Keep Your Courage

The military life, as hard as it is, gives us lots of opportunities to need to rely on other people in order to get us through. But something happens along the way that feels a little close to a miracle- we could be going through the hardest time of our lives, but because we had someone in the ring with us, we make it through and can even sometimes look back on that season with fondness. How? And how do you get there with a new friend? Listen in. Find Sarah on Instagram! Other episodes mentioned: Episode 2: Remember What It's Like

I've noticed my ability to handle what we go through in the military has a direct connection to how connected I feel to my husband. He's the soldier but we're the team and we're in it together. Ideally. Because it doesn't always feel like we're actually in it together. I discovered a way, a small way, to help re-connect our marriage. If you need some encouragement from the real side of military marriage, this episode is just for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Here we are, military wives, some of us mothers too, living a chaotic and uncertain life ourselves, trying to tend to All The Needs of tiny humans who can't do it themselves yet. What if that situation that seems like it's driving you to the absolute end of yourself is actually an invitation to deeper connection? If you need a little encouragement on how in the world to mother children in the midst of military life, this episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

It kinda feels like we're all being pretty shaken right now. From deployments to hard assignments to loneliness to waiting on orders, the military world feels kinda tender and hard. Instead of focusing on all of those hard things though that can lead to fear and anxiety and overwhelm, try focusing on what I offer in this episode. I think it just might help. Find Sarah on Instagram! James Bryan Smith Things Above podcast

Around here, we talk about what we can do to build a strong center that holds, and this concept- of being good to your own self is a central piece to that. Sometimes though, it's hard to even know how to do that- like, how to actually logistally, physically get through these hard things while trying to take care of ourselves too. We talk all about that in this episode. Find Sarah on Instagram! Mentioned in this episode: Episode 6: Pray Small Episode 21: Remember Who You Are (And Find Her Again If You've Lost Her) Episode 66: Be Good To Your Own Self

I know our tendencies. We are the ones who tend to everyone else before tending to our own selves. We show up to work right after our husband deployed so that we can take care of our clients or patients or students. We take care of sad and scared kids even though we're sad and scared, too. Are you as good at taking care of your own self as you are at taking care of others? Listen to this episode for a story, a question, and an idea about it. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I think I've run the whole gamut of new year experiences- the hope and fresh start that comes with a new year all the way on down to total cynicism about what's the point of even trying when we have no control over our life anyway? What if in this awareness of our lack of control though, is an invitation to a choice we can make instead? Listen in to see what I mean. Find Sarah on Instagram!

In this Christmas season, my hope is that even when it's busy, these few minutes together can provide you with just a little reflection, a little time to re-center as you move throughout your day. This week we're talking about joy.

In this Christmas season, my hope is that even when it's busy, these few minutes together can provide you with just a little reflection, a little time to re-center as you move throughout your day. This week we're talking about love.

In this Christmas season, my hope is that even when it's busy, these few minutes together can provide you with just a little reflection, a little time to re-center as you move throughout your day. This week we're talking about peace.

I think a lot of us are walking into Advent with a limp. A lot of us are exhausted, threadbare, but it's not like world events get put on pause to allow us to be still and actually pause to ponder the season of Advent. It's not like units stop training, or a PCS is halted for a little bit. Maybe what we need right now- is hope. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I don't think I'm the only one in this zone right now, but I feel like I can speak for all of us when I say: We Are Exhausted. Can you feel it? The collective exhaustion? The individual absolutely tapped-out overwhelm? And yet we keep going. How, though? I have some ideas on what we all might need today. Find Sarah on Instagram! Episode 12: Build the Community You Need

Fear can be loud in the military. Overwhelm can be loud in the military. Insecurity and loneliness and resentment can be loud in the military. I want love and courage to be the loudest voices in the room instead. Today's episode is all about how we can make that happen. Listen in. Find Sarah on Instagram! Episode 32: The Story of Our Family's Return to the Military

Resilience is no longer the Power Word that it once was for me, because I can't hear that word without thinking of what it cost to acquire it. And so the word resilience? That word? It doesn't make me feel strong- it makes me feel exhausted. Resilience is a hallmark of the military community- but what if there was another way? Find Sarah on Instagram!

It's one thing to talk about hard things in the past tense- like, this is what I went through and this is what I learned. It's an entirely other thing to talk about hard times while you are in the middle of hard times. It feels extra vulnerable. But what if that's the whole point? Find Sarah on Instagram!

Sometimes we hit a hard season and we know the things that help- we know the rhythms that have worked before, the best pratices that help get us through- but nothing is helping. Sometimes this military life causes us to go through something that is just hard and we're tapped out - what do we even do then? We talk all about this experience in this episode. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I think it's the "Just Keep Going" part about this military life that can feel so hard sometimes. How in the world do you keep going when you feel so depleted and at the end of yourself but you still just have to keep going. I don't like feeling disconnected from myself during these kinds of seasons. I have some thoughts about how to re-connect back to the center of who you are, even in the midst of a stressful time. Find Sarah on Instagram!

All of us military wives know what it's like to miss our person but then to also have to fill all the roles that they normally fill when they're around. The need for us to be a lot can be, well, a lot. How do we even do it? Let's talk about it. Find Sarah on Instagram

Sometimes this life makes it feel like our whole world is coming apart underneath us. Well, those are the exact moments God asks us to trust him. And it turns out, those are the exact times that build the strength we need to get through those exact kind of times.

We experience such strong community with other military wives who are going through the same hard things as we are. I wonder, do we see our marriages the same way? Is it possible for these hard things we go through to be an opportunity to get closer in our marriage? Let's talk about it.

We are the military wives who keep going no matter what. What then, do we do about those times when we actually can't keep going any longer? I think today's episode just might be exactly what you need. Find Sarah on Instagram!

We know that one of the harder parts of this military life is that every 2-3 years we have to pack up and be the new girl. Sometimes we begin again with a broken heart after a hard pcs, sometimes we don't want to find new friends at all, doubting you can find your people in a new place. Here's where we start: We do it anyway. Listen in for more. Find Sarah on Instagram!

When we said our marriage vows, I thought the phrase "to have and to hold" was literal, that I would actually be able to hold him. But in our military marriages, we know that there's a lot of times that what connects us needs to be stronger than being able to reach out and grab their hand. Let's talk about it. Find Sarah on Instagram!

This life forms us and shapes us, sometimes in ways we don't even realize. And here's the thing- it's forming and shaping our spouse in meaningful ways also. And our military friends, and our military neighbors. What would it look like for you to think about how you have been changed, and then ask someone in your life about their experience? It just might a building block to help you be more connected and have more strength to handle this life. I'll show you what I mean. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Here we are, at the beginning of something. Maybe the beginning of the school year for you, but it could be the beginning of a new assignment, or the beginning of a deployment, of the beginning of a season that could be really hard. How do we live this crazy life with a sense of self and purpose? We re-attach ourselves to life-giving attachments. I'll tell you what I mean here. Find Sarah on instagram!

For 6 weeks this summer, we are re-visiting some of my very favorite episodes of Keep Your Courage so far. These are the episodes that form the pillars of what we're about around here. We talk about being military wives around here which, if you're like me you're incredibly proud of, but also sometimes? You wanna quit. Sometimes this life is just really hard, and the best way through is with Lane's gritty, hard-won wisdom to just Keep Not Quitting. Listen in for what I mean. Find Sarah on Instagram!

For 6 weeks this summer, we are re-visiting some of my very favorite episodes of Keep Your Courage so far. These are the episodes that form the pillars of waht we're about around here. In this military life, it can feel like you are always the one that has to adjust, laying your desires down for the greater cause. It can leave you feeling like you are the supporting actor in somebody else's story. I've felt my soul a little faded from putting myself last for the sake of the military, but I have also felt myself come back alive, find that zing from doing something I, myself, love. You can do the same. Find Sarah on Instagram!

For 6 weeks this summer, we are re-visiting some of my very favorite episodes of Keep Your Courage so far. These are the episodes that form the pillars of what we're about around here. No one ever told us how hard it would be to make friends as an adult. Throw in frequent moves and military life, and needing community but not having it is a common theme in military spouse life. It doesn't have to be. Showing up, being brave, and putting yourself out there is crucial. I'll show you how in this episode. Find Sarah on Instagram!

For 6 weeks this summer, we are re-visiting some of my very favorite episodes of Keep Your Courage so far. These are the episodes that form the pillars of what we're about around here. I've noticed that my ability to handle what we go through, what the military tosses at us, has a direct relation to how connected I feel to Lane at that moment. He's the soldier, but we're the team, and we're in it together. If you struggle with being a military spouse, if you need encouragement from the real side of military marriage and don't really feel in it together, or if you just need a little boost to make it through today, this episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

For 6 weeks over the summer, we are re-visiting some of my very favorite episodes of Keep Your Courage so far. These are the episodes that form the pillars of what we're about around here. So today, if you're in the middle of a day that you're not quite sure how you're going to make it through, if putting two coherent words together seems more than you're capable of, my goal is simple: Remind you of love and courage and offer you one simple way forward. Find Sarah on Instagram!

For the next 6 weeks, we are going to re-visit some of my very favorite episodes of Keep Your Courage so far. These are the episodes that form the pillars of what we're about around here. So today, if you're new to town and need some encouragement in beginning again, if you're lonely and need a reminder that you too, are brave, then you're in the right place. This episode is just for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Sometimes we think we're doing totally fine, and then sometimes we're surprised by our own reaction to something that shows us how much is below the surface. We are deeply impacted, formed and shaped by the military- which might sound obvious. But also it might not. Let's talk about it. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Wouldn't it be nice if we were given some sort of predictable calendar about the stress of military life and when it's coming? But that's one of the hardest parts about this life- we don't know what's coming in any next moment. All we have is this moment- and we can use this moment to help us get ready for the next one. Let's use these moments, our own battle drills, to help us be ready when the hard moments come. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Any given one day can be overwhelming. But those one day at a times do, eventually, add up, and it is time to move on to the next thing. If you are preparing to close one chapter and move on to another, if at some point you will be the one to close one chapter and move on to another, I have a simple practice to share with you that has helped me and it just might help you, too. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I can basically guarantee that at some point in this military life you have moved or you will have to move away from home, to a new home. Which makes me reckon with the question- Is home where you were, or is it where you are? Maybe where you are right now feels like home, maybe it doesn't. Either way, if you ever have or ever will move with the military: This episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

A lot of the time stress from the military life comes from the relentless overwhelm of one big thing to the next, deployment into crisis into PCS. But also, sometimes our stress comes from what feels like the opposite- waiting. We actually wait a lot in the military life- we wait for him to come home, we wait for someone to file the paperwork, we wait to move to the next assignment. If you're in a season of waiting, this episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I would guess that your previous year was actually pretty wild, even if it just felt normal. Maybe it actually took a big toll on you even though you haven't realized it yet. Sometimes we need to tell ourselves the truth about what our life is like, and keep holding on no matter what. I'll tell you more in this episode. Find Sarah on Instagram!

We military wives can feel lost when so much of our family focus is on his career, we're constantly moving, making it hard to settle on down and pursue paths of our own. Here's what I'm going to tell you about it: What's lost can be found. Find Sarah on Instagram!

The more life I live, the more I realize how finding and having and keeping friends is so tricky. A lot of us feel lonely, a lot of us don't know where to even start in making friends when we're not 2nd graders playing on the playground anymore, most of us move so much it feels next to impossible to cultivate a community before we're uprooted again, Here's what I'm going to say: We do it anyway. And it begins with showing up. I'll tell you how and why here. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I've told this story in pieces throughout this podcast, but it's time to tell the whole thing. When we served those initial 4 years in the military and then got out, we got out for good, putting down roots in a very non-military life. And here we are, very solidly back in the military and very definitively committed and loving it. So- what happened? What happened in that middle part of the story where we realized we needed to pivot, made the choice to pursue getting back in? If you are in the middle of discerning a big decision, if you are curious about how to notice the movements of God, if you're not sure whether to pursue a change, or if it would help to hear how someone else made this decision to be in the military life, this episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Mothering in the middle of a deployment or a wild assignment or in the throes of a PCS or even just on a Wednesday is really, really hard. When you, yourself, are exhausted and still tending to the needs of tiny humans who are also exhausted- that's really hard. This is the episode where we talk about it. Find Sarah on Instagram!

We talk about being military wives around here which, if you're like me you're incredibly proud of, but also sometimes? You wanna quit. Sometimes this life is just really hard, and the best way through is with Lane's gritty, hard-won advice to just Keep Not Quitting. Listen in for what I mean. Find Sarah on Instagram!

The pace and demands of military life really do add up, but we rarely name it as hard because it's just so normal in the military. We have to be strong to handle this life, but being kind to our own self is just as important. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Going into this military life, we know it's going to be a hard life, right? But the phrase "hard life" doesn't really do justice to how shaky and tender and... well, hard, this life can be. Here are some thoughts about how to handle it. Find Sarah on Instagram!

The military life can be hard for all of the obvious reasons. Also? It can be hard on your connection with friends & family back home, non-military neighbors and colleagues understanding the demands of your military life. If you have ever felt misunderstood or unseen by someone near you, if you long for more connection, not less, this episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Any one day in the military life can be overwhelming, but what's also overwhelming? How no two days tend to look the same. A life of consistency? Forget about it. Let's talk about how to settle into a life that feels very unsettled. Find Sarah on Instagram!

I bet that there are some of you who have your own list of why you're feeling overwhelmed right now. In order to help get each other through, we need to get shoulder to shoulder with one another, letting each other know we are not alone. This is how. Find Sarah on Instagram!

Sometimes it can feel like nobody understands the toll that the military life takes- the uncertainty, the demands from constant interruptions, how many people need us, but we need to keep going even when our own heart is broken. If you feel alone, unseen, like maybe no one understands what it's really like to live as a military wife, this episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

There's so much that we go through without our spouse in the military and when they come back home both he and us are different. If you feel like a different person than when you first started out in this military life, if your husband feels like he is a different person than when he started out in this military life, if every time he comes back home kinda feels a little clunky as you re-learn how to work together again, share responsibilities, share your life. This episode is for you. Find Sarah on Instagram!

We are strong military wives, right? Strength, though, can look many different ways. And sometimes- being strong is knowing when to admit you can't do something on your own. Sometimes strength looks like vulnerability, asking for help, admitting you need help, allowing help to come in and help hold you up. Which, I know, can be super hard. I'll tell you all about how in this episode. Find Sarah on Instagram!