A Heart That Still Beats

March 11, 2026March 11, 2026 / Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-March 11th, 2026

Sometimes when we feel discomfort or pain in our bodies, our instinct is to turn away from it. We want to distract ourselves or wish it away. But yesterday my therapist guided me through a meditation called Turning Toward.

Instead of ignoring the discomfort, I acknowledged it for a moment. I noticed where it was and simply allowed it to be there.

Then later in the meditation, I was asked to scan my body and find a place that felt pleasant or peaceful. Somewhere that reminded me that not everything was pain.

I placed my hand over my heart and focused on the steady rhythm of it beating.

In that quiet moment, I felt something unexpected—gratitude.

Even though my body has limitations because of autoimmune disease, it is still a gift. This heart keeps beating. My lungs keep breathing. My body continues to carry me through each day.

I can acknowledge the struggles my body faces while still feeling grateful for the miracle of it.

Today I felt thankful for this body my Heavenly Father has given me—the one that allows me to live, to love, and to experience this life.

What parts of your life can you turn toward with gratitude today?

New Foundations

March 10, 2026 / Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Community Conversations

It has been a whirlwind of a week as we’ve settled into our new townhouse. There is something about moving into a new space that makes you reflect on the foundations we build in our lives—both the physical ones and the spiritual ones.

Speaking of foundations, I’ve been waiting patiently to share some news with you.

On Sunday, March 22nd, my guest appearance on the Latter-day Lights podcast will finally air!

When we recorded this back in January, I felt so much peace sharing my story and some of the reflections that have come from my writing journey. We dive into the “why” behind the verses and how we can find refuge even in the middle of life’s moves and changes.

Save the date: March 22, 2026. I’ll be sending out the direct link the moment it goes live!

I’d love to hear from you: I’ve been thinking a lot about “new beginnings” this week. What is one “storm” you’ve built a strong foundation through recently? Hit Reply and let me know—I read and cherish every one of your stories.

Every Story Holds Hope

February 25, 2026 / Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-Feb.25th, 2026

Recently I listened to Alisha Coakley’s farewell episode on the Latter-day Lights podcast—the same podcast I recorded an episode for last month. When Scott asked her what she learned from listening to so many people’s stories, her answer was simple and powerful: we can all make it through hard times, and there is always hope.

That stayed with me.

We truly have no idea what someone else is carrying. We aren’t walking in their shoes—and we never fully can. Each person is on a sacred, individual journey with God. So if we can’t see the whole story, shouldn’t we just choose kindness every time?

I also believe there is a reason we are given trials. What if part of the purpose of our hardest seasons is so we can later reach back and say, “I’ve been there. You’re going to make it”? What if our vulnerability becomes someone else’s lifeline?

That’s one reason I share my story. Not because it’s easy—but because hope grows when it’s shared.

And I hold tightly to this truth: God works all things for our good. Every heartbreak. Every unanswered prayer. Every long night. He is powerful. He knows what He is doing. He has a plan for each one of us.

So today I’m asking myself:
Who might need my kindness?
And am I willing to let my story become someone else’s hope?

We are all walking each other home.

The Echo of Home

February 24, 2026February 24, 2026 / Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory:
Over the past several years of living with an autoimmune disease, there have been days when I have felt like I was standing alone in a vast canyon-my prayers rising upward and my questions echoing back to me. When pain lingers and strength feels thin, it’s easy to wonder if anyone truly understands. But slowly, in the stillness, I began to notice something. After I cried out to my Father in Heaven, something would return. Not always healing. Not always immediate answers. But peace and strength for the next breath. A quiet reminder that I was known. It felt like an echo. And I began to realize that an echo only comes when something is there to receive the sound. Maybe I was never calling into emptiness after all. Maybe heaven has never left me.

The Echo of Home

Oh my Beloved Father in Heaven,
Some days it’s hard to feel you near and I question.
The pain inside me is more than I can bear,
But in the stillness of the canyon, you are there.

When I cry out to You for relief,
You echo back love to help my unbelief.
Though my eyes cannot physically see,
I feel Your presence reaching for me.

I know I lived with You before my birth,
Help me remember my Divine Worth.
You have never left me to walk alone,
Even when the path feels unknown.

Please hold me close so I might see
The blessings You have given me.
And through the weight of my hardest days,
Please help my heart to sing Your praise.

In the canyon of my trouble and fear,
Let the echo of love make my doubts disappear.
I know You love me more than I can say,
And You will never leave me, come what may.

The Takeaway: When we feel alone and our prayers seem to disappear into silence, we may just need to become still enough to listen. God’s love does not always shout. Often it returns softly-in peace, in endurance, in remembered truth. The pause between our cry and His comfort is not absence; it is the sacred space where faith grows. If you can hear even the faintest return of hope, it means you were heard. You left heaven to come here. But heaven has never left you.