About the Author

Anna works full-time for DaySpring from Minnesota, where she lives with her husband and four kids. Anna is the author of A Moment of Christmas and Pumpkin Spice for Your Soul, and she shares the good stuff of the regular, encouraging you to see the ordinary glory in your everyday.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Love this: “Experiencing pure delight in the things we’re hardwired to love is worth leaning into – whether or not it makes sense to anyone else.”

    Maybe it’s because I’m a fellow Enneagram 4/5 and think deeply about every single facet of my life, but I love this. I’m always trying to “make sense of” the many different things I love that often seem at odds with one another. And yet always wanting to always be my truest authentic self…even if that changes from season to season to moment to moment. How can I love classical music and also love hard rock. Or how can I enjoy the country and also the city, both so much. This has me (and has had me) thinking about so much in my life lately. Coming to freedom with the many different parts that I am. Love love love this, Anna.

  2. Anna, the pickle party makes me SO HAPPY!! (And I don’t even like pickles. lol) All the yeses to God delighting in our delight. He is the God of specifics, of details, of beauty and joy and love – and surely we are made in His image.

  3. What a delightful devotional! I’m so thankful that God created me to take delight in things that are unique to me. As I type my comment I’m looking out at a tree that has started to show signs of autumn. It delights me that there are playful yellow leaves peeking out from under the green ones. And don’t get me started in the brilliant sunsets that I have seen in my own backyard, or the butterflies that land on the flowers I planted last spring. Speaking of flowers, my camera roll is full of flower photos. I especially delight in the magnolias that bloom every summer. Each day there are so many opportunities to take delight in the everyday moments!

  4. Anna,
    Thanks so much for your lighthearted glimpse into your beautifully full life and how you and your family rejoice in God’s delights!

  5. … I actually threw a pickle-tasting party for one of my birthdays (14, maybe?), since one of my friend groups had been discussing things like “what do bread and butter pickles even taste like?” – most families had their One Pickle but we were all either vaguely or very aware that there were other pickles out there. Everyone brought a jar of a different kind of pickles and we went to town on them. (thank God for teenage digestions that can handle that many pickles without them causing a pile of nightmares!)

    (the rest of the party was not pickle-themed, but I can recommend taste-testing something no one’s got a ton invested in as a very good “mixing” activity!)(not a ton invested: no one will melt down if someone ranks item A way above item B; don’t do this with heirloom recipes or other emotional-connection things unless everyone, no matter what their date-of-birth-age is, has the emotional maturity to be able to handle their grandma’s sugar cookies losing)

    I love that God gives us so many good things! I hope we bring God joy by who we’re becoming!

  6. Anna,
    I so enjoyed your writing and then decided to listen as well to your recording. Today, I am struggling with my relationship with Time and with The Lord.

    Time means to me: aging, deadlines, stopping bad attitudes, frustration, giving up, but hardly ever delight.

    Thank you for this amazing post, because I need to embrace The Lord has given me time, time to live, time to enjoy, time to seek Him, time to listen to a podcast, time to listen to someone else’s experience of time.

    Time is precious. Time is a gift. Time doesn’t have to mean anything except enjoyment.

    Just beautiful!

    Blessings and a heartfelt hug,
    Ginger

  7. Thanks for sharing your joy in what brings you joy! I call those special things we enjoy secret treasures from the Lord. We know when it’s a special treasure from Him, and let’s treasure our treasures! They are sacred!

  8. Anna love all you spoke on in today’s devotional for incourage. What you said about Veggie tail parties. Through them you were getting in a nice fun way the word of God into your kids. I don’t have kids. Not brave enough to have any. But have Niece’s and Nephews in my sister’s Family’s to spoil. I am Married 31 years in June past this year. If God wanted us to have kids me and my Husband we would have had them. We are just happy the two of us. We are both saved. I was a Registered Childminder for 19 years. I looked after kids who had Parents who were not saved but for one we boy who had Parents that were Filipino and saved. So I used to put on in a nice way when Childminding so as not to sound pushy to the kids. That their Parents would give of to me that were not saved for trying as the sayings goes putting my beliefs on to their kids. I put on my phone nice kids Bible songs for them to listen to that they enjoyed. Plus Psalty the Singing Song Book. They loved both of these things. Through this they were learning about Jesus and the Bible stories in fun way that was not pushy. Then their Parents would say nothing. One time I put Psalty the Singing book on for them. It was about loving all People and Kids no matter what colour of skin they have. It made me put on the Kids song also that is good for us as Adults too. That is “Jesus loves all the Children of the world red and yellow black and white” We all are to do the same Kids and Adults too. Psalty the Singing Song the big blue book taught all in nice way that interest kids I look after they be glued to it. I was getting the word of God into them from a young age. So I say when in their teens etc they remember those days and me playing the Children Bible songs to them and also playing Psalty the Singing Song Book to them. All it taught them. One time Psalty the Singing Song Book that big blue book. Was about not being scared that Jesus is with them all the times and he loves them. How not be scared and if they were silly sacrey things they were scared of. How to celebrate not to being scared. Like the title of your reading Anna that is brilliant today. They would say after watching it Jesus say not to be scared. He with me always to take the scary things away and fill it with nice things and his love. Put the other Psalty one about loving all People and Kids no matter what skin colour they have. They not passed any remarks on the we Filipino boy I used to look after that had a different colour skin to them like their white skin they had. So they were learning in a nice way for them as kids. I say Amen to that. Thank you again Anna for writing this devotional and all you said in it. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland. In my prayers you all in incourage. Xx

  9. Hi Anna…………A Pickle Party. Gee……That is really unique especially with a 4 yr. old. It reminded me of all the parties I did for Aron when he was young. Sad they are now as you know, he still has abandoned me. He actually had a surprise party for my now ex-husband, but never anything for me which now even hurts me more that it did before. Jim never helped me with these parties and made sure he wouldn’t be around when they were going on. I am so happy to read your stories about all the things you and your family have done. Friends tell me they don’t like to tell me these types of things for fear of hurting my feelings even more, but I take joy when I hear about them. I don’t get mad or jealous, I am just happy that some people are having fun. I don’t think any of the things you are doing are silly. I still can’t quite figure out how a 4 year old, pick a Pickles Party, but he did and I’m sure you will do a fantastic job with it and take lots of pictures. Thank you Anna. I enjoy all of your writings and I wish you a nice end of the week. The weather here today has been so gloomy. It certainly doesn’t make for great feelings. Take care and keep having those “Silly” parties…………………Betsy Basile

  10. Thank you for this joy-filled devotion, for sharing your parties and pickles and reminding us that there is joy everywhere!

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