but because deep in the well of your soul, you believe in the power and vitality of love. You know that even when you can't fix things to make it all perfect for someone, it still matters that they feel seen. You have known unknowns in your life, and you have worked through restless nights. You have also known what it means to wake up to morning light. And this deep knowing shines through the work you do. Every new day you are alive is proof that there is more to you. And while it takes so much courage to be here in this life, things are starting to become a little bit more full circle now. You're starting to see that because you've lived it, you know this: if someone is still in progress, it doesn't mean they are worth any less. And even while you are still healing from some of the wounds that have found you and the words that were said, there's a fire inside of you that wants to make sure others don't feel that way. Your concern and your empathy for others is rooted in love. Love that has not let you go even when you were in the lowest place. May you carry on today giving from the love lined place of your heart. Be present with empathy. Act on hope. Your heart for healing matters more than you know. Journal: When you hear the word empathy, who comes to mind? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

Perhaps more than life, it's about assuring that we won't fail. It's about realizing that with every new morning, we are free to try again. The mere fact that we are here on this all new day means that yesterday was not the end. The sunshine is proof that once again, despite all of yesterday's unknowns, there is more to this life, there is more to you. Failures often feel more final than they really are. An end of a storyline in your life might feel like the end of the story altogether. However, beyond the feeling, we must remember that because we can only ever see the story from our own perspective, we don't know what all of the other characters are up to. We don't know what other plots are developing beyond our scope of things. Our failures don't cancel out the possibility of new beginnings. Our fears of the future don't mean that the future is doomed. As long as we are here, new days will find us. Morning light will continue to remind us beyond our ways of thinking, there is still more to see. In one of my favorite books, On the Brink of Everything, Parker J. Palmer writes, But I do know this: once I understand that I'm not the sun, I can get out of the sun's way and stop casting shadows. I can step aside to let the true sun shine on everyone and everything, making all things ripe with a glow of life. Parker J. Palmer The way that you can start to trust that there is more to you is by accepting that it is not all up to you to perfectly plan out every plotline in your life. And the more you are able to embrace the failures as a part of the story, the more you begin to see: this is one narrative out of many narratives folding in and out of your life. Think about it this way. There have been times in your life or failure meant someone else's success. And there have also been times in your life where your success meant someone else's failure. It is possible that when you got the job that meant someone else didn't. When you were admitted into the university, someone else was denied. Even romantically, two people falling in love might mean another person having to let go of the unrequited feelings they had for someone. Our stories aren't just our stories. They are woven in and out of countless other stories. We have no idea how every little thing will impact some other thing. This is why we have to trust. We have to trust that we are a part of a story that is so much greater than us. And our moments of plot twists and unexpected character arcs are a part of a greater story that is so much larger than we are. So if anything in your life feels like a failure right now remember the bigger picture. Remember, once again, you have arrived at morning. Today is new, you have not reached the end. Journal: When was the last time you experienced a positive plot twist in your life? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

While you wrestle with the possibility that things may not go back to how they were, I just hope you know: it is still a sign of strength that you are learning to work through this. The mere fact that you have made the choice to no longer hold it all inside is a sign that you are finding perhaps, in its own strange way, that letting go brings healing. And not that letting go makes everything easier. In fact, there are times where initially it might only remind you of the wounds, but even there, it can also remind you: you are worthy of release. You are worthy of being free from all the things that broke your heart. Even here, you're stepping out of the shadows and into the light. You are learning to face what you truly feel and say the words you really want to say. You are learning to be brave. You're finding that even though it might be so hard to have to move on this way, there is still boundless grace that says: your story will go on anyway. Within this grace, you will heal. You will carry the lessons you learned in this season into new seasons. You will wake up years from now and realize that this heartbreak was still a part of a greater story. You will find that there was so much more ahead of you, even when it was hardest to believe. So no matter how tomorrow goes, please do not be hard on yourself. You have been broken open to heal and you are not weak for feeling tender. You are doing the right thing and being honest and stepping forward into the light, trusting that no matter what is revealed, there is space to be alright. Not perfect, but alright. And you can move through these hallways with courage, knowing you did everything you could and the future can still be beautiful, light woven, honest, and good. Journal: Where are you learning to let go right now? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

Perhaps after all the love you have given to others, you are free to trust: you are worthy of love too. You are free to trust: there is a life worth living, beyond carrying everything on your shoulders. You have the capacity to hold so much, so do not forget to hold space for rest. For so long, you have desired to understand others, because it was hard to understand yourself. The love you felt you were not receiving you gave to everyone else. So just in case no one has told you lately: you are worthy of the same love you give. You bring value when you show up for others and also, when you breathe deep and simply live. You long to find your place in the world. You long to be fully present. And I just hope that just as much as you are present to others, you are also present to yourself. You see beauty in the life of others and the stories that they tell, and I just hope you know as you listen: you are worthy of being heard as well. You love others so well. You see where the light pours through. May you know the same love you give, you are worthy of receiving too. Maybe there's no such thing as self care versus taking care of others. Maybe they're intertwined. Maybe we need each other and we also need to remind each other that it is okay to take time to rest. That we are valuable even when we are not working. We are valuable even when we do not feel that we are at our best. We must carve out space and time to go out into the wilderness and return when we have rested. And we must also encourage one another to do the same. None of us are able to run on empty and yet our minds work overtime to convince us that we can. Let us continue to remind one another to rest even if we have to rest in shifts. Let us continue to love well, knowing this does not mean we have to abandon ourselves. Let us take breaks when we need to take breaks no matter how short they are. Let us ask for support where we need support, even when it feels awkward or countercultural to do so. Let us love well every moment we live, knowing we are worthy of the same love we give. Journal: How can you find moments of rest at the beginning of a week? Thank you for listening. And if you have been using these journal prompts, and you feel open to sharing, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send your journal entry in any form. It can even be a picture to morgan@morganharpernichols.com and if you would like to remain anonymous, please note that in your submission. I would love to share some of these on the podcast. How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

I have refused to live locked in the orderly house of reasons and proofs. The world I live in and believe in is wider than that. And anyway, what's wrong with maybe? - Mary Oliver from her poem, “The World I Live In” Every day, you and I are faced with the reality of all that is unknown. We learn to live without answers, without clarity, without knowing how the story ends. We learn to live the “maybe”; we learn to live the questions. We learn to trust that even though it is hard to find our way under the night sky, even then the stars still shine. Even then you are free to breathe deep, and fall asleep just fine. One of my favorite quotes from Frodo in Lord of the Rings says, “Now not day shall be Beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all fear pass away.” When you've come to the end of the day, when you've come to the end of the week, when you've come to the end of what you know -  it doesn't mean that you have seen the end of beauty. When you arrive at the edge of what you know, you may feel overwhelmed by the mystery of it all. And you may also feel hopeful of the possibility of what could be. You might just stand there in the wide open of your unknowns with one glad maybe. Maybe even here, tomorrow could be beautiful. Maybe even here, grace will continue to find me. Maybe there's nothing wrong with maybe, maybe there's nothing wrong with being in the in-between. You can still come alive here; you can still become who you were meant to be. Whether the night sky shines with just a few stars or it's full blue in the light of the sun, you will never be able to figure out everything at once. And that's okay. Grace and peace for the present moment will find you anyway. Allow yourself to embrace the maybe today. Allow yourself to breathe right here in the in between. Journal: How will you embrace the “maybe” today? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

Today, I begin with a quote from one of my favorites, Corita Kent. She was an artist, a nun, educator and social justice advocate. As artists, we work every day. We make our own lives every day. We care for our family every day. It is hard daily work, this creative process. These words are part of a larger piece in the book Learning by Heart by Corita Kent and Jan Steward. And what I love about this book is that it's not so much a book for just the professional artists but for the student. I truly believe that we are all students of life. And in this particular section of the book, she's talking about the artist inside of each of us. I think that oftentimes we think about the work that we need to get back to. What she talks about in this section is how the work that we do every day is actually the larger art. It's the work when we go to our canvas, or our desk, or whatever it is that we consider work. Yes, that's a part of the work, but the real, the rich, the larger work - the larger art - happens in daily life. I share this today for the overworked. For the one who doesn't feel like you have enough time to get back to the work that you want to be doing. Instead you find your schedule filled to the brim of all of the things that you have to do - where obligation outweighs inspiration. I share this with you today as a reminder that when you are out doing the most mundane tasks, doing the most ordinary things, this matters too. This too is creativity. There will come a time when you get back to the work that you wish you could be doing right now. But in the meantime, you have right now to allow life to teach you what it wants to teach you. Even if those lessons don't come instantaneously, right there in the moment, trust that everything that you are experiencing - from the food that you're tasting today, to the conversations that you overhear - all of this is a part of you being here, you being present to your life right here, right now. For whoever needs to hear it right now: today is not the day to put more on your plate. Today is not the day to feel ashamed for all you did not accomplish. Even as I record this, I can hear the sound of my son's toy in the next room. And I had a brief moment where I thought, hmm, I guess this podcast is not going to be what I want it to be today. Because after I record, I have other things to do. So as of right now, I'm going to let that sound stay in the episode, even if no one can hear it but me. Even if it bothers me. I'm going to let today be what it needs to be. I am going to allow moments of laughter and creativity to find me in unexpected places. Join me as I work to be excited about joining in on the larger art. Join me as I work to be filled with joy at the possibility that this day, right here, right now, matters more than I can see today. And if I don't have time to do all of the things that I want to do, that is okay. I am growing anyway. I am a part of the greater picture, all the same. Journal: If the room or space that you are in right now were a painting, what would the primary themes be? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

Light! more light! the shadows deepen, And my life is ebbing low, Throw the windows widely open: Light, more light! before I go. Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, “Let the Light Enter” May you approach this day with gratitude and hope that even here, you are learning things that are integral to your growth. And one day you will look back and find you are growing in ways you could not see at the time. You found light pouring in through unexpected places. You found moments of joy right in the middle of your unknowns. So let joy be joy, even when it feels subtle and fleeting. Even when joy takes on the form of a momentary flicker, it is still worth noticing and keeping. Because no - everything won't be beautiful or easy. But it won't all be difficult either. Many things in life will require a fight, and on some Monday nights, you will fall asleep just fine. There will be people who don't keep their word, and there will be others that will. Sometimes you'll learn and grow on the road, and other times, you will learn from standing still. Embrace the ebb, but don't forget the flow, those unforced moments of joy matter more than you know. Let the light in, let the light in fully before the day goes. Let joy find you and have hope: this is all a part of your growth. And when you start to doubt your growth, and you start to doubt your ability to push through these unknowns, just remember: all around the world, people are joining you on this journey. We are all still learning, traveling -  pace by pace. A year from now, we will all look back and see that flowers still bloomed this year. We will all look back and see all of the little places where light continued to find us again and again. You and I have not seen the end, even on our slower, more doubtful and cynical days, let us continue to let the light pour in. Journal: Where in your life is it hardest to see the light? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

"A desert is a place without expectation."  – Nadine Gordimer One day you will look back and see that sometimes the desert was the place where you needed to be. With wide open skies and crumbling rocks at your feet, withering trees and rising heat. There's something about this open space that reminds you, you are free to trust that you are being shaped here, even if it's not where you thought you'd be. For learning to be here does not mean that you are forever stuck in this place. It's just that sometimes we learn laughing and in love back in the city - and sometimes we learn out in the wide open, quiet space, where all we can do is listen and learn to let go of our expectations. And perhaps as our expectations begin to slowly slip away, we will make room for new ones. We will realize that even though we have lost beautiful things, we can still hope for what could be. For out here in the whistling winds, we are still alive and we are still free. We are free because now, out here,  we have nothing to lose. For we have already learned what it means to say goodbye in this life. And we have already learned how, when, and where to move on. And we may not have expected to land in the desert. But we have been prepared for moments like this. We have been prepared to exist in a space like this. So give yourself some credit. Yes, the desert is wildly unknown. Yes, there have been nights where you have felt far from home, and this is also true: this is wide open space. Feel the possibility of what could be. Feel the piping winds of grace. Journal: What expectations are you slowly learning to let go of right now? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." - Rumi Whenever you start to feel that you need to say more, do more, be more - remember the power of patience. Remember that wisdom takes years to cultivate, and oftentimes even decades. In other words, it's okay if you can't find the right words to say. It's okay if you don't know right away how you feel about something. You may feel like the entire world is demanding an answer - demanding a response. And at the same time, you are free to give a full bodied “no”. You are free to inhale, exhale, and let it go. And in that letting go you will find you have just a little bit more time to actually focus on the things that bring life. You will find that in the silence, in the space where you felt so pressured to speak and have the right words to say, that there is room to listen, to study, and to take time to take things in. To grow in wisdom. Wisdom that takes time. Wisdom that is not based on in the moment reactions. So whatever words you need to say, let them find you in the rain. Drop by drop, falling to the ground. Notice the gentle aliveness in their sound. There is no need to fear what is quieter or slower to come to life. Even if it means there will be some people who think less of you if you are slower to speak or not so quick to act. Even then it is worth it to spend some time raising your words. Letting those words slowly rise up within you. Letting wisdom find you slowly and gracefully through the days, months, years, and decades. Let the gentle yet consistent sound of rain remind you it is okay if it takes time to find the words to say. Journal: What does “raise your words, not your voice” mean to you? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

“No matter what all your teeth and wet fingers anticipated, there was no accounting for the way that simple joy could shake you.”  — Toni Morrison, Beloved When you start to feel the joy you haven't felt in the longest time - even if it's fleeting - allow yourself to smile fully and widely. It is far too easy to feel like you are not worthy of feeling good, of feeling joy. Who are we to feel good, when so much is still wrong? But here's the thing we have to remember: we are allowed to hold both sorrow and joy at the same time. And if the joy starts to feel a little bit heavier and a little bit closer than usual, and it starts to spread wide into a smile across your face, and you cannot hold it back - allow it. Welcome it with open arms and an open heart. You don't have to ask joy any questions. You are free to let joy just be. Whether it's a childhood memory mixed with a little nostalgia, a moment of laughter when you aren't even sure if it was supposed to be funny. And when joy looks like hope rising up over the horizon, causing you to breathe deep with anticipation for what's to come. When the cynicism hasn't caught up yet, let joy run. Let joy run wild and free over everything you are feeling. Even in the unknown, even in the uncertainty, joy - even in its flickers - can still be healing. The light pouring in on the autumn leaves,  the song that reminds you you are still free to believe in tomorrow. You have felt the full weight of sorrow. Allow yourself to feel the full weight of joy. Journal: When was the last time you experienced unexpected joy? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

Now more than ever, may we remember how far we have come. We have seen many things change this year, and we also have hope for the morning sun. And under that morning sun, there will still be work that needs to be done. But we will not work alone. We will work together. We will heal together. And if you have ever made it through seasons that you never imagined you would make it through, you know that healing is a journey. You know, that is anything but easy. And you also know this: through it all, you are free to keep breathing through, day by day, step by step, knowing that even when it doesn't feel like it, this too is progress. So give energy where you need to give energy and rest where you need to rest. For we have come so far and we are still not finished yet. There will be many mountains that meet us in the distance, and grace will meet us too. And we will realize that even when it feels difficult, we will still make it through together. If ever you start to doubt that this is possible, remember the times in your own life where it seemed impossible to make it through. Remember the songs that spoke to you. Remember the prayers, the journal entries. Remember all of the things that came out of you. And even though you didn't get the answer right away, and it didn't fix itself right away, you still continue to travel day by day. You made it another month. You made it another year. You made it another decade. Remember all of this. Let it be a reminder that now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to breathe deep and trust. There is so much more ahead of us. Journal: What is your hope for your family? And what is your hope for your community? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

You and I have heard many times: the importance and the value of love. However, we must remember that love is not passive. Love seeks justice. Love seeks reconciliation. Love seeks healing. And because of this, love is anything but easy. Love is more than just smiling and being kind and agreeing to disagree. Love is radical. Love changes things. Love challenges our ideas, and challenges us to let go of old ideas. And whether we are learning to show love to a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a partner, a stranger - we must remember that sometimes love looks like a long road ahead. Love looks like patience. Love looks like listening. And when we listen, we gain understanding - and maybe not total understanding - but we gain understanding about where our boundaries are, we gain understanding about the work that we need to do. So perhaps even when we are giving love, we are also learning about ourselves. We are learning that even amidst the tension, it is still possible to be present. When we give love, we are reminded of love's abundance. That even when we extend kindness, patience, acceptance, belonging to others and it is not received and it is not returned - love still goes on. Love is still greater than any fear, any ounce of shame, guilt, or doubt. And amidst all that is still unknown, that is worth taking at least one deep breath for. One deep breath to be reminded that there is no shortage of opportunities to grow deeper into love. Even when you have known heartbreak - even when you have been abandoned by those who are supposed to love you - there is still room on the landscape for you to know love in other places. Love will continue to find you, and opportunities to extend love will continue to find you too. Journal: What do you think is missing from conversations about love? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message

Sometimes the unknowns cause us to feel far from home. The uncertainty feels like a big, blue sea that we can never fully comprehend or understand. And at the same time - whatever the great unknown is - is something we cannot avoid. In one way or another, we are all waiting for something. Some are waiting for answers for their health. Others are waiting to feel at peace after a season of unrest. Some are waiting to find a sense of belonging, and a meaningful relationship. And if you have been waiting for a while, you may feel like the deep blue sea of uncertainty is pulling you further into the abyss every day. Every time you try to swim up to the surface, you're exhausted, inevitably, and you sink back down again. The great unknown of it all is impossible to ignore. Questions about the future bang  at the door of your heart. You're trying to fight your way up to the surface and into clarity. If it feels that way internally, take a deep breath, and take a moment to reflect on something unknown that draws you in in a peaceful way. For some it might be the night sky. For others, it might be the forest, the mountains, or the ocean shore. As you hold this image in your mind, think about how this place makes you feel. Do you feel at peace? Do you feel just a little bit free to forget your worries for a minute and be present in the moment? Being drawn to a beautiful place is about so much more than the aesthetics. A landscape is so much more than its photographic value. A landscape that is bigger than us as a way to remember that yes - we will face things in this life that are bigger than us, but we can still be fully present, despite them. We can still see what's beautiful about the space we are in, even though we have yet to know every tree, every star, or every wave. The ground beneath our feet is still steady. We are still free to know home even when we feel alone. There's a reason why ocean shores around the world are lined with beach homes. There's a reason why window seats on planes are coveted spots for excited travelers. We are drawn to the concept of more at the core of our being. We are drawn to what is greater than us. Remember this when the unknowns are too much to bear. Keep breathing through. Hold on to what is greater than you. Journal: Other than where you live, where do you feel the most at home? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message