Chocolate waffles

Learning while laughing (and grieving my snacks 🥲)

We’re starting the year with big intentions: balancing hormones, calming our stomachs, regulating everything. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed this too, but whenever God puts something on your heart to work on… He seems to give you endless opportunities to practice it 😅

For me, this year has been about coming back to center, realigning my body and my life. One of my goals was to stop drinking alcohol completely. I never drank much (maybe 1–3 beers a week), but I realized I didn’t want to use anything as a stress release except healthy coping tools. So I prayed about it last year and committed to it this year.

Plot twist: my body said, “Say less.”

I started hormone therapy for menopause (which has honestly been amazing), but what I didn’t realize is that balancing hormones can also wake up allergies and sensitivities. And my family? We are basically an allergy starter pack. Kids with allergies, extended family with food sensitivities, asthma, and even my two Frenchies—yes, my dogs—have allergies.

Up until now, food hadn’t really bothered me. But this year? Oh, it has arrived with a megaphone. I’m discovering I may be gluten intolerant (possibly celiac) and dairy is not my friend either. Which feels deeply unfair because I love chocolate. I love wafers. Specifically, chocolate-covered wafer cookies.

So here I am—no beer (because even one makes me sick), no gluten, no dairy, and apparently no snacks that bring me joy 😂 But truly, I can see God teaching me patience, discipline, and surrender in a gentle way.

Learning takeaway:

When we set intentions and invite God into them, He doesn’t just help us mentally, He walks with us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sometimes that help looks like clarity… and sometimes it looks like giving up chocolate wafers.

I wanted to share this because as we step into a new year, many of us are working through goals, healing, and growth. And I’m learning that when we walk faithfully, listen closely, and stay open, God really does provide, sometimes in ways we didn’t expect, but always with purpose 🤍