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Stranger Friends near Eiffel Tower

DenaSeptember 22, 2010

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Welcome

Welcome to Live, Love, Simple. This is our little corner of the world. We are so grateful to have you here. We are a blended family of 6! This is our story of family life, faith + grace, heart-centered living, suburban homesteading, and all of the magic + madness that happens in between. Thanks for stopping by.

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denajoan

My sunshine girl. 🌞 I will never have the right

My sunshine girl. 🌞 I will never have the right words to express the pride & the joy that this girl brings to my life. She is brilliant & funny & brave in a way that I could only hope to be. What a gift to be her Mama. #marinagraceootd

A bedroom scene. My last 3 photo posts feature bed

There is not a single person I know who is not str

There is not a single person I know who is not struggling right now. These times are hard. We are all feeling a stress and an exhaustion that can not be relieved by sleep. We are tired to our bones and our hearts are aching. We are feeling like there is no “right” answer, that nothing we could possibly do would be enough, and that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting further & further from our sight. All of these things are true and nothing that I could say here would ease the weight of it all—the weight that feels like it’s breaking our backs. But I also know this, that in my own life it has been through the most painful struggles, that the most rewarding victories have emerged. I know that every time that I thought that I could not go on, I did. I often told myself that I just needed to take one more breath, and then another… and that small, brave act was always enough. I’m not going to sit here and promise sunshine, rainbows or happy endings. My feeling is that this fight is far from over and that we’ve all got scars to earn yet. But I do know one thing, I know that life has taught me over and over again that if it’s not okay, it’s not the end. And I will hold fast to that. Even if we cannot see it, even if the raging waters try with all their might to keep it from our hearts, the truth remains. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. Keep going.🤍

Jonah Oliver at 5 ½-months-old. 🤍 I can’t be

Jonah Oliver at 5 ½-months-old. 🤍 I can’t believe we’re almost at the twins half-birthdays. I mean sometimes I can believe it 🤪 & sometimes it just blows my mind. In these months since their births, I’ve been re-learning so much about motherhood & especially about what I need to be the best mama & the best human that I can be for them & for myself. One of my big hopes for mothering twins was that I would find ways to embrace convenience & sustainability at the same time. Now these things don’t always go hand-in-hand. A lot of times you can have one, but not the other. But one of the biggest ways I’ve been able to do this successfully has been by using Nest diapers. These diapers are disposable, but they are also ethical, sustainable & environmentally-friendly. @nestdiapers are made of sustainable materials that are designed to biodegrade and this means that the impact associated with these disposable diapers is greatly reduced. 🌿 As a #twinmom finding companies that offer me convenience & earth-consciousness at the same time means the world to me. ✨ #nestdiapers #sustainablemotherhood

“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to

“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” —MLK Jr., Beyond Vietnam, 1967 • Now more than ever, the legacies of Black activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. need to be preserved. Important parts of our history have been whitewashed for far too long, including the mainstream lessons we are taught about Martin Luther King Jr. Though King and many of the well-known activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement have had their legacies upheld, they are often edited to fit a less radical narrative — and lesser-known activists have had their stories erased completely. That is why we have a responsibility to preserve the legacies of these historical figures, and on this day, we need to remember this heroic man for who he really was. —words: @thecameronglover // art @celestecclark

Roman James, 2013. 🥺💚

Roman James, 2013. 🥺💚

I have lived with depression and anxiety for my en

I have lived with depression and anxiety for my entire life. I cannot remember a time when it did not exist for me. My earliest memories go back to age 4, and even then, I knew worry and melancholy. ⁠⠀
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I have spent my life learning how to live with these things. Now, I am 37-years-old. I have written books on the subjects. I used to say that I "overcame" anxiety and depression, but now I say that I "overcome" anxiety and depression. Because it is a journey, every single day, I have to make the choice anew. I have to decide that today, I will overcome anxiety and depression again. This hour, I will overcome anxiety and depression. This minute. And so on.⁠⠀
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There are so many tools that I use to manage my depression and anxiety. I have an entire arsenal that I use to keep it at bay, so that I can not only survive, but I can live—mindfully and wholly. Some days I am really successful at this. And other times, it is a brutal struggle.⁠⠀
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The greatest tool that I have in my arsenal is gratitude. It is the weapon that never leaves me. I can call upon it at anytime and no matter how dire the circumstance, no matter how dark, gratitude shines a light. It puts things in perspective. It reminds me of the endless multitude of things that I have to be so thankful for, the endless reasons that I have to go on, to keep fighting.⁠⠀
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So I invite you to remember this, friend. If you ever happen to find yourself struggling the way that I do, remember that you have a tool that no one can take away from you, the gift of gratitude. You have the ability to take even the gravest situation and move around it, to seek the things that are beautiful, life-giving, joyous. Those things are always there, sometimes you just need to remember them. That doesn't take away the struggle or the pain, but remember that you, alone, choose where you place your focus.⁠⠀
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#mindfulmotherhood #mindfulmama #anxietyanddepression #cognitivebehavioraltherapy

This is Marina when she was Jordan’s age. I shou

This is Marina when she was Jordan’s age. I should try to recreate this shot with Jordan. 🤍

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the wor

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” —L.R. Knost ✨ #intentionalmotherhood #intentionalmama #intentionalmarriage #intentionalmovement

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