February was quite a month! So much happened- my friends, God is moving!! I figured the easiest way to update you on my progress is through the areas I have set my goals in, so let’s try a new way to recap the month.

Marriage + Finances: Jared and I spent about two times a week reading our Bibles together before bed! (We have been trying to get into this habit for months and we finally successfully started to cultivate it.)

Ministry: I officially moved into online ministry at Grace Chapel through leading the Spoonie Study Life Group! Continued my retreat from the Chronically Cultivating podcast and prepared the podcast for this new season ahead.

Health + Self-care: We had a stair lift installed! Since August 2017, Jared has faithfully carried me up and down the stairs. God is so good and after years of saving we finally were able to get one installed. My family calls it the “freedom chair.” I also got to be in the sunroom at the end of February, and this was an awesome surprise because I live in New England. The weather is never this nice this time of year!

Personal Growth: I had a couple meetings with both of my mentors who have been essential to my character and growth. I also read two books!

Spiritual Growth: I reflected on God’s faithfulness around my portaversary, I learned and practiced praying boldly, and virtually attended this IF:gathering conference.

Friends: Maura found her wedding dress and now we share a dress day (she got her dress exactly 2 years to the day that I did- I know we are the definition of best friend goals!) I pruned where necessary so that I could focus on my health, and had my powersheet prep girls over!

Family + Home: When foxy came over she FELL ASLEEP ON ME for 45 minutes (if you know Foxy you know this is a huge deal.) We had a game night with Stephen and he and I got to go on a fun trip to target together- congrats Stephen on getting your license! After an appointment, I was treated to brunch date with my dad. We also had an overnight with Ronald and Joanne, in which Joanne and I also planned out her Spring Mask Collection Launch for April!

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Here is my tending list from last month. (Don’t know what Powersheets are? Check out how to use them here!) It may not look like my daily goals were amazing, but SO MUCH GOOD came from them.

Slow Growth is STILL Growth!

Without further ado… onto March we go! This month I set a lofty goal to read three books. We are five days into the month and so far I have not been able to do much as I have had a really nasty dislocation- but we are focused on progress not perfection. Goals are just goals and I refuse to be guilted by them which is why I make a conscious effort to choose grace over guilt.

It looks like I have more monthly goals than normal because I chose spread them out rather than leave them combined. I’m excited to plant seeds, have a soul refresh day, and continue to lead the Spoonie Study! My top priority is to take myself OUT of the running- for more details on this philosophy check out the book: You are the Girl for the Job.

Monthly Goals:

• Platform Main Goals: I transformed the life giving-home wildcard page into a life-giving platform check-in so that I stay on top of all the things Living the Chronic Illness Life entails. This is solely for all the monthly goals on that list.
• Date Night
• Read 3 Books
• Soul Refresh Day: Over the past two months, I have accidentally had a day that I dedicate to refreshing and replenishing my soul for example attending (physically or virtually) a conference. I plan to make this a monthly practice
• Meet with Mentors
• Plant Seeds: that’s right it’s time to start seed starter kits!
• Powersheet Prep: I need to do my spring refresh and then prep for April
• Memorize 1 Verse

Weekly Goals:

• Spoonie Study Prep and Live: Prepare for and lead the Spoonie Study!
• Platform Check In: I transformed the life giving-home wildcard page into a life-giving platform check-in so that I stay on top of all the things Living the Chronic Illness Life entails such as instagram devotionals, the Spoonie Study, the Chronically Cultivating Podcast, and Blog Posts!
• Love Jared Well: spend intentional time together without our phones
• Quiet Time 2x a week: Time reading the Bible together with Jared
• Tend to Garden: Watering and tending to my succulents and seeds!
• Church: Our church broadcast’s both their services online through live streaming (and all of the services are also kept on youtube so you can watch them at anytime), to check out Grace Chapel’s online ministry click here We are so grateful for this ministry as I am not always well enough to physically go to church. We prefer the 11:00 contemporary worship service
• All the Things: med cart inventory, organizing pills, joint corrections, self care, etc.

Daily Goals: I filled in all five again because I enjoyed tracking how I spend my time and how well I follow the boundaries I want to live by. I know for a fact that I am not going to be close to perfect in checking all these boxes, but this is about growth NOT perfection.

• Downtime @ 10:30 pm: I am going to try to go from 11 pm to 10:30 pm. I am slowly going down in 5 minute time slots hoping by the end of the month to be in “downtime mode” at 10:30 pm. This means that after 10:30 pm I go to bed and am not watching tv, scrolling on social media, or playing games on my phone. The only thing I can do during downtime is listen to music, use my Bible app, or read on my kindle. (Pro Tip- if you are like me and struggle to stay accountable to a screen related goal, I suggest going into your settings to the screen time, set your downtime limits, and have your spouse make the passcode. That way you can’t cheat even if you want to!)
• TV off until 5:15 pm: I want to read more and not waste time watching TV. If there are days where, because of my health, I am taking a rest day I will put an X in the box. That way I can see how I did on the days where I did not have to have a full rest day. I’m increasing this by 15 minutes.
• Bible Reading: I am excited to be reading the Bible in a two year canonical (front to back) plan!
• Prayer: working to pray persistently and boldly!
• WTW: I am going through Cultivate Worship currently!

Well that’s my plan for the month! What are your goals for the month?

Don’t have your powersheets yet? Get your 6 month set now before they sell out!

Happy March Friends!

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Cassie Nolin is a married spoonie who lives the chronic illness life with EDS + Co. (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and it’s comorbid conditions.) She challenges others to choose grace over guilt in goal setting, and is in ministry part time serving the online community through The Spoonie Study. She loves planting, hand lettering, and sharing the hope she has found in Jesus. Her blog, Living the Chronic Illness Life, is in the top 100 chronic illness blogs and her podcast, Chronically Cultivating, is produced by Speaking to the Heart Network. Cassie encourages women to live authentic and intentional lives through their diagnosis’ not in spite of them. You can learn more about her at www.livingthechronicillnesslife.com

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