The Gift of Time
I was recently in the Pacific Northwest, and visited Carkeek Park. As I stood there amongst the trees, with the ocean stretching out before me, I stood there in awe…and just breathed.
I am so grateful for the life I have, for the people I love and those who love me back.
Maybe the gift of time isn’t about having more of it, maybe it is about being present for the time we’ve been given.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
Today, I stood near the water and watched it move, steady, unhurried, and carrying the quiet rhythm God placed within it. The light rested on its surface, and each small ripple seemed to whisper peace to my soul. As I listened to the water meeting the shore, I felt at home.
I’m learning to notice these moments, the ones in which creation becomes a gentle reminder of God’s presence.
In the beauty that surrounds me, in the rhythm of the water, in the breath moving through my body and in the stillness opening within me,
I am right where I need to be.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
You don’t have to look for His presence. He is already surrounding you, in the warmth of the sun, the sway of the trees, the song of the birds, and the quiet places within your own soul.
Stay here for a while.
Life is a sacred gift, it was never meant to be lived disconnected from the One who created it.
This moment is enough.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
I’m learning that, I don’t need to figure out the whole path. I only need to take the next step right in front of me.
So I pause, take a deep breath and notice the breeze moving through the trees, the warmth of the sun, the birds singing, and know that creation trusts our Creator; and I believe that I too, can trust God with my life. So I let go of the pressure to have it all figured out, and I stand here. I breathe here, I meet God here, and from this place of presence, I take the next faithful step.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
I am learning to move with intention, grounded, aware, and open to the beauty around me. God, I trust You here, in my breath and in my becoming.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
God, Creator of all things, He restores me. He brings my mind into stillness,
He settles my body into rest, and He anchors me in what is real and unshaken. I am not lost, I am being restored, my breath is steady, my thoughts are clear, and my nervous system is safe in His care.
I don’t have to perform, or reach for something that is unattainable, God is attentive to me, He is present with me, He is faithful in every part of my being, and I stand in this truth. He restores my soul.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
It’s not too late.
I know sometimes it feels that way when life has stretched you thin, when grief sits heavy in your chest, or when you look around and wonder how so much time has passed while you were simply trying to survive.
And if that is where you are right now, I just want you to know, there is still space for your life to bloom again.
There is still beauty ahead for you, still purpose, still laughter that will come from the pit of your belly, and there will be true peace that surrounds you, as your nervous system finally feels emotionally safe, to breathe deeply again.
God is here, in the middle of the rebuilding and in the middle of your becoming.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
I am learning to move with intention,
grounded, aware, and open to the beauty around me.
God, I trust You here,
in my breath and in my becoming.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
There is a quiet joy that rises when I finally slow down enough to notice where I am. Right here, in this breath, in this moment, in the soft, ordinary beauty that surrounds me.
It’s the way trees sway like they’re whispering a gentle reminder, you don’t have to rush your way through your own life. It’s the sound of my breath returning home to my body. It’s the simple holiness of noticing colors, textures and small mercies.
Presence invites joy to rise quietly, like a seed sprouting beneath the soil, it just asks for a softer gaze, a slower pace, a willingness to see what’s been holding us all along.
When I choose to be here, fully, I remember that beauty is never far. It’s stitched into the fabric of everyday life, waiting for me to look up, breathe deeply, and receive it.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
There is a sacred freedom that unfolds when I rest in God’s presence. In His nearness, the need to perform or prove myself fades. The masks come off, the striving ceases and I begin to breathe again, deeply and honestly.
I’m learning that returning home to self and to God, is freedom. It’s the soul remembering who it’s always been…Here, I am defined by love.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And in that holy space, I am finally free, to heal, to rest and to be.
– denise marie
“So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. – John 8:36
