I am not and never will claim to hold all of the magical tools to positive communication, and I am a big proponent of continued learning. I do wholeheartedly believe, though, that by practicing the act of acknowledging, you will reap the benefits of more open, honest, and authentic communication in your conversations and relationships with others. And, who doesn’t want some of these in their life?! Here are just a few ways the act of acknowledging can transform your relationships and future interaction.

Sarah and her husband are going through some tragic circumstances right now. They are some of the best people. They are kind, gracious, loving, and the most genuine souls. They have the biggest hearts. They’re the type of people you meet and then you feel like you’ve known them for your entire life.

Artemis is seventy-three years old and has lived alone for almost thirty years. She has often talked about how lonely it is to live by herself. And recently, my mum became very unwell with pneumonia, a kidney infection, and edema in her ankles and legs.

In less-than-ideal seasons, it’s practically effortless to focus on the bad, on all the ways this season isn’t what we want or hope. But there are a few things my new job and season have reminded me of that are better responses to a less-than-ideal season.

Hard feelings look different for everyone. For some, it’s paralyzing; you feel like your brain is put on pause from too many thoughts flying around. For some, it can manifest as physiological symptoms: headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, insomnia.

Several years ago I experienced the most pain I’d ever endured in my life. The kind of pain that envelops you, holds you just under the water while you gasp for air. It wasn’t a single incident, rather a series of events over the course of several years. My world felt like it had crashed in around me, and I knew my heart would never be the same.

And the best gift we can give is the gift of our willing and open selves in friendship.

Today, I’m sharing from my personal experience with Arabic, to encourage you to try out language learning and suggest some tools that have helped me. This post is mainly meant for monolingual English speakers in the U.S., but if you’re already bilingual or multilingual, or speak a different native language, I hope it can still be helpful!

We are never just one thing. Our identity is made up of hundreds of puzzle pieces. The bigger picture never stops growing. Every single day we continue adding to it because it demonstrates our story.

The month of August taught me how to say goodbye to the Everyday People.