top of page
Julie's Writing Blog
Margins & Musings: Rest, Lament, and Wisdom of Unchosen Seasons
Katherine May’s book Wintering gave language to a season I had already recognized. Though not a faith-based book, it mirrors the rhythms of God’s creation—seasons of slowing, resting, and necessary work beneath the surface. Wintering is not failure, but an invitation to listen, lament, and trust what is quietly being formed.
A Season for Wintering
Is it time to come out yet? Like the groundhog in February, I find myself asking this question each year. I've learned to give myself permission to winter—a full season of drawing inward for retreat, quiet, and restoration. What I've discovered is that rest is not the absence of growth. It's simply a different kind of growth. When I emerge, it won't be because external pressures forced me out, but because I feel that quiet stirring beneath the surface that speaks of renewal.
Wintering
Winter invites us to slow, to grieve what was lost,
and to believe that stillness is not the end—but the beginning.
A short poem for a season of wintering
Silent Night: A Song for the Suffering
Each Christmas Eve, candlelight and song remind us that peace does not come from the absence of chaos, but from the presence of Christ. Silent Night tells the story of a lullaby written for the suffering—and the peace it still offers today.
The Untangling of Grief
Grief arrives as a tangled mess—threads of sorrow, anger, confusion, and love all knotted together. Over time, through gentle patience and grace, the mess begins to loosen. What once bound you becomes something you carry—woven into the fabric of who you are.
If Not For The Suffering
We often wonder why God allows suffering—in the world and in our own stories.
Yet the pages of Scripture are filled with people whose faith was forged in hardship. Abraham, Joseph, David, Esther—each carried stories lined with shadows.
If not for the suffering, would we see the beauty of redemption, or the depth of God’s glory?
Suffering Shapes Our Stories
Every story in Scripture bears the mark of suffering—Abraham’s journey, Joseph’s pit, Ruth’s loss, Paul’s prison walls. Yet each story also reveals a faithful God who brings purpose from pain. The same is true for us. Our suffering may shape our story, but it never gets to write the final word.
Sitting in the Darkness
When the darkness feels heavy and hope seems lost, it’s easy to believe you’ve been left alone. But even in the deepest dark, Jesus is near. He weeps with you, waits with you, and will gently lead you forward.
Tied to the Mast: Understanding Grief
When we face grief, it can feel like being tied to the mast in the middle of a storm—wind howling, waves crashing, vision blurred. Like the artist who tied himself to a ship's mast to face a storm, grief places us in the center of chaos. Grief can be hard to describe, misunderstood, but profoundly transformative for those who have lived it. In time, we can see clear skies and understanding, and if we look closely, a rainbow of hope.
bottom of page