Living Your Best & Most Beautiful Life

Necklace: Stella & Dot  (Also like this one & this one ) |Dress: Rachel Parcell Collection (similar here, here  & here) |Shoes: Valentino Rockstud |Elle’s Dress: Baby Gap – No longer available (similar here, here & here) |Elle’s Headband: H&M – No longer available (Similar here & here) Photo Credit: Ireland Marchand

Andrew, Sadie dog, Elle and I returned home, late Monday night, after a wonderful visit in my hometown of Sydney, Nova Scotia. It was so nice to visit with my family! It was great having all the extra help with baby Elle and also felt way more like spring there. Sadie didn’t know what to do with herself – it was the first time since December that she could see the ground!

Anyway, with spring, comes one of my favourite holidays – Easter! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Thanksgiving and Christmas and all they encompass, but Easter stirs up my soul like no other. I mean, the fact that someone loved me so much, they sent their ONLY son to die for me, so I could have everlasting life, is quite honestly, the most amazing thing anyone will ever do for me (and you). Being a mom really puts this sacrifice into perspective, more than ever. The thought of Jesus suffering on the cross, because of my imperfections, hits a deep emotional cord for me.  This isn’t just a story, it’s a TRUE story; one that still offers amazing benefits to anyone that believes.

Believing is all about having faith in something you can’t see. My faith is one of the most precious gifts my parents have bestowed on me. It’s something money cannot buy and no one can take away. As a child and even a teenager, I didn’t grasp the importance of this, but as I grew older, I could see how the seeds my parents planted were the key to my happiness, success and so many other tangible and intangible things that enable me to live my best, most beautiful life.

Naturally, I want to pass that same incredible gift onto our daughter, Elle. So this weekend, on my most favourite holiday, we had the opportunity to Dedicate her at church, surrounded by family and close friends. A Dedication or Christening is more than a religious ritual to me. I truly trust it’s meaning and am confident that from this point forward, God will keep his hand of protection on my baby girl’s life, which gives me so much peace in a world that can at times seem so scary.

That said, life will still be uncertain at times, but one thing I am totally certain about, is that God is in control – through the good times and the bad. That promise gives me total confidence no matter what I face. Why? Because my life is in the hands of the Creator of the Universe and he knows and understands me better than I know and understand myself. Partnering with Him, the One that not only created you and me, but the entire Universe, does not mean living a boring life. It means living an extraordinary life. One full of purpose. It means the sky’s the limit!

So next time you feel lost in life and are unsure what direction to turn, go to the source of life; the one that created it. When something is broken or damaged isn’t it better to take it to be person or company that made it? Well it’s kind of the same idea. God made you and has the master plan. He sees the big picture and has our best interests at heart. He knows what we need, even when we don’t. He cares for us more than we can ever imagine. He doesn’t just care about the big things in our lives, but he cares about the small things too. Isn’t that amazing? I mean, after all, life is made up of a lot of small things and those are the details that make it beautiful.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)