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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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February 8, 2018

When You Need to Hibernate

I’ve been a little bit more quiet here lately. And I’ve wanted to share with you what’s been happening but I just couldn’t quite get it written down. So I’m coming to you in a video instead.

It’s a little bit messy and a little bit raw and a LOT honest. And, frankly, it would be much easier for me to not share this with you but I think there might be someone out there who needs to know they aren’t the only one who finds themselves in a quieter season.

Just a heads up. this was originally done in a FB live video so you might hear me responding a bit to some of the comments.

 

Have you been or are you currently in a season of needing to hibernate for a bit?

Please know, dear friends, that I understand. That I will sit in it with you. And that it’s ok.

Because community is best done when we can support each other in every season, don’t you think?

Thank you so much for meeting me at the fence today,

P.S. I want to reiterate that I am not battling depression (and I promise I’m not in denial). I know the symptoms and have walked alongside friends and family as they have struggled with it. I also have many people who would encourage me to get help if they saw any evidence of it in my life. There is a HUGE difference between needing to be quiet/hibernate for a bit and being truly depressed.  And if you are wondering if perhaps you are struggling with depression, please reach out to someone. You could even reach out to me and I would be honored to help point you towards some resources. xoxo

14 Comments Filed Under: Faith

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Comments

  1. Lynn Mosher says

    February 8, 2018 at 4:05 PM

    Sounds like you had too much on your plate at once and you wore yourself out. Don’t ever feel guilty for taking care of yourself. You needed to retreat and rest your soul. To refuel. To refresh. You may still need some retreat time. Please take care of that inner part of you. May the Lord bless you. ❤

    Reply
  2. Karen K. says

    February 8, 2018 at 5:11 PM

    I think you’ve had too much at one time & you need to chill for awhile. That’s perfectly all right!! You have to take care of yourself, so grab a pillow & blanket & relax on the couch. Prayer helps also!!

    Reply
  3. Naomi S. says

    February 8, 2018 at 6:00 PM

    I have always tho’t that Winter should be declared “hibernation time”! Especially if you live in a cold climate. If we could just allow ourselves to stay inside and be as unproductive as we felt like. For the whole season! I, myself, and a couple of my friends, border on the description of hermits. We all understand that we may not hear from the others for months, sometimes. It doesn’t mean we are mad or that we don’t want to be friends anymore, it just means that we don’t have energy for “relating” right now.

    Anyway, I think it’s quite alright for you to draw back for as long as you need to. I truly understand that need. It means we are taking time for ourselves to refuel. And we should feel alright with doing it.

    Reply
  4. Mary-Ann (from Canada!) says

    February 8, 2018 at 6:39 PM

    Vanessa, I just want you to know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. You have been such a busy gal and, sometimes, you just feel like you need time to just sit and take a break! This is so important. There is nothing wrong with taking some time for you and you don’t have to feel guilty about this. It’s always good when you realize that you need to step away from being so busy. The Lord knows all about what you are going through and He loves and cares for you. Just keep looking up to Him! Your friends are lifting you up to Him in prayer. The sun will shine brightly for you again soon! May you feel God’s presence in a very special way in the coming week. Don’t ever forget how special you are in God’s eyes — and in the eyes of all your friends who read your posts Bless you, dear friend.

    Reply
  5. Diane says

    February 8, 2018 at 7:30 PM

    My mother always called it quiet time. I arranged for my children to have quiet time also when they were kids. And now my daughter does it for her kids. I see nothing wrong with quiet time or hibernation or whatever you want to call it.

    Reply
  6. Michele says

    February 8, 2018 at 10:36 PM

    It’s completely understandable with all you’ve been up to lately.

    Heavens to Betsy – take time for yourself and worry not.

    We look forward to knowing you’re happy, healthy, rested and ready for spring – it’s around the corner. God bless. Hugs and prayers. ♥

    Reply
  7. Wilma Prohaska says

    February 8, 2018 at 11:41 PM

    Oh dear. You were just overwhelmed with work and the flu didn’t do you any favor by showing up during such a busy time in life. I would cry too.
    It is ok to decide to settle and retire ; just for a few days or weeks as much as you need; in the company and quiet comfort of God.
    You will be better. You opened your heart and ears to a sunny day. Hugs.

    Reply
  8. Wanda says

    February 8, 2018 at 11:50 PM

    Vanessa, take your time. Rest, rejuvenate, revitalize. We will still be here when your winter turns to spring. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) may be a contributing factor in your “darkness”.

    Reply
  9. Debbie says

    February 9, 2018 at 6:19 AM

    Thank you Vanessa for being so open and honest with us. Listening to your video I just wanted to give you a hug. Sometimes when I read other blogs they look like they have a perfect life and everything going for them. I know we all have trials and struggles in life and times where we just need to be alone. Thankfully God is always there with us through our struggles and never leaves us. Your followers will be there for you when you are ready. Please rest and take the time you need. I know I will still be here. Sending my hug

    Reply
  10. Sarah Braden says

    February 9, 2018 at 9:12 AM

    I resonate with so much of what you said. Thank you for being courageous and sharing your heart with us.

    Reply
  11. Norma Rolader says

    February 10, 2018 at 7:49 AM

    God bless you for sharing and prayers for you! I is perfectly alright to chill and take time out! I am so glad you shared your story I have been fighting severe depression, panic attacks and anxiety attacks for the last few years and seeing a doctor … I was not able to leave my home my husband had to do all … now all the progress that I have made I am following back due to now my husband is in in-home hospice and all has been put on me to do and for the last he has taken a turn for the worse we have my 81 yr old mother living with us Please keep us in your prayers as I will be praying for you

    Reply
  12. Kerna Pettorelli says

    February 12, 2018 at 2:47 AM

    I admire your courage to speak your truth.
    Blessings to you. XO

    Reply
  13. Cindy says

    February 16, 2018 at 3:26 PM

    You are an amazing woman. I am giving you a big hug and I love you and I totally understand. I have been there. Thanks for sharing what is on your heart. I have never personally met you but I feel I know you and it will all be okay. Just a season of life. Praying for you with lots of love.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 16, 2018 at 5:03 PM

      Oh thank you so much Cindy! I’d take a hug! LOL! It’s so nice to know that we aren’t alone in these seasons isn’t it? I really do feel like I’m beginning to come out of it and the support of this amazing community has been so incredible. Blessings to you! xoxo

      Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
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It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
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And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

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