Day 2 - It All Starts With a Promise by Pearl Allard (Look Up for 31 Days)

Day 2 – It All Starts With a Promise

If you are just joining me, welcome! You can find an explanation of this series here: Day 1 – Introduction. “I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13 Story: Genesis 9:8-17 Before I dug into this passage I was so excited that this series…

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Day 1 - Look Up for 31 Days by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

Day 1 – Introduction

Hello dear Friend, Welcome to this series “Look Up for 31 Days.” This series is in response to a challenge called Write 31 Days. Write 31 Days is where crazy people commit to blogging every day for the month of October on one topic. (Don’t worry — in November we’ll be back to weekly posts unless your feedback is so…

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Part 2 A Letter to My Younger Self by Pearl Allard - Look Up Sometimes

Part 2: A Letter to My Younger Self

Click to read Part 1: What I (Don’t) Want to Be When I Grow Up Dear Younger Me, You know those non-dreams you so courageously penned in your Bible? The ones you’re petrified someone will see? You’re not less than; you rock! It’s ok not to care about careers. (It’s also ok TO care about careers.) The thing is? It’s…

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What I (Don't) Want to Be When I Grow Up by Pearl Allard - Look Up Sometimes

What I (Don’t) Want to Be When I Grow Up – Part 1

I always hated the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I felt ashamed; I blushed, stammered. Choked out something I thought might pass for non-fiction. (Which made me feel worse since I knew lying was wrong.) The truth? I didn’t want to be anything; I had no ambitions. How do you tell people that? I…

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The Power of Story to Eliminate Conflict by Pearl Allard - Look Up Sometimes

The Power of Story to Eliminate Your Worst Conflict

When I turned thirteen, my world expanded. I was finally old enough to babysit. Oddly, jobs were scarce. There were so many kids my age in our neighborhood, these coveted income-producing opportunities were rare. Thankfully, my next-door neighbor chose me. I frequently babysat for this family.   Their three children weren’t much younger than me. I often played with them even when not babysitting. One of the differences…

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Hope That Doesn't Give Up (Even When We Have) by Pearl Allard - Look Up Sometimes

Hope That Doesn’t Give Up (Even When We Do)

My four-year-old daughter colored several papers and attempted to staple them. Her six-year-old brother observed. “I have to push with all my weight when I use the stapler,” he said, validating her struggle. Suddenly, she stood up, chair scraping, launched her project in the trash can, and stormed to her room. “I’m right here if you want –,” <cue slamming…

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The Tortoise and the Snare: Embrace Your Uniqueness by Pearl Allard - Look Up Sometimes

The Tortoise and the Snare: Embrace Your Uniqueness

In conversation with a friend, once, I made a comment about learning to embrace how I operate. I’m slower (but more thorough) to process and sometimes struggle to do what seems to come easily to many (which makes me a good teacher, after the fact). I don’t move at lightning speed (keeps me humble), and I’m not a model multi-tasker…

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When Things Don't Go as Planned - Pearl Allard - Look Up Sometimes

When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Ziploc of ice slung over my propped ankle, I reflected over the incident. Frankly, I found it maddening I didn’t even have a good story to tell. The moles went to town next to the backyard steps, and the past winter hardened the earth into ridges. I’d walked these steps dozens of times this summer without pain. Not this time.…

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