Claresa | Finding Inspiration | A Faith-Based Lifestyle & Culture Blog by writer, Claresa Smith
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Claresa | Finding Inspiration | A Faith-Based Lifestyle & Culture Blog by writer, Claresa Smith
  • Faith
  • Living
    • Home + Family
    • Relationships
    • Wellness
    • Work + Productivity
  • Culture
    • people & ideas
    • arts & entertainment
    • books & reviews
  • Features
    • Elsewhere
    • Poetry
    • Series
      • Five Minute Friday
      • Living Inspired Series
      • Sunday Songs
  • About
    • About The Blog
    • Disclosures/Privacy Policy
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    • Shop My Favorites

Relationships

17 posts
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  • 2 min
  • Relationships

Politics, Marriage, And What Not To Do With Different Views

  • Posted on October 25, 2017January 24, 2019
  • byClaresa Smith
These days, using social media in the age of smartphones makes it hard to escape politics. We see the news stories on our feeds. We hear the commentary. And the…
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  • 3 min
  • Relationships

On The Need To Love Bravely

  • Posted on February 25, 2016August 8, 2018
  • byClaresa Smith
Three. That’s how many times in the last few months that I heard about a loved one who took their last breath in a hospital bed. I got the first…
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  • 2 min
  • Relationships

The Stories We Need To Tell And How To Respond To Them

  • Posted on August 15, 2014August 8, 2018
  • byClaresa Smith
Everyday the news headlines are filled with stories of death, destruction, and public outcries for change. This week alone I’ve read about the progression of an Ebola outbreak, the  persecution…
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  • 3 min
  • Relationships

Why Thank You Notes Shouldn’t Be So Hard to Write

  • Posted on August 5, 2014August 8, 2018
  • byClaresa Smith
In today’s day and age, it’s easy for life to get inundated with technology: websites, evites, social media. But no matter how many advancements I see, there is nothing like…
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  • 3 min
  • Relationships

Lessons Learned After Five Years of Marriage

  • Posted on July 30, 2014August 8, 2018
  • byClaresa Smith
Earlier this month, my husband and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, and we marked the occasion with our first dinner alone since our baby girl was born. It was…
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  • 2 min
  • Relationships

The Would Haves, Should Haves, Could Haves of Friendship

  • Posted on July 28, 2014September 4, 2018
  • byClaresa Smith
On several occasions over the last month, I’ve spent time with good friends, caught up with old friends, and even made some new friends. And it’s been great. But last…

Hey! I’m a wife, homeschooling mom, creative, and the woman behind Finding Inspiration. This space is all about finding the good stuff in our lives that can motivate us to live with faith, love well, learn daily, and create beauty—using our God-given gifts, talents, and resources. Welcome!

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  • Starting to do new things to feed my soul and make my heart happy. Waking up early—before anyone gets up—to write is one of them. I close myself off in a guest room I’ve started to use as an office and work on some of the things that make me feel creative and productive. .
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I’ve always been a night person, but the calm and the quiet time alone the past few mornings have been so wonderful because I get a lot done and I don’t feel like I have to spend the day fighting for moments of stillness. Are you a morning person? Night person? How do you add a little quiet to your day? .
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#findinginspiration #livinginspired #makelifecount #morning #morningroutines #writing #writinglife #bloggerlife #atlblogger #atlantablogger #faithblogger #christianblogger #momblogger #selfcare #soulcare #workspace
    36 8
  • This has to be one of my all-time favorite photos of me and the kids. #momlife is hard sometimes. It requires me to give more than I’ve ever given before and in ways I never thought I’d have to. But I also get so much more in return than I ever expected. And I’m happy to embrace it all. #HesWorkingForMyGood .
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#findinginspiration #livinginspired #makelifecount #embraceyourmotherhood  @embraceyourmotherhood #realmotherhood #magical_motherhood @magical_motherhood #blackmotherhood #bloggermom
    69 7
  • It’s taken a long time for me to be able to say that I love myself and who I was created to be. .
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I admit I was one of those people who let the media, others’ opinions and their behaviors shape what I thought of myself. I even tried to build my identity on those things.
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The worse I was treated or my being criticized, the more I felt unloved and devalued. Then I questioned if I was even worthy of anything better. .
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Then I realized I had been feeding myself lies and clinging to other people’s opinions when I should have been holding onto my Creator’s truth.
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I wrote about all of that and offer some #encouragement for you in a new post up now on the blog. #linkinbio
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 #findinginspiration #inspirationforlife #christianinspiration #livinginspired #makelifecount #bloggerlife #atlblogger #atlantablogger #momblogger #lifestyleblogger #faithblogger
    67 2
  • #wednesdaywisdom Collect beautiful moments. I’m not sure who coined the phrase, but a friend reminded me of it last night. .
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With a strong-willed preschooler and a boundary-testing toddler, each day can be filled with moments that look and sound anything but beautiful. And today definitely had its share of them. .
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But I’m so glad I captured this morning moment, as my littles hugged each other so tight they fell over and erupted in giggles. It’s a moment that turned into a memory I’ve held onto all day. And it gave me a reason to smile again when I wanted to scream, cry, or just complain about everything that didn’t go the way I hoped. #keepinghopealive .
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#findingjoy #choosejoy #momlife #realmotherhood #encouragement #inspiration #findinginspiration #livinginspired #makelifecount #kidsofinstagram
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  • I’ve been using this treadmill for a while, so I can get in some more intense cardio workouts at home. I’ve never been a runner, but I’ve always wanted to build my speed and endurance. Plus, the idea of spending time alone, zoning out and running while listening to my favorite music, podcast, or book seemed appealing.
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Oftentimes, I’d put it in program mode, choose one particular program, watch it get to it’s highest speeds, and struggle to keep up. My finger frantically trying to feel for the decrease speed button. But yesterday, when that same treadmill program hit its high speed, I didn’t have to slow down. .
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It made me think of how the effort we make toward achieving a goal makes a difference, even if we don’t see it immediately. How slow and steady is better than not at all. How small victories are still victories. And should be celebrated. What small victories are you celebrating these days?
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#findinginspiration #fitness #wellness #encouragement #livinginspired #runningshoes #treadmillruns #goalgetter #smallvictories
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  • Foggy morning and gloomy day, but I’m telling myself that doesn’t mean I have to feel that way. So, I’ve been taking in this view from the inside and making it a day of cleaning up, catching up, and getting back to routines. What have you been doing so this Monday doesn’t get you down? .
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#gloomyday #makingthemostofit #findinginspiration
    23 2
Claresa | Finding Inspiration | A Faith-Based Lifestyle & Culture Blog by writer, Claresa Smith
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