Looking for your next Christian fiction book? Get weekly notes from the author, plus sneak peeks of each month’s new release and cozy extras too.
From one mom to another 🫶
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Hey there, sweet friend, My normal Willow Creek update accidentally went out early this morning… but honestly, I’m kind of glad it did. Because I wanted to send something a little different today. A hug from one mom to another. 🫶 Motherhood was hard for me sometimes. Honestly… a lot of the time. Especially as an introvert who has always loved a quiet, calm house. 🙃 I loved my children deeply. But the constant noise, needs, interruptions, emotions, and everyday chaos (adding homeschooling on top of that) sometimes stretched me beyond what I knew how to handle. For so long, I measured myself by all the moments I thought I got wrong. The moments I wish I had been more patient. More present. More playful. More able to handle the noise and the mess with grace. But the longer I walk with Jesus, the more I’m reminded that He does not see me through that filter. He sees me through grace. And I need to see myself that way too. I’m so grateful for the reminder that God truly uses all things for good for those who love Him. Romans 8:28 And now I’m in this season where the children I loved, prayed over, worried about, sacrificed for, and poured years into… have grown and flown and are unfolding into their own lives. I love getting to love them and encourage them on their journeys and becoming a Gigi has been honey for my soul. But if I’m honest, I still have to remind myself to keep my eyes focused forward. Because that is where Jesus and His Grace is. He covers my past but He is pulling me forward, not backwards. 🙌♥️ Philippians 3:12–14 This weekend, I heard a new song by Brandon Lake (feat. Nick Jonas) called Author that hit me straight in the heart. I wanted to share it for any of y’all who could use a fresh reminder of His grace for you. I know this email is a little unexpected, but I just wanted to reach out and hug any mom who could use one today. Especially the mom who loved her children with her whole heart, but didn’t always love the noise, the chaos, or the never-ending demands. You are not alone. You are deeply loved. God chose you to be your children’s mom on purpose — with your exact heart, your exact wiring, and yes, even your exact need for quiet. And His grace is for you too, Reader. ❤️ Here’s to seeing our lives thru the filter of His grace! 🙌❤️ grace + hugs, Melissa Alyse. |
Melissa Alyse, Author
Looking for your next Christian fiction book? Get weekly notes from the author, plus sneak peeks of each month’s new release and cozy extras too.
Hey there, sweet friend, You won’t believe what Ethel Sue volunteered to help with at the rodeo on Saturday… The craft booth. Which means you can guarantee there was plenty of glitter, stickers, glue sticks, and at least one child who left looking like a walking scrapbook page. 😄 But that isn’t even the surprising part. You know who offered to help her? Jo. Yes, sweet, quiet Jo from across the street. Now, to be fair, Ethel Sue may have caught her outside watering her bushes… and may have...
For those that want to skip straight to getting the book - 👉 You can grab Ruckus at the Rodeo here 😁👍 Hey there, sweet friend, Rodeo week in Willow Creek is usually one of my favorite times of the year… Dust in the air, boots by the door, and more sweet tea than anyone should reasonably drink. The Bridge Ladies signed up to help with check-in at this year's Sterling Ridge Ranch Rodeo. And for a while… it was all going great. Until it wasn't. The radio crackled. A voice came through, rushed...
Hey there, sweet friend, This month in Willow Creek has been full in the sweetest kind of way. With the rodeo starting Thursday, Main Street’s been bustling with families coming for an early vacation. There boots on the sidewalks, folks peeking in and out of the shops, and that cheerful little hum that comes when a town is enjoying itself. I always love seeing Willow Creek come alive like that. There’s just something about it that makes you want to slow down and take it all in. The other...