Good morning, Friends! I hope everyone is doing well on this Beautiful Thursday morning. Here in Toronto, our seasons are starting to change, and it’s just the perfect point in the turn over from Summer to Fall where it is truly starting to become sweater weather. It’s not too cold yet where you can’t get by without a jacket. Yet, it’s no longer hot outside, and the transition to jeans and long sleeves is very much welcomed.

Although I am a beachy summer girl through and through, I’ll have to admit, this is a really beautiful time here in Toronto. I really enjoy being outside during the end of August and start of September, just before the leaves really start changing. It’s almost as though the seasons are paused for a few days, taking in all of life’s beauty for just a moment before fully committing to its next venture of Fall.

In a way, this is what August had in store for me. My life kind of took an involuntary pause at the beginning of August, and now that I’m on the other side of that pause, I understand that it was my body and my mind telling me to take a break.

Sometimes, life can become exhausting. Even when you are blessed with a beautiful life, it can still be overwhelming. You can have the fancy things and attend the coolest events, even travel the world and be blessed with making friends in every corner of the globe. Let me say, I have been given a beautiful life, and I am very blessed. I fully acknowledge and appreciate that. Sometimes, I think in a huge effort to always be appreciative of that, I forget to take a break though. So, August took that break for me.

Being a million miles away from your friends and family means that you connect via social media, a lot, like daily. That’s how we keep up with each other, and it’s wonderful. When August hit, I lost all motivation to maintain my social media life. Not just the highlight reel that social media can be where we only post the good stuff, I mean, I just kinda quit cold-turkey. It wasn’t on purpose, and it wasn’t out of a protest or a spiritual fast or technology cleanse. I just needed a break from life for a bit.

A few weeks into August, I started getting texts asking if I was okay, friends and family just checking in to see how things were since I had not been sharing every meal of every day in my insta story haha (more on that later). But, needless to say, people noticed. And they noticed before I did. Ya’ll, when I said that I am blessed, I didn’t just mean with needs met and a beautiful life. I am blessed with intentional friends who check in thoroughly. It was more than just a “what’s up?!” and “how are things?” text. Like my little village came creeping in from all corners in the most beautiful way asking all the right questions.

Then, my mom and dad surprised me with a trip home to get some TLC from some of my favorite people on the planet. Lesson here, don’t ever forget where you came from. Sometimes, going back to your roots is just what the doctor ordered.

Towards the end of August, I guess my break was up. I had all that I needed, and I was suddenly feeling up to writing again, to being social again, and to just being present in my life and in the lives of others. I don’t quite understand how this happened or why it was even necessary, but sometimes, I think we just need a break.

All my love goes out to those of you who reached out either to me directly, to my family, or just straight up to our Heavenly Father. I have never doubted that I am loved or prayed for, and that is the greatest gift someone could ever give me, prayers. When planning out this post, I considered apologizing for being MIA here on the blog for about a month, but honestly, I don’t think an apology is what any of you would want from me. I started this blog so that it could be a place where we are real and transparent, and me taking a break from life for a few weeks is about as real as it gets. Love you guys so much ❤

– the Wife