2021 is now in full swing, and well it doesn’t feel all that different from 2020. In fact, some might say that it feels even worse. In these trying times it is only natural to try to find things that remove us from our reality – like books, music, nature, television and film. For me, I have found immense comfort in the Netflix original series Julie and the Phantoms. The story centers around themes of loss, friendship, perseverance, and most importantly self-discovery, not onl

By Hannah Sweet The weather is beginning to turn, and a chill hangs in the air; Halloween costumes line the shelves and children clamor to find that perfect new identity to slip into. As I look forward to all the pleasures of autumn, I find myself thinking heavily on the masks we wear on a daily basis. Perhaps your mask is that of the mom who has it all together; or perhaps your mask is that of one who finds fulfillment in the work that they do; or perhaps the mask you wear i

By Hannah Sweet If you are anything like me then you have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about what you want to do with your life, and no, I don’t mean that thought limited to the scope of a career. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want from my family; what I want from my personal, and private life; what I want from a career; what I want from the relationships in my life. Let me tell you spending all that time thinking on these things used to stress m

By Hannah Sweet When we are little, we are taught that there is danger among strangers, or stranger danger as it’s most commonly referred to. It’s an instinct that is nearly bred into us as children, from the adults in our lives claiming that “anyone could have taken you” to the fairy tales of old which used imagery and metaphor to illustrate these claims in ways that would instill a sense of fear in the unknown. However, my childhood was not entirely like this. As a child of

By Hannah Sweet Love is a lot like math. Love, like math is often confusing, and can take hours to figure out one little problem; but like math, love is the same in every language.  Not literally of course, as every language has their own word for love, from the French amour, the Swahili upendo, to the Japanese aisuru. All these words mean the same thing, and although there are many cultural differences that set us apart from others in the ways we display love, it is the esse

Love. When you think about love you are most likely drawn to romantic love, but there are so many other types of love that are integral to being a well rounded person. There’s parental and familial love, there’s friend love, there’s self love and then there’s neighborly love. There is love all around us if only we slow down to absorb it. Consider John 15:12 “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” What kind of place would our world be if we

By Hannah Sweet It’s no secret that my husband and I do not live near any of his family, but instead live near mine. At Christmas time his family will send us gifts; and now, we are kind of little kids when we get these gifts and instead of waiting for Christmas to open them, we tear into them as soon as we receive them. Sorry guys! I am of the firm notion that there are two types of present openers. The first will tear into everything as quickly as they can and then take inv

By Hannah Sweet When I was a little girl, going to church was the one day a week that my mom insisted I wear nice clothes, or at our house our “Sunday Clothes” as they were known. In my childhood that often meant a dress, hat, gloves, tights, underwear with a ruffle on the bum, and the shiniest patent leather Mary Janes. I remember feeling so special when I would get dressed up for church, because those were clothes that I only got to wear once a week. They were special. Even

By Hannah Sweet I love Christmas. I always have. The lights, the music, the decorations, the behavior of everyone in the days leading up to Christmas. I just love it all. One of my favorite holiday traditions is watching that old classic, White Christmas. To me watching Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen, and Danny Kaye sing, dance and fall in love during their countdown to Christmas is unparalleled. I know all the songs by heart and have no shame in singing along. Whe

By Hannah Sweet With readers in more than 70 countries, numbering in the 300 millions and translating in over a dozen languages it is no wonder Charlie Brown remains a staple for many come holiday time. What is it that keeps people coming back? Is it the nostalgia, that sense of childhood - the repetition of what is always done and so it must always be? No I don’t think that is the case here. People like the Peanuts because they remind us of the true reason for the season in

By Hannah Sweet In life we prepare for all sorts of things. We prepare dinner; we prepare our children for school; we prepare ourselves for our work days; we prepare our homes for company; we prepare for weather; we prepare for the holidays. Humans spend a large portion of their lives preparing for things, and some of the things we prepare for never come. As we’ve settled into the rhythm of the Advent season I’ve seen lots of people continuing their holiday preparations. Putt

By Hannah Sweet Joy. Joseph Marimon said “Joy is the echo of God’s life within us.” I couldn’t have phrased it better. Think about the things that make you joyful. I’ll bet that most of them weren’t material at all, were they? Most likely they were family, friends, and maybe a slice of really yummy cake. (I can’t fault you there.) Seriously though, did God’s love enter your mind when you thought of what makes you joyful? It’s easy to forget about God’s love in terms of bringi

By Hannah Sweet On this the first week of Advent we light the first candle. We think on the words of the Old Testament Prophets. We sing songs of hope. We truly settle into the speed and fanfare of the holiday. We engage in traditions both new and old, and everyone’s traditions are similar and different all at once. For instance, one of my traditions is to watch every Doctor Who Christmas special. At times silly, nonsensical and 100% nonhuman, The Doctor, is, in my opinion, a

By Hannah Sweet I am sure the word dancing conjures much imagery. For me the word dance is a special word. Not only does it pertain to my favorite verb, but dancing is my constant goal for life. Confused yet? Good. Let me explain. When I think of dancing I think of many things, but the two things I think of most are fluidity and gracefulness. It is these two things I strive to exude in every aspect of my life. It is in these ways that I want to dance my way through life. I ca

By Hannah Sweet Have you ever felt like you weren’t enough for anyone, or that everything that you thought or said was somehow wrong? I sure have. While the person who makes you feel that way isn’t always trying to put you down, but rather build themselves up it still makes you feel small and insignificant. You know in your heart that you are more and the things that you think and feel are worthwhile, but where do you go and who do you turn to, to find that validation you so

By Hannah Sweet What are you afraid of? Perhaps you're afraid of water, heights, clowns, or perhaps you're afraid of the dentist or babies. My father is afraid of water, so he doesn't swim and my mother of heights, so she avoids them. People are afraid of lots of things, but not me. I'm fearless. Growing up I was often in more trouble than out of it. I wasn't a bad child, I was just not afraid of anything, so I would often try things without working it out to the end because

By Hannah Sweet When I was a little girl I had many dreams and aspirations. One of my biggest growing up was to be a trapeze artist. To me they were breathtaking, and fearless; everything I aspired to be. I was so adamant about being a circus performer I would often enlist my brother, Lukke, in creating our own “death-defying” circus acts. I am sure we gave our mother plenty of scares with those routines. Now that I am grown-up from a childhood that feels like a lifetime ago,

By Hannah Sweet Life is hard. It doesn’t come with instructions or how-to videos. Yet, there are expectations, ups & downs, and sometimes the pressures that fill our day-to-day lives can consume us. They wash over us like a cold and unrelenting rain, leaving us covered in bone-soaking despair. This feeling of complete and utter despair can fill us and beat us down until we have nothing left, making us want to give into the despair and sorrow. What are we to do when the consta