Hello beautiful souls,
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the pieces of ourselves we try to hide: the softening skin, the changing pace, the feelings we don’t always know what to do with. And yet… these are often the very places God meets us most gently.
A few mornings ago, I was sitting with my Bible and a cup of tea, and the sun was streaming in at that perfect angle, the kind that makes dust look like gold. And I thought: Maybe beauty at this age isn’t something we chase… maybe it’s something we learn to embrace.
That word — embrace — has been lingering with me.
I’ve been carrying it the way you might carry a small stone in your pocket, touching it now and then to remind yourself where you are.
So today, let’s explore that together.
Ink & Wildflowers
Your life becomes lighter the moment you stop resisting your season and begin welcoming it.
Word of the Week: Embrace
Word Garden:
soften • hold • welcome • receive • open • rest • gather
What the Word Garden Means
Think of this little cluster of words as a palette — not to memorize, but to play with.
Each word is a doorway.
- Soften — Where can your heart unclench a little?
- Hold — What deserves gentleness instead of judgment?
- Welcome — What new season is entering your life?
- Receive — Where is God trying to give you something you keep pushing away?
- Open — What truth or change are you ready to face?
- Rest — Where are you tired?
- Gather — What pieces of yourself need bringing back home?
🌼 Creative Ways to Use the Word Garden
Pick one of these for the week:
1. Word Garden Mapping​
Draw a small circle for “embrace” and let each supporting word branch outward like petals. Write a sentence or doodle around each.
2. Word-of-the-Day Rotation​
Use a different word as your “lens” for each day.
Monday: soften.
Tuesday: receive.
Wednesday: open…
Notice what changes.
3. Pocket Prayer​
Choose one word and turn it into a tiny breath prayer.
“Jesus, help me rest.”
“Lord, help me soften.”
“God, help me embrace.”
4. Gentle List-Making​
List five things you could embrace this week: a feeling, a change, a joy, a line on your face, a moment.
5. Texture Journaling​
Write what embrace feels like: a blanket, a hand squeeze, a soft light. This one always pulls deeper truths forward.
Scripture of the Week
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he… I will sustain you.” — Isaiah 46:4
Skincare Recipe of the Week
Rose & Oat Comfort Cleanser​
(A soft, soothing cleanser especially lovely for mature or sensitive skin.)
You’ll need:
- 1 tbsp finely ground oats
- 1 tbsp rosewater
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp jojoba or sweet almond oil
Mix into a thin paste.
Massage gently onto damp skin.
Rinse with warm water or remove with a warm cloth.
It feels like your skin is being hugged.
🎧 This Week’s Podcast
Confidence That Lasts: Rooted in Faith, Not Comparison
If you’ve been finding yourself comparing your skin, your pace, or your life to someone else’s… you’re not alone. In this week’s episode, we talk about the kind of confidence that doesn’t fade: the kind rooted in faith, identity, and God’s unchanging love for you.
Together we walk through:
✨ The moment I caught myself comparing (and what shifted)
✨ What Scripture says about beauty and worth
✨ A 2-minute confidence ritual we can do together
✨ How to bless yourself and even the woman you’re comparing yourself to
✨ A gentle prayer to close your day
Join the cozy conversation.
👉 Listen here: Confidence That Lasts - by Carrie Scharf - Oil & Light​
Radiant Things I’m Loving
A weekly invitation to live more slowly and notice beauty.
This week I’ve been loving…
- The way morning light lands on my kitchen counter, soft and silver.
- A rose hip I found on a walk.. a tiny reminder that beauty changes form.
- Standing outside for one full minute before starting my day.
- Stirring a warm drink at night and feeling my whole body exhale.
These little things… they’re teaching me how to embrace the quieter glow of this season.
A Gentle Invitation
If you’re craving deeper support with gentle rhythms, personalized reflection, and monthly skincare + soul care tools, I’d love for you to join me in my monthly paid membership.​
Whether you want:
✨ herbal recipes
✨ journaling guidance
✨ monthly themes
✨ or cozy spiritual encouragement…
there’s a space for you.
Come find the tier that feels like home.
You’re always welcome. 💛
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