Ali Wren

whole-hearted living, healthy-minded eating

Reflect

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Soren Kierkegaard To live and love with my whole heart, I have found that I need to spend time in reflection. December and January offer a valuable time to reflect on the year and make goals or resolutions. While I am all […]

Stop Competing

Comparison and envy will eventually lead to competition. And competition will eventually lead to loneliness, because if we look for it and follow it, competition will never go away.

Stop Comparing

Let’s stop comparing and start living life, just as we are, with what we have. And believe that we are enough. That our very life is beautiful.

Grace

Grace is the voice that calls us to change and gives us the power to pull it off. – Max Lucado Grace. Something so difficult to define. In my opinion, Grace is a choice. It is an opportunity that exists every moment of every day in every one of us. When we make a mistake, […]

Be Kind to Yourself

I don’t know about you, but I am hard on myself. The things I say to myself I would never dare say to someone else. Things like: You’re an idiot. You failed (again). What is wrong with you? You’re unloved. You ruined it. You’re ugly. People are annoyed by you. . . I could go on. I’ve […]

See the Best in Others

I can hardly believe that I am into the second week of The Nester’s Write for 31 Days Challenge. Thanks for following me along in this journey of living wholeheartedly. Living and loving with my whole heart means I seek to see the best in people. In my husband, family, friends, coworkers, and my students. […]

Practicing Self-Care

When we love ourselves, and take care of ourselves, we can live wholeheartedly and–in turn–love others well. Here are five ways I practice self-care.

Pray

Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done. – C.S. Lewis I want to live and love with my whole heart. For me, this means that I communicate with God about my hopes, dreams, fears, failures, confessions, struggles, and blessings. A simple prayer for today: […]

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These grain-free, dairy-free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the epitome of October. Perfect for breakfast, a mid-day snack, or dessert. Enjoy them with a chai tea latte. Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups almond meal 1/2 cup ground flax meal 1/4 cup sugar (I use a stevia blend) 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice 2 tsp baking powder […]

Loving Strangers Well

Shut up. Stop smacking your gum. Could you please cover your mouth when you cough?  Watch where you’re walking. Please turn down your phone’s brightness settings. Stop messing with your hair. Learn how to drive. These are common phrases I say in my head to strangers on a regular basis. Not to excuse my thoughts, […]