Author: Stacy Hawkins Adams

Through her fiction and nonfiction, author, journalist and writing coach Stacy Hawkins Adams inspires readers (and budding writers) to find meaning in their own stories, grow from life's lessons and thrive. Like this post? Please leave a comment, then share it with others. Also visit Stacy at StacyHawkinsAdams.com to sign up for her newsletter, and friend/follow her on Instagram @StacyInspires, X(Twitter) @StacyInspires and Facebook @StacyInspires. Learn more about her coaching services at AuthorInYou.com.

‘Tis the Season to be an Intentional Joy Seeker

December 1st. Whew!

We have reached the final month of 2024, and while I expect and pray for some amazing moments and memories to unfold over the next four weeks,

I can’t help but humbly pause today and thank God for bringing me through this roller coaster of a year – filled with some tremendous blessings amid deep loss.

God has shored me up through some of His earthly angels,

and kept me holding on and pushing through –

to hope and a healing heart,

to exciting opportunities and dreams unfolding,

to deeper trust in Him, which has deepened my inner knowing and my inner joy.

This month in particular requires intentional self-grace as I sit with treasured memories of loved ones gone –

on the December birthday of my late mother, who “graduated” to Heaven 19 years ago;

on the early December homegoing date of my sister Pat, 9 years ago;

on the late December homegoing date of my brother Henry 2 years ago.

And this year as the first Christmas that my eldest sister, Barb, will spend in Heaven.

I’m certain to have moments of melancholy, and that’s okay. Grief, in all of its forms, is part of our human experience. I may be quieter on those days, but I’ll be good.

And when you see me smile, be assured that my peace and contentment are authentic, because I know that each of my departed loved ones would want me to live to the fullest.

In doing so, I’m perpetually honoring them and all they poured into me.

I’m sending hugs and encouragement to all who need a little extra push – and TLC – this time of year. Keep going and embrace your joyful moments as they come.

Honor Yourself to Better Serve Others

You are the captain of your ship, and therefore of your wellbeing, your purpose and your journey.

Love without condition while still exercising wisdom.

Give generously while setting appropriate boundaries.

Dream big and don’t settle. It may take time, but the time will be just right.

Say no when doing so gives you the space to practice self-care.

Lean into “not now” when this will keep you safer rather than sorry.

However, always say yes to honoring your intuition, character and integrity – even when this means standing alone.

Be willing to sacrifice short-term gains in order to experience lasting blessings.

Know that you are worthy and embrace this truth with confidence and contentment.

It’s Purpose Time

Today is a great day to decide how, in this season, you’ll use your gifts, talents, expertise, and life’s purpose for good.

Write to inform and enlighten.

Speak to guide, uplift and connect.

Teach to nurture and give hope, at every age and stage.

Sing or play instruments to heal hearts and minds, and nervous systems.

Build businesses that meet tangible needs and grow your resources and ability to help the least of these.

Deliver health care with the compassion and steadfastness you’d give your mother, sister, father, brother or spouse.

Serve your customers in ways that leave them feeling seen, heard and valued.

Be the encourager, prayer warrior, water giver, servant leader, faithful friend or change-maker you know you were destined to be.

Now is the time,

for you are a pearl of great price.

In being who you are,

you add value and hope to this world,

as only you can.

Persist in Love

Leaning into love is the hardest thing ever, especially when it’s not reciprocated.

Yet, I stand by my Monday declaration of intending to lead with love – including self-love, and even when it seems impossible.

In choosing love, I am choosing to see clearly, yet not give bitterness a foothold.

For hate causes rot,

and from a rotten vessel,

meaningful words, actions and impact cannot flow.

My aim is to keep my purpose and the people counting on me – especially the youngest ones looking up to me – top of mind.

Our children and young adults need help seeing and valuing a personal and communal north star. Our grandchildren or unborn children’s children need “north star opportunities” to still exist when it’s their turn to dream, do and be.

So even in a divided land,

the way forward includes

a surrender to love.

If you’ve ever tried it, you know that sometimes surrendering to what may seem to be “the soft way” actually requires the utmost strength.

I have stood before at a crossroads of hurt, heartbreak and unsure footing that led to a fork in the road.

My choices were a bitter path of ugly discord that some would have deemed understandable

or

a path that would require patient persistence in honoring my values, holding a vision for my desired future and telling the truth (with love) even when uncomfortable, in order to keep growing.

I chose the latter route,

and even then,

amid tears, prayers, sometimes anger and a shifted worldview,

I stood firm in the worth of my own humanity,

and I sought to honor the love guiding me and

still being poured into me,

so that I could rise another day,

nurture those around me a little more,

and remember that my life,

my right to live with hope and joy,

and my very being

are not a fluke.

We were made for love and to love.

Today, I encourage you to look in the mirror and tell the face staring back at you, “It’s okay. I love you.”

Close your eyes so you can feel it, and tell yourself, “I am better than hate.”

Inhale and exhale, and declare, “I am worthy of all good things, and even when I must speak up, set new boundaries or say no to harmful things, I will remain rooted in love.”

From this determined stance, set a course of self-care and thoughtful giving, and nurture the relationships that honor the best of you, so that years from now, you’ll gratefully experience the fruits of your investment.

“Lost Love?” by Carol (vanhookc) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Make The Most of This Week

This week, enjoy your life’s simplest treasures, greatest memories, unexpected blessings and life-affirming lessons.

Look within. Breathe. Smile. Hug yourself. Take good care with others, yet speak the truth in love.

Believe that there are rainbows after every storm, and eventually – sometimes sooner, sometimes later – you’ll see yours on the horizon. 

Your resulting joy will make your waiting season, and your tenacious hope, worthwhile. 

She Survived Breast Cancer 3 Times

In early 2024, I recorded a series of interviews with some amazing friends for an occasional YouTube series called Let Me Tell You.

Then, life happened. Mother-of-the-bride duties for my daughter’s April wedding, and the sudden passing of my eldest sister soon after, led me to pause work on the series and practice self-care.

However, as the cliché asserts, a delay is not a denial. Today, I’m honored and excited to share the interview – an inspiring conversation with my college classmate and friend, the extraordinary Sheila Taylor-Clark.

Sheila shares in our conversation how she has battled breast cancer three times (with style, grace and humor!) and continues to thrive as a wife, mother, entrepreneur, public servant and sister-friend to many.

Grab your favorite beverage and tune in at YouTube.com/StacyInspires to be enlightened, empowered and inspired.

Follow Your Flow

Entering a new week and winding down the month of October offers you a chance this week to reflect, refocus and renew your commitments to you.

Remember who you are and Whose you are, 

and respond accordingly to today’s opportunities 

to love, serve, be on the move,

or be still and know.

Because when you know more, 

you do indeed grow more; 

and as you know and grow,

you bless others so sincerely 

with your overflow 

that you find yourself

doubly blessed in the process.

Pay attention and you’ll witness the ways! 

Celebrating The Pivot

A year ago in October, I independently published the tiniest book ever, in hopes that it would make a huge impact on its readers.

I purposely sized this single-poem chapbook (The Pivot) approximately 4×3 so it would fit in purses and pockets, to be carried along and read as needed in moments that call for encouragement.

I picked a specialty paper for printing, so that its readers would experience the book itself as a gift, featuring words of resolve they would be personally invited to live.

So Happy 1st anniversary to my first-ever published poem, The Pivot!

And thank you to readers across the nation who have shared how this poem has breathed life into you during challenging days and dared you to dream bigger on courageous ones.

Thanks to the event organizers who have purchased copies for your speaker and audience gifts and to the women who have ordered books for your sister circle retreats or as group-themed birthday presents.

Thanks to the owners of REDDJobb, an independent bookstore in Charlotte’s Carolina Place Mall for asking to keep copies on hand for your patrons and to the organizations that have invited me to deliver presentations on its themes.

To readers everywhere who have endorsed the book, thank you for sharing with me how the poem has personally impacted you. Sometimes when our own words escape us, those penned by others can carry the message our hearts long to convey.

Because of its specialty design, The Pivot is only available through my website (rather than the usual online retailers) at StacyHawkinsAdams.com.

This may keep me from making faster sales; however, for now, it feels right to personalize the experience as a self-care gift as much as possible. If Hallmark or another publishing entity wants to help strategically scale it, call me! 😉

For now, I simply say thank you!! I am grateful to be the muse and the steward for this beacon of hope, in book form.

Stacy Hawkins Adams’ poem, The Pivot
These readers of The Pivot received it as a gift!
One reader of The Pivot includes it in her morning devotions.
NYT bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby endorsed The Pivot.

Draft Your Operating Instructions

We’re living in a time when our culture and our media offer emphatic representations of what success, happiness and fulfillment are supposed to be.

Thankfully, we still have free will and the right to choose who we want to be and how we want to do life.

My personal aim?

I’m striving to continually lean into the wisdom to always be true to yourself, no matter what.

This requires me to consistently carve out time to be still and quiet, so I can listen to and better know myself at every turn. When I hear from within, I am reminded of the values I want to inform my choices and the values that best align with my life’s purpose and goals.

Even with such focus, however, it’s important to remember that none of us is perfect. I – we – must be intent on moving with humility and generosity. We can’t dismiss, discard, disrespect or devalue others, for they are on uniquely divine journeys, too. In the circle of life’s reciprocity, what we render is also what we receive.

Consider joining me on this journey to honoring our truest and highest selves – the parts of us that operate with both heart and integrity. In doing so, I believe we’ll find the truest paths to success, inner joy (which supersedes happiness) and fulfillment.

Stay the Course

As we settle into fall and and race toward the end of the year, don’t fret over what you haven’t yet checked off your list of goals; be grateful for what you have managed to achieve, and more importantly, for how you’ve grown.

Assess how you’ve nurtured, cared for, loved or mentored others, and give thanks for those who have poured some measure of tenderness and time into you.

Lean into all that fall holds and don’t stop striving. Stay the course in becoming.

Cherish those who cherish you, yet love everyone unconditionally.

Generously support and serve others, yet set boundaries to protect your self-care. 

Forgive and forge ahead.  Laugh and lighten up.

Dance or walk in the rain. Take chances and embrace joy.

Appreciate each day and embrace the lessons that this season, and previous ones, have offered.

Make peace with your present. Set new goals and arch toward new moutains. 

Whatever you do, don’t dim your shine. As someone once said, keep being the light you are and others’ eyes will adjust.

You, me – we – are imperfectly human. But we’re here! And as long as we have breath, we’re meant to stay the course.