About the Author

Jennifer Dukes Lee is the author of several books, including Growing Slow. She and her husband live on the family farm, raising crops, pigs, and two humans. She’s a fan of dark chocolate, emojis, eighties music, bright lipstick, and Netflix binges. She wants to live life in such a way...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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      • Jennifer l think to have a happy life 1 you do not want to neglect your relationship with your husband very important since you probably have your child l would become a stay at home mom the 1st .years are very important with a child satan would like you to be very busy neglect your relationship with your husband possibly breaking. Up with him want to get attention from other women
        neglecting the raising of your child we want to keep our eyes on the next
        World would want you to neglect your raising of your child

  1. Such a wise and wonderful message ~ blessings to you and your family

  2. I get it. My husband and I left New York City with our 2 little ones -much to the dismay of family and friends and packed up to rural Maine. Best decision ever. I could write pages on this. It was a little scary at first for me- I was a city girl. My husband grew up in rural Massachusetts and was much older and wiser than I was. But we both knew what continuing to live like we did was doing to all of us. And, it wasn’t until after the move that I reconnected with my faith. It was a little country church across the road from our home. And it became the center of my life for the longest time until the difficult move from that home. Another story…

  3. Madeline,

    Good for you. Sometimes we have to disappoint people to do what is right for us. We can’t live the rush of big city life all the time. There is something about living in small towns where everyone knows you. There is peace, calm & a slow, steady rhythm to life. It allows you time to think & get back to the basics of life.

    Blessings 🙂

  4. Thank you for this. It certainly spoke directly to my heart and life’s situation. Change takes courage and a little push of encouragement to take that first step. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And God bless you!

  5. So well spoken. Thank you for prefer word Jennifer. I need to let go things in my life. Let Jesus have them. To get the peace. I long for and the peace Jesus wants me to have
    Pray and leave them at the foot of the cross. Jesus will tell me through his Holy Spirit how to get the peace I need. So we’ll spoken. Said at the right time this message. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xx

  6. Jennifer,

    I completely understand. My family lived near Tampa, FL for twenty years. Couldn’t stand it. To busy for an introvert like me. Kept longing for small town America. Saw myself living on a farm or house with lots of land & no neighbors. Peace & quiet. Fast forward many years & God has placed me in Watauga, TN (Turkey town-part of Elizabethton TN). I absolutely love the slow pace of life we have. Hubby & I go to a small rural church & everyone here knows you by name. I get to view mountains daily & often see deer in my yard. Add to that I now work just part-time (some full time weeks thrown in). Loving every moment of this life. Have time for morning tea, exercise, work on Bible studies, etc. More importantly I had time to assist my aging parents & in-laws.

    Some people don’t understand the need for a slower pace of life. They run on adrenaline & caffeine. Truthfully they don’t have any peace. It is chaos all the time running to & fro. God didn’t design us for such a life. He wanted us to linger long in the garden with Him. Asking God to help people slow down & let go of things costing them peace.

    Blessings 🙂

  7. This was soooooooo good!! Thank you so much ❤️ This spoke to me! In so many ways!

  8. Jennifer, you and your husband did the brave, right thing for you. Bravo! So inspiring!

  9. Our existence this lost year has been filled with stress of the pandemic. I have enjoyed watching the Hallmark movies which are filled with love and many women leaving careers to move back to hometowns closer to family. Something you have to be thankful for is that you have been given a daughter to raise, and you and your husband agree about how to do that lifetime responsibility. Our faith in the Trinity does give us strength to go forward, the hope of a better tomorrow, and peace for today. Happy Mothers Day 2021 to all you Moms!

  10. I needed this today more than I even realized – though the push to leave some of these crutches behind has been on my heart for some time. It was the guiding light, the reassurance, the permission for which I have been listening and looking out. Thank you for sharing your story and for listening for the prompt on your heart to write this piece. It’s amazing the validation we can give others through our words and experiences. Looking forward to a peaceful Sunday and the start of many peaceful days ahead.

  11. My stress is coming from my husbands family and is the hardest thing right now. Things are happening we wouldn’t have ever guessed would. I don’t know how to remove myself from it more than I have. I’m just so heart broken. Some effecting family members , some financial, betrayal, elder abuse and on and on. A legal battle that we wish didn’t have to happen and would be over. Today we talked about downsizing to help out because not sure what all of this will do about our future.
    God is faithful and I know he will provide. More than ever I just don’t want the evil to succeed. “Please Lord , I pray it’s not your will to for them win.”
    They’ve already manipulated his mom enough that she’s believing lies about us and turned her against me and my children and grandchildren. Just so very sad ‼️
    Please if you have insight on how to find peace in this please share

    • Kelly,
      What a heavy burden you’re carrying! I’m so sorry. I don’t have any answers, but I know Who does. I can share what has helped me walk through trials again and again. I encourage you to sit down with your Bible and just read until He speaks to you. The Lord may give you a direction, or He may just show up and speak peace to your heart. If you find you can’t focus, speak the name of Jesus out loud. Play worship music. Grab a journal or a notebook or a piece of scrap paper and write out your prayers. I will be praying for you to experience the peace that passes all understanding, in the midst of your hard place. Remember Jesus loves you and he will bring you through this.