We hear the word holiness and something in us stiffens. It sounds lofty. Untouchable. Like something meant for saints in stained glass, not people with tired hearts and complicated lives. Our church is beginning a series on holiness, and I found myself quietly asking—not out loud, but deep inside— What does holiness actually look like…
Tag: being real
Komorebi
Light that reaches you only because something stands in the way. Beauty created by obstruction, not absence. I’ve been thinking about that kind of light lately—the kind that doesn’t arrive freely or fully, the kind that has to pass through branches, through resistance, through layers of things that slow it down. Komorebi is the Japanese…
Peace That Stays
静けさ Shizukesa A stillness that carries weight. Silence that feels inhabited. There is a kind of silence that isn’t empty. It doesn’t rush to be filled. It doesn’t ask for music, conversation, or explanation. It simply stays. not empty—just quiet This is not the silence of being ignored or forgotten. It’s not the awkward pause…
Ma: Where Meaning Lives
There is a kind of meaning that doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t arrive with answers or explanations. It waits in the pause. In Japanese thought, ma speaks to that space—the silence, the gap, the breath between moments. Not as emptiness. Not as absence. But as presence. A presence we often rush past because it doesn’t…
The Words We Never Hear
I came across a post recently—just a few lines my nephew wrote for his spouse on their anniversary. It wasn’t long. It wasn’t dramatic. But it stopped me. The kind of words that name partnership, gratitude, and choice so plainly that they settle deep before you realize what’s happening. I found myself tearing up, not…
Dear 2026
We’re stepping into you without a clean slate. We’re bringing unfinished conversations, tired hearts, quiet hopes, and lessons we didn’t ask to learn but learned anyway. Some of us are coming in stronger. Some softer. Some carrying grief so gently it almost looks like calm. Some still learning that healing doesn’t always need an explanation….
Subtle Strength
She is not loud, but she is deep… She is the kind of person who notices small things — not because life has been gentle with her, but because she learned early that meaning often hides in quiet places. She carries faith not as a performance, but as a compass. God is not a concept…
Don’t Throw It Away
If you are lucky enough to find love, remember that it is there. Hold it gently. Don’t throw it away. Love doesn’t usually arrive with certainty. It comes quietly. It settles into your life through small, ordinary moments—shared silence, familiar laughter, the comfort of being known without having to explain yourself. And because it arrives…
Where Is Christmas?
Every year, the question shows up again. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just a small wondering that drifts in sometime between the early decorations and the endless lists. Where is Christmas? The song asks it with innocence—almost like a child looking around a room that feels different than they expected. And maybe that’s why it stays…
If You’ve Found Your Way Here
Lately, I’ve noticed something quietly beautiful. Visitors from different countries finding their way to this little space of mine. Different places. Different stories. Different lives. Some of you pause on the homepage, just long enough to look around—like standing at the doorway of a house, unsure whether to step in or move on. And I…
Charina.Writes 