When I first started writing publicly seven years ago, I stumbled upon the trend of praying to receive a word for the year. I hoped it would be something exciting, something God would use to affirm and fuel my transition into the world of sharing my soul with readers.
Instead, I got: slow.
As usual, I was a little, ahem, slow on the uptake.
Years later, I see that that I have always been in rush, in a hurry to enter the next stage, receive the next thing.
Now, in this season of motherhood, I am finally starting to let this lesson, this discipline of slow sink in. There’s a reason “Vienna” by Billy Joel was my favorite song as a teenager, why Chardin’s “Patient Trust” won’t leave me alone, and why, when everything in my life—from homeschooling pace to the biotechnologies that I study to book publishing—seems to be accelerating at an unprecedented pace, the gentle whisper of the Lord continues to beckon me to a quieter, slower rhythm of life.
I am finally ready to listen.
Two years ago, I nearly lost the ability to mother at all. Chronic illness stripped me of my plans, my rhythms, my strength. It left me staring at the fragile edges of what I thought I could control. In the quiet that followed, I felt a new invitation—or rather, the old one—whisper back to me:
To return.
To rest.
To savor the fleeting beauty of these ordinary days.
I thought I knew what “slow” meant back then. But I’m learning now that slow isn’t stillness in the way I imagined. It’s more like the hummingbird: wings beating furiously, yet somehow hovering, motion and stillness held in tension.
That’s the vision of Slow Motherhood—not a promise of perfectly calm days, but a posture of peace inside the whirlwind. A way of noticing, of savoring, of gathering up these messy, beautiful, fleeting years while we still have time to make them.
What Is Slow Motherhood?
Slow motherhood is waffles and pancakes on Saturday mornings, sticky fingers and syrupy smiles.
It’s graham cracker castles collapsing in the backyard and late-night campouts under a sky full of stars.
It’s checking the milkweed for tiny signs of life—the fragile promise of butterfly chrysalises tucked beneath green leaves.
It’s playing in the rain, stomping through mud puddles, and baking a thunder cake while the storm rattles the windows.
It’s popcorn on the couch, family movies tangled in blankets, and jumping on the trampoline until the constellations come out.
Slow motherhood is pausing long enough to notice—the sticky kisses, the endless questions, the sacred ordinariness of it all.
It’s making memories we’ll one day ache to return to.
Slow motherhood is savoring the present moment so we can relish the good old days—while we’ve still got time to make them.
Slow motherhood is savoring the present moment so we can relish the good old days—while we’ve still got time to make them.
What You’ll Find Here
This newsletter has always been about sharing grace and raising saints, but with this shift, I want to give you something more intentional, more rooted. Here’s what you can expect:
• Prayerful Reflections: finding God in the middle of spilled Cheerios and endless laundry
• Joyful Rhythms: building gentle routines that nourish your home, your children, and your soul
• Practical Wisdom: tips, encouragement, and resources to help you savor motherhood—not just survive it
• Stories & Stillness: moments of wonder, awe, and connection, even when life feels chaotic
Slow motherhood isn’t about doing less. It’s about being more present in the life we already have.
A New Beginning
I’m so grateful you’re here. This community has been with me through many seasons—from the early days of motherhood to my first published book to now, when illness and uncertainty have rewritten my pace. This shift isn’t so much a change as it is a coming home.
Together, we’ll lean into the wild, messy, sacred gift of these ordinary days and learn to find the stillness of the hummingbird—the quiet center in the middle of motion. Here’s to savoring the “good old days”—while we’re still living them.
AMDG,
Samantha
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