Shannon's Corner

Re-entry demands a unique blend of endurance, resilience, and spiritual fortitude. Pacing yourself effectively in re-entry will ensure that you maintain capacity and energy throughout the race while navigating the hurdles of re-entry efficiently. Maintaining rhythms of gratitude, reflection, patience, and kindness will equip you to pace yourself effortlessly in this race called re-entry.   Let’s check in to see how you are doing in the race of re-entry. 1) What is your mindset?  2) What are you visualizing? 3) How is your pacing? 4) How is your stability? 5) What is your posture? 6) How are you navigating transitional stress? 7) Where are you in the journey of grief? 8) How is your personhood being impacted (voice, power, and relationship)? 9) How are you engaging in reintegration and acclimation? 10) How have your roles and purpose shifted or changed? 11) What is the snapshot of your wheel of well-being look like? 12) What does settled mean to you? 13) How are you flourishing...

  Crossing the finish line of re-entry will look and feel different for each individual and family. Settling is when you start finding stability in your life —of becoming accustomed to new surroundings, routines, and rhythms. Being settled involves a sense of comfort, familiarity, and security. It’s the point when things stop feeling chaotic and start feeling predictable and manageable. Being settled signifies reaching a state of stability, peace, and comfort in one's environment or situation.   Settling is the foundation for flourishing to take root. The journey to flourishing involves overcoming challenges and finding the right rhythms between internal resilience and external support. Those who succeed in flourishing often inspire others by demonstrating how change, though hard, can lead to incredible growth and transformation. It’s about finding your place, being known in your community, embracing new changes, and growing stronger with each new opportunity.  I am home....

Our well-being can be out of sync as we are walking through transition. It is essential to take a pulse on our well-being because it directly affects how we feel, function, and experience life. This assessment will identify the dimensions where we are low or lacking health and will show us if we are able to cope with stress, recover from adversity, and maintain healthy relationships out of healthy or unhealthy ways.    Take a moment to color in what percentage you are at right now in each of these eight dimensions to give you a snapshot of your well-being. Physical wellness – understanding and maintaining your body’s nutrition, physical movement, and sleep needs. Emotional wellness – coping effectively and creating satisfying relationships. Intellectual wellness – being creative, innovative, being curious, and expanding knowledge and skills. Spiritual wellness – expanding your sense of purpose and meaning of life. Relational wellness – developing connection, belonging, and com...

  SHANNON’S CORNER I will be joining my team with Refresh & Resound International as we will be in Penang, Malaysia.  Some of the team will be doing worship and the rest of us will be providing care and prayer for the spiritual leaders’ retreat and conference for around 220 global workers who work in translating the Scriptures in SE Asia.  Please be in prayer for my team as well as for everyone at these events.  I will share with you more next month so stay tuned. I have so enjoyed the slower pace this month and the opportunity to finish all of my nursing continuing education classes as well as some life coaching continuing education.  The slower pace has also given me time to be able to pause and reflect on this past summer and check-in with myself.  There have been some things that surfaced to the top of some transition losses that I needed to acknowledge, process, and grieve them.  God gently reminding me that I am still in the season of re-entr...

  Both purpose and roles shape how we navigate life, guiding our actions, decisions, and relationships. While purpose is often an intrinsic drive, fueled by a sense of meaning, a role is typically the function or position we hold within a structure—whether it be formal or informal.   Purpose is like a personal compass that helps us identify what matters most in life, and it is driven by core values. It answers the question, "Why am I here?" Purpose is about discovering what gives our life deep meaning and what fuels our sense of accomplishment.    The roles are the functions or duties that we fulfill within a given context. Roles answer the question, "What do I do?" They exist within a structure, and each has a distinct set of duties and tasks. While roles are assigned or chosen, they can change over time depending on circumstances.     In re-entry, your purpose and roles can change and become unclear that can be disorienting. It is essential to pause, refl...

  Transitioning back into a familiar environment after a period away or adjusting to a new setting can be both challenging and rewarding. Whether you're re-entering your passport country, returning to work after a long break, moving to a new city, or readjusting after a significant life change, the process of reintegrating and acclimating requires intentional effort.   Reintegration  refers to the process of re-entering and readjusting to a previous environment, whether it's a workplace, community, or social circle.  Acclimation  involves adapting to new conditions or environments.    How to reintegrate and acclimate? Set realistic expectations and manage those expectations with the understanding that it will take time to fully adjust. Establish routines both old and new ones as this helps to establish a sense of stability. Embrace flexibility will help you to adapt your plans when facing unexpected challenges and discovering new opportunities. Be resp...