You're doing WHAT in April?

A big change is coming. Good changes, but all change is hard. So I wanted to make sure you all know about it and how to pray for me in the mean time.

Hello, friends! Happy second-to-last day of March! Welcome to spring! The second quarter of the year begins tomorrow, and the whole world is coming back to life (as my allergies can attest).

I am really excited about all the things that are on the calendar the rest of this year, and I’m so looking forward to sharing all the amazing things God is doing. My hope and prayer is that you are keeping your eyes open for how He is working in your own life. He’s always busy doing something.

But there’s something truly important that we all need to remember about following Jesus: Rest.

Rest, Sabbath, time off—however you refer to it, it’s an essential part of being a Christ-follower. Jesus rested. Jesus modeled how we should live, and rest was a clear, consistent part of His pattern.

Admittedly, I’m not good at rest. I like being busy. I like having things to do because it makes me feel productive. Ironic, because the less rest I get, the less productive I actually am, which brings me to the topic of this post.

I started writing these devotions in December 2021 as a bit of an experiment on this brand new platform: Substack. I really like it. It’s a neat program, easy to use, easy to distribute, and I intend to stay for the foreseeable future. So don’t worry. We’re not relocating again. But since December 2021, I haven’t taken any time off. I haven’t repeated any devotions. I haven't skipped a month or week, and even if I’ve been late a few times, I think I always caught us up.

I love it. I love sharing what the Lord has taught me and how He has been so faithful to me in spite of how faithless I often am to Him. But I need to rest. I need to take a step back. The primary reason? Well, just being honest, the theme for the next set of devotions is (wait for it): REST.

Yup. God has a sense of humor. He indicated to me that the next month needed to be about rest and what it looks like practically and how to prioritize it, and I realized that I would be the world’s worst hypocrite if I were writing a series of devotions about rest when I’m so exhausted.

So as part of my decision to be faithful to how God has asked me to live, I will be taking the month of April off of writing new devotions. I’m still looking into this, but I may be able to reshare some of the older devotions from the past three years. Substack sadly doesn’t have a way to display the free devotions in one place, but if you look at a post and don’t see the little lock icon, you can know it’s a free post and can be read by anyone.

Being obedient is the biggest reason why I’m taking a break, but I do feel the need to be honest with all of you. Some of you know. I’ve indicated it in some places, may have even mentioned it once or twice. But in July 2023, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia. I had already moved back into my parents’ home to care for her full time in December 2022, so the diagnosis wasn’t a shock. Her steady, consistent decline, however, was a much more challenging pill to swallow.

If you have never been a full-time caregiver, you really can’t understand the exhaustion, the weariness, the heaviness of it. It’s a terrible, beautiful responsibility. I am so grateful for all of you who have purchased a subscription to this publication. Because of you and your generosity, I’ve been able to buy groceries. I’ve been able to help my parents financially in some ways. I have been able to care for my mom as long as I have because of you. So, thank you.

My sweet mom on the day she moved to Fern’s Place Home Plus

We carried on for a long time, bearing up under the weight of Mom’s steady, slow decline. She forgot herself. She forgot us. She forgot home. Until her care needs surpassed what my dad and I could provide, and we moved her into a Home Plus at the end of January.

I expected her to last longer.

Mom ran home to Jesus on March 23, 2025. She passed peacefully, without any struggle or hardship, and for that we are so thankful. We’re sad, of course, but we’re also celebrating because we know where she is. And we know she’s herself again, better than herself actually. She’s the way Jesus saw her.

Creatively, I’ve slowed down. A lot. Words are hard, and they don’t come to me as easily as they used to. I’ve been assured this is grief, part of the brain’s response to loss. I believe it. I’m trusting God will restore my creative brain with rest and time.

If you would please pray for me and my family during this time of grieving and rebuilding, it would mean the world. I don’t really know how to do this grief thing. I’m learning, but it’s a slow process. It’s a new trick, and I’m much more on the ‘old dog” side of things.

You are all a blessing to me. What a gift this community is! I thank God for you every day, and I am excited to keep traveling this road with you.

Just not in April. In April, I’m gonna take a nap. :-)

Hugs and prayers for all of you, my friends.

Amy