What if the parts of you that feel unpolished or unfinished are exactly where He’s doing His most tender, unseen work? What if the mess isn’t a sign of failure but the beginning of the next season? Just like the winter garden, you don’t have to be perfectly cleaned up to be protected, to be provided for, or to be deeply loved. Sometimes the greatest act of faith is letting things rest and trusting that God is already at work in the layers we’re learning to leave alone.

Sometimes, I find myself walking along and I see a door that invites me to try certain things: with my business, a new hobby, or a career opportunity and I eagerly run towards it only to smack right into an impassable door, almost mocking me for trying to open it. I've come to find many things I simply cannot do as a mother of four very young children. 

These greens invite us to slow down, to create with intention, and to savor the simple rituals of the season: tying a wreath by hand, draping garland over a mantle, arranging branches in a favorite vessel. There is peace in these traditions, a cozy nostalgia that reminds us of God’s presence in the quiet moments and the beauty He has woven into the natural world—even in winter’s chilly stillness.

When you choose to shop from farms, small makers, and women-owned businesses, your dollars go further. They help raise families, support fields, fuel creativity, and sustain the kind of work that keeps communities thriving. We are so grateful for every person who chooses to buy local, who values handmade, and who supports businesses aligned with their values and faith.

When there are moments when the ground feels unforgiving and the work feels bigger than your strength. It’s here, in this clay mud that gratitude is not just a response but a lifeline.

“See, each flower is different. Much like people, they require different levels of light, warmth, food, nutrients, water, rest, and protection. If given these circumstances, a plant can not only survive but thrive. It will reproduce and even evolve into new varieties of itself.”