The Gift of a Bernedoodle

There are some dates that become part of your story forever.

For me, May 5, 2025, will always be remembered as the day I lost my dog…and my dad.

That morning began like any other workday. My older son and I were getting ready for work when he quietly told me, “Don’t go look at Snow. She’s gone.” I didn’t fully process what he was saying. I walked over to where Snow always slept, hoping somehow it wasn’t true. But it was. Our sweet dog, who had been part of our family for more than a decade, had taken her final breath. Later that same day, my father passed away. Looking back, I don’t know that I ever fully grieved losing Snow because my heart was immediately consumed with grieving my dad. The two losses became forever connected in my mind.

Earlier this year, my younger son decided he wanted a dog. At first he had his heart set on a Bernese Mountain Dog, but after learning how much they shed, he began researching Bernedoodles instead. Before long, Jax became part of our family. What none of us expected was how much one fluffy, playful puppy would change all of our lives. Jax hasn’t just won over my son. He has won over me, my older son, my niece & nephew and even my mom & my sister. He is incredibly smart, endlessly affectionate, and somehow knows exactly how to make everyone smile. Watching him run through the house, or extend his paw to us, and discover the world has reminded me of something I didn’t even realize I was missing.

Jax will never replace Snow, just as no one could ever replace my dad. Love doesn’t work that way. But I do believe God has a beautiful way of sending unexpected gifts when our hearts are ready to receive them. After a season filled with unimaginable loss, Jax has brought laughter back into our home. He has reminded us that joy and grief can exist together, and that healing can arrive on four paws with a wagging tail and a heart full of unconditional love. Today, I am grateful—not only for the years we had with Snow, but also for the precious gift of a Bernedoodle named Jax, whose little life has become a gentle reminder that even after loss, love has a way of finding us again.

♡ “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3

 

Snow loved to lay near the fireplace. 🥰

 

International Self-Care Day: Choosing Yourself Is Not Selfish

There was a time in my life when I thought self-care meant waiting until everything else was finished. After the work was done. After everyone else’s needs were met. After the crisis had passed. But life has taught me something different. Self-care isn’t a reward for surviving difficult seasons. It is one of the ways we survive them. 

Over the years my wellness journey has included learning about the Go Red For Women initiative, creating a wellness group on Facebook, employment changes, becoming an empty nester, grief after the loss of my father, rebuilding my health, and learning to embrace a slower pace without feeling guilty. Through each season, God gently reminded me that caring for myself was never separate from caring for my purpose. 

In many ways, self-care became an act of faith.

In 2026, self-care looks different than it once did. It’s tending to my growing collection of plants because they remind me that healthy things flourish with consistent care. It’s writing, praying, creating, and allowing myself moments of stillness. It’s choosing peace over pressure and understanding that rest is not laziness—it’s preparation. The Resting While You Wait framework was born from this very lesson: Rest. Reflect. Respond. Release. I’ve learned that healing isn’t about getting back to who I was; it’s about becoming who God has been shaping me to be all along.

Today, on International Self-Care Day, I hope you’ll give yourself permission to pause. Drink the tea. Take the walk. Read the book. Water the plants. Turn off the notifications. Pray a little longer. Celebrate the small victories that no one else sees. You don’t have to earn rest, and you don’t have to apologize for protecting your peace. 

Your wellness matters because you matter. Sometimes the greatest act of courage is simply believing that you are worthy of the same grace, compassion, and care that you so freely give to everyone else. And if today is the day you choose yourself, know this: you’re not falling behind—you are growing stronger for everything that lies ahead.

 

The Resting While You Wait Framework

 

The Resting While You Wait Framework 

It’s A Thankful Thursday!! - Ways To Practice Gratitude ✨

 

Resting While You Wait

Resting While You Wait Prayer Journal 

VaShawn Mitchell - Turning Around For Me (Live)

 

Self-Care for the Saints: Seven Years Later

In March of 2019, I wrote a blog, “Self-Care For The Saints”.  I was only a few months removed from having a stroke. At the time, I thought I was simply learning how to rest.

Looking back now, I realize God was teaching me something much deeper.

Since then, life has continued to unfold in ways I never could have imagined. I’ve experienced healing, unexpected illness, grief that changed me, the loss of my father, new beginnings, closed doors, answered prayers, and prayers that required me to wait much longer than I wanted. Through every season, one lesson has remained the same:

Rest is not the absence of faith.

Sometimes rest is faith.

Somewhere along the journey, “Self-Care for the Saints” quietly grew into what is now Resting While You Wait. What began as permission to slow down became a framework for living. I discovered that waiting doesn’t have to be wasted when it becomes an invitation to draw closer to God.

Today, my self-care looks different than it did in 2019.

Some days it’s spending time in prayer before I ever touch my phone.

Some days it’s sitting quietly with my journal and writing down three things I’m grateful for.

Some days it’s taking a walk, drinking more water, making a nourishing meal, or saying “no” without apologizing.

Some days it’s lighting a candle, turning on the diffuser, wrapping myself in a blanket, and simply enjoying the gift of stillness.

And yes…sometimes it’s still a manicure and pedicure.

I’ve learned that caring for the temple God has entrusted to me isn’t vanity. It’s stewardship.

Jesus often withdrew to quiet places to pray. If our Savior made room for solitude, why do we sometimes feel guilty for doing the same?

I’ve also learned that resilience isn’t about pretending you’re strong every day. Resilience is choosing to trust God on the days when you feel anything but strong. It’s getting up one more time. It’s believing Romans 8:28 when you can’t yet see how all things are working together. It’s allowing God to restore your soul before asking Him to restore your schedule.

One of the greatest gifts I’ve given myself over these past several years has been permission.

Permission to heal.

Permission to grieve.

Permission to pause.

Permission to celebrate small victories.

Permission to become someone new.

I no longer measure my life by how busy I am. I measure it by the peace I carry.

The older I get, the more I understand that productivity isn’t the same as purpose, and exhaustion isn’t a badge of honor. God never asked us to prove our worth through constant striving. He simply asked us to remain in Him.

So if you’re reading this today and you’ve been carrying the weight of everyone else’s expectations, consider this your reminder:

Rest.

Reflect.

Respond.

Release.

Those four words have carried me through some of the hardest seasons of my life, and they continue to anchor me today.

To every caregiver, every parent, every ministry leader, every entrepreneur, every teacher, every person quietly carrying more than anyone realizes…

Please don’t wait until your body forces you to stop.

Take care of your spirit.

Take care of your mind.

Take care of your body.

Take care of your heart.

The work will still be there tomorrow.

Your peace deserves to be there too.

The saints still need self-care.

Now more than ever.

Be well.

Grace and peace,

Arlinda Christine

 

Unfinished Glory - Dexter Jakes

 

I Love My Plants 🪴

Over the years, I have worked really hard at making space for my plants. Some of them have overgrown and outgrown pots. Then,  I have some that I keep in water. There is at least one plant that I have kept in the little plastic container that it came in. And I seem to only remember the plant when I see that it’s dying.

That particular plant I decided to pot it this week and I’m super happy that I did. I’m gonna share the first picture, which is the finished potted plant and it’s actually the smallest one, but I also potted a plant that I had in water since May and I’m managing to take care of a plant that I purchased from Dorothy Lane Market back in April and it’s real pretty.

I have several plants in the house. Some of them need to either be repotted or put in water. I think I’m gonna buy some water beads and put some of them in water and others I will separate and repot some of them individually. 

Here’s a picture I took before I repotted the smallest plant. I hope this will be an opportunity for it to really grow.  🤞🏽

Resting While You Wait Framework 💞💙

 

✨ Healing doesn’t always happen all at once. Sometimes it happens one step at a time.

I’m excited to share the complete 6-part Resting While You Wait Framework—a series born from my own journey of faith, healing, grief, and hope.

Whether you’re waiting for clarity, healing, peace, or your next chapter, I pray these short episodes encourage you to:

💜 Rest.

💜 Reflect.

💜 Respond.

💜 Release.

🌙Because even in the night… there’s hope.

🎥 Watch the complete series here:

🔗 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuMFB9HmjNRrsNm01K4gwzi5NNDb-v68o&si=pz-G0tew7HNWFZbd

After you’ve watched, I’d love to hear which episode spoke to you the most.

Remember… it all works together for good. 💜