The Weekly (Joy)Cap

Week of April 26th- May 3rd (24') | Pursuing Presence, Grilled Oxtails, & God's Chicken

This is the (Joy)Cap where I share a weekly reflection or lesson and a roundup of links, recommendations, and everything that’s bringing me joy, inviting you to do the same. Think of this as a weekly coffee date with my close friends. ☕️💕🫶🏾 Join me on a weekly joy hunt and start receiving the (Joy)Cap by subscribing today! ✨

Happy Saturday, friends!

I hope this week has treated you well. Now that we’re in May, we are inching closer to summer every day. I can feel it in the early mornings as the humidity and temp slowly increase. As the days become warmer, I’ve been trying to enjoy as much time outside before the days become unbearably hot here in Georgia.

And I’ve been noticing how much time outside, experiencing the gifts and sounds of nature — a warm breeze, birds chirping, cars swooshing, lawn mowers buzzing, have all been contributing to my joy. Probably because these sounds ground me and remind me of the microjoys we can experience when we pursue presence.

As we enter into a new month and approach a new season, I want to continue to prioritize this — capturing joy, pursuing presence, and noticing God’s goodness in the everyday, mundane moments. I think this is a part of the cleansing I mentioned in this month’s wrap-up — choosing presence over perfection, choosing grace over the grind, choosing to see all the possibilities, and living into and fully finding beauty in the here and now.

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What Brought Me Joy ✨

1. My husband hopped on the grill. It is officially grilling season, and grilling has become one of my husband’s hobbies over the years. This past weekend he threw a bunch of meat on the grill, including oxtails. For his first attempt at them, I give him an A+ 👌🏾.

2. Watching the kids play outside. We stay in a townhome and have nothing but a slab of a concrete patio for a backyard, but being on the end, there is a patch of grass between units, so I safely blocked a station for the kids to run and play. We’ve been out there almost every day this week, and it’s been so sweet to watch the kids run and play.

3. God’s chicken and lemonade. Due to prioritizing my health and wellness journey, I rarely get fast food, but I’ve been wanting to try Chick-fil-A’s Cherry Berry Lemonade ever since it was released. Yesterday, I finally caved and grabbed it along with God’s chicken. I ate it up and happily fell asleep on the couch afterward. 😂

   

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Currently Reading 📚

• I’m still slowly making my way through The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and Well at Work by Esther Sternberg, MD.

• This week, I started and finished Happy Place by Emily Henry. While it was good, I definitely think it was overly hyped. I’m still making my way through her backlist before reading her latest book, Funny Story.

• My sister and I decided to start doing a buddy-ready book club through the app Fable. Our first read is Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, and I’m super excited! I hope doing this buddy read will help me explore new genres. (Sidebar: I previously mentioned that I’m considering adding a book club component to this Substack. DM here if you would be interested).

• I’ve been meaning to catch up on some of the books I grabbed during the Kindle’s Daily Deals. Dear Henry, Love Edith was recommended to me by

  Brandi Davis
  from @becomingbookbybook, so I’m looking forward to giving this a read.

• I was looking for a new devotional to supplement my morning quiet time and picked up You’re Not Finished Yet by one of my favorites, Christine Caine. The title at first glance was already whipping me into shape.

For ratings and reviews, check out my Goodreads.

Currently Listening 🎧

I didn’t listen to much this week outside of my audiobooks, but I enjoyed listening to the Joy Filled podcast on prioritizing whole body health and a rundown on new book releases from Annie on From the Front Porch.

Fave Substack Read of the Week 💻 💕

“In the embrace of nature's awakening, I found comfort in this: Adversity may bend me but cannot break me.

In this life, on these paths, we are destined to bloom. To rise from the ashes of hardship, and flourish with newfound strength and grace when the time is ripe. We are already sown. Rooted deeply in the truth of who we are. We are the harvest. Let us always remember our strength, and find peace in the pieces on the path.”

There’s something about experiencing springtime outside 😩🤌🏾 — it’s a spiritual one! So many quotables by

Alex Elle

on this piece from

Gratitude Journal

on peace, presence, growth, and gratitude.

Destined to Bloom

I would love to hear from you! What brought you joy this week? Share with us in the group chat, leave a comment, or send me a direct message!

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