Creating Connections: The Art and Power of Letters with my friend Jill Howell

Just write. I feel like encouragement is a spiritual gift. So how can I merge that with these words of affirmation? It's writing and I feel like it's a word God has given me for years and I always thought it was like for me, my word. You know, I have so many pictures in my camera roll with the word write on wherever I saw it in the world. But I feel like it's it's a word to be shared with others. When in the Bible, when God wants to get your attention, tells you something important, he says write this down and I just think that matters and that word matters. I think that's a simply, in a simple way, sums up where I am on my journey and what I'm doing and what I'm making, and you know the writing things to others matter.

Hey there, I'm Amy Connell. Welcome to Grace Health, the podcast for women who want simple and grace filled ways to take care of themselves and enjoy a little chocolate. I'm a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who wants you to know your eating, movement and body don't have to be perfect, you just need to be able to do what you're called to do. Okay, I want you to think about something for me. When was the last time you received a handwritten note in the mail and what did you do with it? So I don't know about you, but I have a couple friends who are wonderful about writing handwritten notes, whether it is for a simple thank you or a note of encouragement. But these friends you can just tell that they are great at it, but many of us, me included, are not great at it. However, I love receiving handwritten notes. When I get them, I cherish them, each and every single one of them. Like, if you send me an envelope that is handwritten on the front, I am keeping it, and I have a very special place that I keep it in my keepsakes treasure chest. They're just so rare to receive I mean, we just don't do that as much anymore and even though they don't take a lot of time, they are incredibly meaningful. My guest today is my friend, jill Howell, who is passionate about the connection that letter writing creates, kind of like what I just talked about. She will share her story of this, but she is on a mission to help us connect to others through the power of words and affirmation. Jill illustrates all kinds of cards and, you guys, they are darling and whimsical and beautiful and thoughtful. I just love them. And if you don't follow her right now, you are going to want to follow her over on Instagram and Facebook at Daily Steps Designs, and, of course, this is in the show notes. But she has recently created this brilliant idea Okay, you guys, listen to this. She has created these kits to help us send more letters, so she has cards in them and then also prompts with them. So like for open wind situations and you're going to hear her story about what prompted her to create these open wind situations quotes. She has made this simple, accessible, easy for those of us to just sit down and write a letter rather than think, okay, I'm going to sit down and write something and then we go, oh, what should I write? So she knows this pain and she is here to help make it easy for you to connect with your loved ones. I know you will love this conversation. She dropped so many just wonderful nuggets throughout it. If you want to see Jill's illustrations, she has them on cards. She also has mugs and stickers and more. Go to Etsy and you can check out her Daily Steps Designs. Shop over on Etsy and again, that's her handle on Instagram and Facebook as well and then you can sign up for her newsletter where she shares her latest creations, and when you do, you will get a coupon code at her Etsy shop. So this is something that can be used for any of her stuff, and I'm just telling you right now, when you see them, you're going to want everything. I want everything. So the link to all of this is in the show notes. Please go check it out. They're just so. I just love them. I love them, love them, love them. And in fact, I recently needed to do some new thank you cards and I had Jill help me out. So anyone who is on a guest on my Grace Health podcast gets a thank you card. Sometimes it is more timely than others because I have a hard time sitting down, but now I get to sit them on these darling cards that say with gratitude, and they have a little podcast mic and my books and weights and they're just there's. I love them. I love them so much and it's so fun for me to send these out. So let me tell you really quickly about Jill. She is a Jesus follower first and foremost, grace receiver, hope holder, happy Lover, daughter Razor and yes, she has four of them Picture Drawer, word Writer, coffee Drinker and Daily Stepper Through it All. I can't wait for you to meet my friend Jill. Let's bring her on. Hey there, I'm Amy Kahnel. Welcome to Grace Health, the podcast for women who want simple and grace-filled ways to take care of themselves. I'm a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who wants you to know your eating, movement and body don't have to be perfect, you just need to be able to do what you're called to do. I have with me today someone who is doing what she has been called to do, and that is my friend Jill Howell, and we are taking a little bit of a turn from some of our typical conversations. But I cannot wait for you to meet Jill. I know you will love her just as much as I do. Jill is a Jesus follower, grace receiver, hope Holder, happy Lover, daughter, razor, picture Drawer, word Writer, coffee Drinker and Daily Stepper Through it All. Jill, welcome to the show. Hi, thanks for having me. I'm really glad you're here and, by the way, that little bio that you used I don't know if you know this or not, but I did the same thing with descriptions of my family for Christmas cards one year actually a couple years. That's so cool. Yeah, it was really fun, and I don't I can't take credit for that my friend Shayna, who is just a brilliant reader and lover of words as well. She had received a card from someone. She said I could see you doing this, and so all year long I thought about it. So I love, I love how you've put yourself together in all of these verbs.

I'm going to have to see your card. I I. Was it the design or was it how you signed it? No, it was what people are doing.

Oh, okay, so it was like basketball player cross country runner you know, I've done. Yeah, I've done different things like that, but, anyway, okay. So, jill, I am really excited because you have started creating some amazing products that I think are going to be so helpful for people, and I know that they come from your heart. It's something that you have felt called to do, so I would love for you to back up just a little bit and tell us how you got into illustrating, so drawing kind of online, what do we call it? Digital painting, and there's a lot of different ways of saying it, but tell us how you got into that.

So I pretty much always done something creative growing up, yes, but then really as an adult, I think it's kind of been a half, four daughters, and so it's always been sort of an outlet to have something creative to do. Back in the day when we were having babies, I drew an illustrated birth announcements and invitations with colored pencil and things like that got into photography. You know you photograph your babies. Then photos became how you designed cards and whatnot, and then there was a season of kind of nothing, because we got busy with the kids and if you do things creative, you know they usually a mess usually comes with it, and you got to have a space to leave it out and that just kind of became more and more challenging. So I feel like I kind of had a season of not a lot of that and I honestly, I think, because God's given me creative gifts, I get antsy when I'm not using them, but it's. It took me some time to kind of figure that out. So then several years ago I found digital drawing and it's just like this perfect way to use my gifts, you know, kind of scratch, that itch, that desire to be creative, and it's an iPad and a pencil and it's all digital and it can go with me anywhere, and so so just a few years ago got into that, so that the sort of desire to draw has always been there. But the digital medium is new, which keeps it kind of fun to you.

Yeah, and it's cleaner and easier problem.

Oh my gosh way cleaner.

What you were talking about, of just like feeling antsy when you do that, that are, when you don't create in the way that God designed you to create reminds me of a story that Glennon Doyle used to talk about writing, where it's just like bubbling up, bubbling up, bubbling up and it's and it starts to just simmer and then boil and then, if you don't get it out, it's just it stays on the inside and it causes all of these problems and it's like such a peaceful, wonderful release whenever you finally get it out.

Yeah, and you know, I remember talking to a friend about this and she didn't relate to the creative part of that, but she said she is the kind of person who has to have fun every day, like she has to do something silly or a prank or something like that. And so then she said, well, but if I don't do that every day, I get antsy and I feel like that's that's like a gift of hers, is just that playfulness, because I definitely lack that, like I have to work to build that in me. Yeah, like kind of the fun sucker of the family. And I was like, okay, so maybe that's how it. That's how God works. He fills you with these, you know abilities, and when you're not truly using them, there's an uneasiness because they need to be out in the world. So I feel like I've kind of found a rhythm, understanding that, and then you know a place in life. Honestly, the girls are older, so that's a place to. yeah, please do and create again.

Yes, Well, and speaking of older, we are both getting older and you turned I did, for the record, I asked permission, you guys, for to say this but you turned 50 recently and and I love that, you're like, yeah, who cares? Because that's kind of my attitude to it. Some people are, you know, they feel a little differently about it, but you started doing some new things that connected kind of all of the different aspects of what's important to you and in fact, even as I was reading these things, I mean it was, you know, picture drawer, word writer, the grace receiver, all of these, so everything kind of came together at once. So can you tell people what this, this project, turning into your 50th birthday, was?

Okay. So I turned 50 this summer and I knew I wanted to be intentional with that time, or just with the approach, or just with recognizing it. Initially I sort of had the idea of positive affirmations, self affirmations, because I think you probably have talked about this with other guests before but as women, as humans, but as women, we get in our head really easily negatively, and so I just thought, okay, it's, that's your turn in 50, like you know, another half centuries on its way, right? So let's go into it positive. And I brainstormed, I sketched, I, you know, had little phrases, I took some illustrations that I had. I was trying to, you know, come up with something and I just I kept kind of I think it was God, kind of, you know, talking to me turn your eyes outward, what's outward, notice what's outside of you, not inside. So I thought you know what I think I want to write to people and I think I just want to use like maybe I could find 50 people to write to before I turn 50 and just tell them what they mean to me. And so it was really an eyes out, not in shift, that I had and oh, my goodness, it was. So I, randomly, because I don't know you're getting a random text with your family. But it was the first day of spring, was, I don't know, march 21st or whatever day it was. Someone asked if it was the first day of spring within our family. So when I looked it up, I don't even know, I mean again, probably God, but that day was 100 days until my 50th birthday and I was like, okay, here's my intention, like how am I gonna do this? Could I get 50 notes written before I turn 50? And so just in my memos, my notes in my phone, kept a list of my family and my daughters and immediate family, brothers, mom, in-laws, all of, and I mean it became like a loaves and fishes situation with how many names could go in my list. From when you reflect on your life, there's a lot of seasons that people are in not throughout the 50, but bridesmaids from when we got married and high school friends. And I just slowly started writing notes to people and I mean it was, I mean life giving to me way more than positive affirmations would have ever been, because it just kind of put me in a posture of gratitude for all these relationships and kind of even though you lose touch with people. I mean, I reached out to some high school friends. I mean you're connected with a lot of people on Facebook these days, but just in a different way and it was just kind of these wow moments. And I mean, who doesn't like to get a nice little note in the mail?

and Cause you sent these snail mail like your hand, wrote notes and put a stamp on them with the return address, things that we're not always used to doing. They are either. Lovely, though you sent one to me. It was so fun.

Yeah, I mean who. It's words of affirmation and I've learned that that's my love language over the years and it was just a way to use that in a very intentional way. And I know people love getting the notes based on you know some texts and messages. I got snail mail notes. I got back. I got a couple of pen pals out of that exercise or that experience, but yeah, just it mentally was such a good. There's such a gift to me.

So yes, absolutely, I would love it. Do you remember any of the responses that people shared that kind of either took surprised you or took you a back, or anything like or meant a lot back to you?

Not necessarily specific words but just interesting who might have been touched by it and, you know, sent a text or sent a note back in the mail or message me through Facebook if it's someone that we don't really text but we're connected, you know, on the social platforms. But yeah, I mean just I didn't expect anybody to respond. You know, you just picture somebody getting their letter in the mail and reading it and like, oh, that's okay, and you tuck it in your place where you might want to keep things or you put your mail or whatever. So just the fact that people even responded honestly kind of surprised me, because it was, it was, you know, like I said just this. I hate to say project, that makes it sound too rulesy, but just this, I don't know, like a gift, drive of the heart, yeah, yeah.

You just said something, too, that I want to point out, and that is you know, we get a lot of emails, we get a lot of DMs, we get a lot of instant messages and all of that kind of stuff, but we keep the handwritten notes, and these are the things that we keep forever. I have a little keepsake box that your note went in and that anytime anyone sends me a handwritten letter, it goes in there because it's so meaningful and it's something that will stay with us for so long, and so I don't want to let that slide, because what you've done is you have created in this project not project a lasting connection and a lasting affirmation to the people who meant a lot to you.

Yeah, and you know, taking that maybe a step further for loved ones, friends, that I've lost what I wouldn't give to have that tangible note, and so that just, I think, lit a fire even more. It just added to the meaning of what notes really mean. And they don't take long at all to do, and but you can speak from the heart in a matter of a few minutes and give that to someone. So, yeah, you're right, I keep all of my notes in a little special little basket.

Yes, me too. You mentioned words of affirmation, and that was something that I kind of wanted to touch on a little bit. Obviously, that's a love language of yours. That's one of mine as well. I got really lucky. Well, anyway, words of affirmation is one of mine, alongside acts of service, but have you learned anything or what stood out to you in terms of how these cards support those words of affirmation and support your love language, in terms of feeling you and maybe feeling other people?

The whole practice of this is just it's capturing those. So, you know, words are, they're everywhere and we're inundated with, you know, communication and all the visual, all the pieces from every angle these days, but I don't know the tangible written words for someone who likes to express them written, the verbal thing is, you know, I can't, I get hung up, I get a little tongue tied when I try to speak things. Writing them just lets me kind of go a little deeper with what I really want to say. But they're there forever, like it's, you know, like getting your favorite shirt that you can keep forever. So I don't know if I really answered your question.

No, it is good, yeah, it is good. I just know that that has been an important part of this process for you in this journey, and it kind of leads into this next kind of topic or question that I have for you, because the words of affirmation really have helped you connect with other people. Yeah, and that to me, just as an outsider, seems to be what that next drive is of like, what you are really hoping to help facilitate in creating these just beautiful, amazing illustrations. by the way, jill, you're just so talented and I love seeing all that you're doing, so I would like for you you have. Okay, first of all, I'm just gonna take a little bit of a detour. You guys, I'm gonna put Jill's daily steps, designs, link up on YouTube, and I want you to go. Just go look, just go look, and there are so many things. So Jill is also a huge book lover and she's created all of these things surrounding books. She has wildflowers, she has stickers, she has, I mean, like holiday themed with books, which doesn't really say it's. I didn't say that very well. So you have a ton of things. But the thing that I love that you have done recently, because as soon as you put this out and I was like, oh yes, I'm in, I want to do this is having these. It's a I think you're calling an open-win card, and so tell us about the origin of this and how do you envision people using them. Okay, so Tell us what it is too. By the way, I didn't ask that question.

Well, people might have seen all kinds of ads on social for their, I think, like envelopes or something that that you can print. I mean the open-win concept is is has been around for a long time and it's basically a note that you pre-write for someone to open win, whatever that occasion may be, and there's a lot of different ways you can do it. I honestly I don't remember noticing them on, like Instagram ads, for instance. They'll certainly pop up now that we're talking about it. Yes, it must have stuck somewhere inside, but when Addie, my second daughter, I was in my note writing 50 for 50, which, by the way, ended up being 100 for 50 and it's still going post 50. When I was sort of in that zone, she left for Africa for the summer for like a serve abroad opportunity and I bought international stamps, super excited because there's these big sunflower international stamps. And then I reached out to the place she was going through Instagram and learned that they don't. They're too rural, basically, so they don't get daily mail delivered. But I knew I wanted to connect with her that way. She was in Africa, very, very far time difference. I just wanted her to have that encouragement and those words of affirmation and also that was my need to like want to do that, to want to give that to her. So a group from A&M went to where she was as a mission trip. I guess I wrote a set of open-wind notes to send with that group so she would have them because mailing wasn't an option. So that was sort of what prompted the concept of writing ahead and then giving as a set. And when we could FaceTime with her she was like mom, I love getting your notes because it was a little piece of home, mom, she experienced all kinds of great things, but that comes with a lot of emotion and she just they resonated with her and she loved receiving them. So I think even at that time it wasn't like, oh, let me keep doing this. But I think God just kept, you know, working with me, pushing, pushing me, and I just I feel like over the summer kept hearing this message of Gen Z being the loneliest generation. They're the most anxious generation on record. Despite the look that they are connected, they're not and I thought you know what? Our kids aren't with us so they can all use this, you know. And then it went a step further. I was like my high schooler, who is a teenager and, yes, under my roof, but she's gone a lot and she likes her time alone and that's normal. She could benefit. They don't they don't need to always hear us talking at them. You know, and you can take in those words in a different way. So I was like I want to, I want to write these notes to my girls. We had done letter writing with our bible study in the spring and it we all kind of took a different way to serve to organize. Mine was letter writing and we wrote to. There's a lot of websites out there. You can write to elderly, you can write to military, and so we we just gathered and wrote and I thought, okay, why don't we gather and write to our kids and so put it out there? They were like, yeah, let's, let's get together. So I basically it's easy to say I want to sit down and write my kids, and then you sit down and then you're like I don't know what to say in my notes.

You know, what's coming back to me is when my kids would go to camp and I would have to write like three notes to them during the week that they were gone or the two weeks. I'm like I have no idea what to say here. I love you. I hope you're having fun yes, I get that.

Yeah, and it's that's like. That's the most discouraging feeling is when you really want to do something and you don't know where to start. And so I basically pulled together what I thought would be helpful resources for our group coming over, and it was I. I found 10, what I feel like are common emotions. So the open-win times, so discouragement, when you need motivation, when you've had success, when you want to celebrate, when you feel sad, when you're angry. And then I found quotes that went with each of those and and made them all cute with, you know, my procreate on my iPad. And then I also I thought, okay, sometimes that's still intimidating, like you read a quote, but okay, how do I put that in? So then I also created some sheets. I called them starter sayings and it's just little um phrases that you could read and be like, okay, I can say that, and then, as you start writing it, then your, your thoughts can sort of go. So I really created these kits as tools that could be helpful when you know, our group got together to write, and then I was like I think this would be a great kit to to put in people's hands and make it doable. You know, make it, you can get the kit and you have everything you need to sit down and get this done, because the point is write and send, like say it, write it and put it in the hands of your people. And so, um, I ended up creating a card that went with the theme of the quotes, the quote sheets, the starter sayings, and made a girl kit and a boy kit, like in colors, and just kind of ran with it. And then now I've I've got all these ideas for other kits that I want to make there's not enough hours in the day to get everything done but that it started with the desire to send it to Addie in Africa. And then God, talking to me about, you know, just our young generation. But you know what? I wrote a set to a friend who's a new empty nester and I thought, you know, and I just made it fun, you know, and use cards I already have. You don't have to have my kit to do this, you can use, you know, any card you want. The point is to write it. But I thought, okay, she's going through some new emotions. What can be fun? And so it was a little more lighthearted. But I just thought I mean I just I feel like, again, this is my love language, so get excited about it and it's how I like to pour out. But I just feel like it's so needed in the world. And sometimes, you know, like the old school stuff writing letters and getting letters in the mail I mean that that old school stuff, I don't know, it's kind of fun to bring back.

So it is so needed and I love that you have done this. And the other thing, too, that you have provided is the need of what else is needed is for those who aren't necessarily comfortable or used to creating, to writing notes is you've given us those prompts, you've given us those ideas to kind of get the juices flowing. So I love that and I will. I will say to, for those listening, what I did when this came through is I got things to give to some of my girlfriends who had just launched their children off into college. Because even if they sent it, you know, even if they did the open win, or if they just wanted to send it once a week or something like that, I mean, how fun is it to get real mail? I love getting real. We all have getting real mail and especially when they are off in their own new space fun space, but also potentially lonely at times, space. Yeah, I think that that's such a great resource.

Yeah, and you know you can get so creative with it. Because for mine the card open when you're angry, the card says ticked off, and I put a like your little stick of dynamite. And for my girls I put a little pack of the thing is from Papa John's, of the red pepper packs, just because and I was like feeling spicy and you know, just kind of like try to bring some lightness to a heavy subject. Another friend wrote them and she put a balloon with a toothpick so you can blow it up, you know, release your hot air or whatever, and then poke it with a toothpick just to have a little boom. Yeah, I get some of that frustration out, but it also sort of lightens the mood. So there's all kinds of ways you can do give cards, obviously, because you know you can go get some ice cream and you're feeling blue, but there's just, there's a lot of ways to have fun with it too and that creative piece of me like goes all in on that. Lots of ideas.

Yes, oh, I love it, I love it and I love to the difference that you had for those who maybe are a little more feminine and frilly, and not your stuff isn't frilly, so that's. I don't want to say that, but you know, like for my guys I have and I'm going to pull up because I still have a few left Like they're a little bit more how would you describe it? Because they're very simple.

Yeah, simple. I tried to make no frills. I have four daughters. I go to frill and color and whimsy and that is my style with my artwork. So I was super intentional to keep it a little darker, a little more muted, simple words. I've had a couple of conversation with friends who's these friends had sons. I'm sure it applies to girls too. They don't like a lot of words. Which is another way you could use the starter sayings is you could use them as a bullet point and just write simple phrases and that's enough. It doesn't have to be, you know, paragraphs and all of that. If that's not, if that doesn't reach your kid, your person that you want to write to. But I was super intentional to keep things as non girly and masculine as I could, because I was a great job, yeah.

Yes, you did a great job with that Well thank you. Okay, I've got a couple of questions that I want to that I ask all of my guests, but first we will put this in the show notes. But you guys, christmas is right around the corner and even if you are not listening as this comes out, there is always a reason that we need to give gifts, and this is a perfect place at daily steps designs over on Etsy Jill's store, where you can go get creative, handmade, intentional, made with love gifts that I think will help communicate your, maybe your thoughts, or just your caring for people, and I just there's so many fun things on here that I mean you have a whole thing for like a little. What are they called? Little library? Oh yeah, I mean you have. You've got so much out there. I mean it's just overflowing with ideas. So go over there and check that out. But, especially if you want to do something for your kids or for, it's a great gift. Grab a copy of these open when kids and that will. It's a, it's the gift that keeps on giving.

I mean it is. I felt like I get on my soapbox with why they matter. But you know they receive. Your kids receive a bazillion texts. Today they get emails. They don't even want to check emails. With school stuff comes an email. They don't get notes like this. And so you know, and like I said, even my high school or I wrote them. When I wrote to my college girls, I just chunk some time, got it done and I just left them on her bed for her and then the next morning she was like Mom, thank you for the notes. And you know they don't always let me know right when they open them, but that's okay. So you know it's a talking point for future conversations, absolutely.

Okay, I've got a few questions I ask everyone. One is I love learning about people's tattoos because I have found that when people put a tattoo on themselves for the rest of their life, they often have a meaning behind it. So I was wondering, if you had a tattoo, if you mind sharing what it is in the meaning behind it. And if you don't, if you had to get one, what would it be and where would it go?

So no, but we talked about this a lot with the girls because they've talked about getting a sister tattoo and then I say, hey, I went in on that, I don't want to be left out. What can we do with mom and daughter? Then dad doesn't want to be left out, so that's just this like out there conversation. We never, you know, we just revisit and that then separate. I have thought several times about this and it would be something faith based. For a long time I thought I wanted to get an arrow, just because I just like arrows, but it reminds me of Proverbs three, five through six. And now I'm not going to remember now that we're talking about it.

That's okay Homework. You guys can go look at that.

I'm like and I got my Bible right here but it's, you know, basically keep me on the straight path and there's just a lot of cool ways. They're kind of Boho and all that. And then I knew a friend who had a tattoo that was the Bible verse help my unbelief. And I just that always kind of stuck out to me and you know that's hers. I didn't want to take her thing but I just I loved, I love that, I love that she committed to that. You know, because that is that's a your faith, can be a hard road to walk sometimes. So for sure, it's all in my head right now Nothing less skin.

That's right, that's all right. Everything's in my head too, okay. And, like you, we have often had these conversations like what would it be, where would it go, what would you do? And then, of course, I end up asking a lot of really random people about their tattoos, but it's always sparks wonderful conversations. So I don't know, and you're right.

They are. My oldest daughter has a couple and the first one she got is the word sparkle, because my dad, who's been gone for a while now, used to say your sparkle smile is when you show the world who got intended you to be. And so that word sparkle just became a thing for us, and so she had emma Kate draw, draw the word like in her handwriting and got that. So you know, when she asked can I get this tattoo, and then she explained it to me, I was like, yes, I mean, how am I going to say no to that? So yeah, it's. It's really cool when they have a story. Love that.

Love that. Okay, do you have a? I mean, you kind of shared a bit of a Bible verse, but do you have a meaningful Bible Bible verse that you would like to share?

So I do. I feel like it's my life first. We used to have this conversation I met my old job about. Everybody has a Psalm. That's that's their life first. And maybe you found it, maybe you haven't, and if you ask people, it's interesting how many people do have a Psalm. This is what my business, my cards, are centered around daily steps. It's Psalm 119, 133. I'll read it straight from my Bible Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. So it's basically keep, keep my steps going, keep my steps in the direction that you want me to go, and don't let any sin rule over me, don't let anything from the world roll over me. And it's it's a constant prayer. I have to pray and I just I look back on my journey of you know kind of the creative thing and the writing thing with blogging on Instagram or whatever, and he just he does just keep guiding my steps. It's kind of interesting where it's ended up and it's my life first and it's what my cards are named after and that's my verse.

Yeah, yeah. That's so funny that you say that, because actually just this morning I was praying about just feeling overwhelmed in one of the projects and I was praying that, you know, let your word be a lamp unto my feet just guiding me for the next step. Because that lamp will only reach as far as, like how far you can step, and then the next one, and the next one and that. So that's so funny to hear you say that, because that's kind of that was my prayer this morning. So, yay, god, connecting things, as always.

Well, the steps are. What I've learned over the years is they're not just physical steps. You know, when I kind of got into this space, it was a little more health focused and it's evolved into where I am now and but it was like, you know, our steps are we have to be able to forgive and we have to be kind like the fruits of the spirit and show that. And you know, my emotions need to be in check and if they're not, then I need to, you know, pray. And so the steps just became not metaphorical I mean all that's real but just way more than just my physical steps, you know to keep going so broad meaning for it for sure?

Yeah, for sure. Okay, we've already said that I will connect the or I will link to your daily steps design on Etsy. Is there anywhere else you want to point people to, to connect with you?

Probably the place I hang out the most is Instagram and it's daily steps designs I. That's usually my favorite space to hang out. I also have a page on Facebook that's daily steps and they're linked, so usually the content from one place is the same, but you can interact a little differently on either. And then, of course, my, my Etsy shop. So Perfect, that's right. Okay, jill, what is the one simple thing you would like us to remember about?

today's conversation, big or small, but just one simple thing.

Well, I think maybe the the obvious thing but, but there's rudeness, there is just to write. So when I, you know, came into the cards and illustrated the text, I think I was like, oh, I'm going to write this. So when I, you know, came into the cards and illustrating, and you know how can I, how can I kind of use I feel like encouragement as a spiritual gift. So how can I like merge that with these words of affirmation? It's writing and I feel like it's a word God has given me for years and I always thought it was like for me, my word. You know I have so many pictures in my camera roll with the word right on, wherever I saw in the world. But I feel like it's really it that's a word to be shared with others. When, when in the Bible, when God wants to get your attention, tells you something important, he says write this down. And I just think that matters. And that word matters. I think that's succinctly, in a simple way, sums up where I am on my journey and what I'm doing and what I'm making. And, you know, writing things to others matters, just write.

Okay, okay, that is all for today. Go out there and have a great day.