For the last entire week, I have failed to post the daily Lent prompts. This evening, I will have the missing days posted along with today’s. The past few weeks have been mentally tough, and I have struggled to keep up with my normal routine, much less anything “extra.” At this point, my perfectionist streak says I should just let it go and try again next year, but I have been working hard on building new rhythms and grace for myself when my plans outpace my capacity. So, healthy brain (as opposed to depression brain) says it’s fine to pick up where I dropped off and just keep running the course.

I apologize if you were missing the daily posts, and I hope you will graciously pick up where we left off and run with me until Easter. (Also, sorry for all the race running analogies – the Tiny Human, the Best Friend, and I are getting ready for a 5k in a few months, so racing is on my mind.) I hope you’ll accept the catch-up and re-start as an example that it’s never too late to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward – because that’s what I’m hoping I remember from the last week.

Sometimes life is hard and stressful even when there are no big outside forces working on us. Sometimes it’s hard to stay mentally healthy even when you’re building solid habits and doing the work. That’s the hole I found myself in over the last week. Sometimes life is hard for no discernable reason, but we aren’t defined by that or how hard we struggle. We’re defined by how we react – whether we choose to get up and get back on track, or whether we choose to wallow in the failure and frustration. Honestly, when depression brain is trying to take charge, I struggle to move at all, even to do something I love like writing and sharing the Bible, and it’s just one of those cycles right now. If you’re struggling with life, you’re not alone; just know that I’m cheering for you and praying for you to get back up and get moving forward again. It’s tough work, but we can do it.