You all are blessing me today. :) Thank you for your sweet encouragement, Kathryn. Your desire to experience our very real God inspires the rest of us! May God lead you as you lead others in His truth!

P.S. My mouth/tooth is getting a little better each day. Thanks for asking! :)

Hi, Tonya. You are NOT alone. I'm thrilled that message came through loud and clear! One of the most difficult parts of being in a stepfamily is the sense of isolation (as well as the blanket of shame). The more we link arms and encourage one another, the stronger our families will be. Thank you for YOUR courage, for being willing to learn and for leading the way in hope for your family. You're a treasure!

Thank you so much, Rachel. What wonderful encouragement from a seasoned HAH'er! :) Unfortunately, I'm a little thick-headed so I've had to learn these lessons the hard way. But God is good to teach me, and I'm enjoying Him more now than ever before. So glad we've connected, my friend.

I'm learning that my response to interruptions tells me something about my current state. If I response to an interruption with anger, tears or exasperation, then I'm probably overloaded! For me, it's been very telling. :) I'm so glad you had a haven of calm yesterday. What a gift! Missing you.

Those margins and expectations are tough to manage, aren't they?! :o) I'm still in progress with both. Thank you so much for attending both classes, Kerstin. Two of my most passionate topics, and I'm honored that I could share. Please let me know how it goes -- would love to hear from you. And, as always, if I can ever encourage you, email me anytime. Much love ~ M

Good morning, Mandy. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. You encourage me! You're so wise to work on this, both for yourself and your family. They are blessed to have you! Please keep in touch and let me know how it goes. Thankful our paths crossed!

Hi, Amanda. Good hearing from you! Thank you for your sweet encouragement. I'm so glad the topic was helpful. I'm still working on my margins as well ... we're all in progress. But such reward lies on the other side of our effort. Praying for you today, that you would enjoy God's presence in a beautiful way!

I understand only too well, Mandy. I\'ve lived in the land of \"overwhelmed\" for waaaaaay too long! A few months ago I finally decided ENOUGH. Since then, I\'ve eliminated some of my responsibilities, and I\'ve said \"no\" more often. Have a ways to go, yet. Only this morning I told my husband \"I\'m overwhelmed.\" :o) Still learning, but committed to the process. Thanks for the comment! Send me your address via email and I\'ll mail you a book!

It\'s nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by, Laurie. It\'s great to connect with you both here and on Twitter. :)

Thank you, Chrystie. So good to hear from you! I've missed our comments back and forth. And I'll be sure to add you to the newsletter list. :) Are you a stepmom? I don't think I knew that. Focus is doing a three-day program next week. The first day is a stepmom panel. The second and third days include interviews with Ron Deal and Laura Petherbridge. You won't want to miss it. I learned so much!