When I introduced the idea of a Year of Dwelling Well, I didn’t know what the months ahead would hold. Still, the intention remains exactly what I want: living well within our real, imperfect circumstances. Dwelling Well is not about perfection. It’s about making the most of where we are, building peace, comfort, and belonging even when life is hard. The events of recent times have deepened the meaning of the message in Dwelling and its companion journal, Dwelling Well, helping these ideas become more relevant as we navigate uncertainty together.
These are difficult days. Many of us are carrying fears and facing struggles. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to process what’s happening, and I’m right there with you, taking one small step at a time.
Dwelling and the Dwelling Well journal were written from my heart, to encourage others through life’s highs and lows. We are walking this path together now more than ever.
Below is an excerpt from the “Loveliness” chapter of Dwelling:
While I was writing this chapter, I received two phone calls that brought heartbreaking news: one young woman nearly lost her life, and one young man will be taken from us too soon. Both situations were painful and difficult to face, and they changed the tone of everything I was doing.
Life felt fragile. I remember feeling the air knocked out of me, sitting still and crying, unable to continue writing as if nothing had shifted. Everything felt different, and it settled in that nothing would be the same again.
My emotions collided—deep sadness, disbelief, sharp pain, and a near-paralyzing fear—leaving me numb and foggy. Words failed me; there were no answers, only questions. When I tried to return to my writing, the why’s and what-ifs crowded in.
I wondered if small acts of creating loveliness could matter at all when everything felt broken. Where does loveliness live amid heartbreak and fear? Doubt crept in.
Yet along with the questions came a soft reassurance: loveliness is not only for the easy times.
I find comfort in these words from Scripture: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).
I couldn’t control the outcomes for those I loved, but I could hold on to what I knew to do: pray, draw strength from faith, and seek growth through hardship. That brought a measure of peace and comfort.
Hard times remind me that all we truly have is the present. How we respond and grow is a choice. While we may not change the circumstances, we can choose who we become because of them. The challenge of life is learning to cultivate beauty even when the ground feels barren.
If life were always easy and beautiful, our appreciation of beauty would lose depth. Heartache often helps us develop greater compassion and discover more meaningful ways to live.
The moments that shake us open opportunities to refocus on what matters most. Faith carries us through. Life is fragile and fleeting, so making ordinary days at home as nourishing and beautiful as possible honors the full spectrum of life.
When you aren’t inspired to create beauty, receive it as a gift. Look out the window and notice the colors of the sunset, the light of sunrise, the shapes of flower petals, the stripes of a bumblebee, and the unique scent of every plant and tree. Small details can steady us.
loveliness self-care
• Go on a mental scavenger hunt and find a little loveliness where you least expect it—your commute, a pile of laundry—aim for three small discoveries.
• Reflect on how a difficulty expanded your compassion or deepened your gratitude. What do you appreciate now that you might have missed before hardship?
Having a simple, reliable practice to look for beauty can carry you through. Living with an intention toward loveliness helps build perseverance so you can find it again across seasons.
Beauty can act as a balm for life’s rough edges.
Think back to something beautiful that brought you joy as a child. Do you still enjoy it? Describe the elements of loveliness you’ve appreciated in different seasons. What small pleasures from your earlier years might you bring back now? It often takes very little to rekindle joy.
Beauty can spark more beauty. Daily life can be made lovelier even when parts of it are hard. Sometimes we create beauty to celebrate the good, and other times we lean on it just to get out of bed. Cultivating a beauty-seeking, joy-focused mindset matters in every season.
Where do you find beauty right now?
– this excerpt adapted from Dwelling, by NYT Bestselling Author Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room
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The Year of Dwelling Well is more than a blog series; it’s an invitation to intentionally shape how you want to live, even when life feels uncertain. It encourages small, sustainable steps toward a home that supports your well‑being, habits that refresh health, and moments that deepen connection and meaning.
Being part of a supportive community can help you stay motivated and inspired as you create a nourishing home and life.
If you’re spending more time at home, reading Dwelling may offer practical, comforting ways to care for yourself and others during uncertain times. The Dwelling Well journal provides guided pages that are simple to use—even for those who don’t usually journal—and helps keep your intentions focused throughout the year.
See videos about the Dwelling Well journal and how to use it in the “Journal” highlight on my Instagram stories.
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