I consider the mark of a good book one that makes you laugh and get teary-eyed in the space of a few pages. Cynthia Yanof's book, Life is Messy, God is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life, did that very thing for me. Her ability to bring humor into life's messiness is beautiful and one we can all learn from.

In this episode, we touch on some of her story and lessons she's gleaned. We talk about her experiences as an older mom with kids in college, high school, and first grade and how foster care profoundly impacted their family. I love her insights into stepping into scary places and learning to lean on God and trust Him -- even when it's really hard.

One of the parts of her book I really appreciated was her wisdom on friendships. I ask her to dive into this on the podcast as I often hear from women who are really struggling to make and keep friendships. We talk about what it looks like to invest in relationships, even when it feels like we don't have much time and how to really show up well for people in the midst of full schedules. 

If you are navigating the chaos of everyday life (and, let’s be honest, aren’t we all?), craving a good laugh, and looking for encouragement in the messiness, I think Cynthia's words and story will bless you! Listen in to hear about embracing and seeing beauty in life's messiness and standing confident in the unwavering goodness of God.

In This Episode

[0:35] - I am joined today by Cynthia Yanof, author of Life is Messy, God is Good!

[2:03] - Cynthia reflects on unexpected joys and God's guidance through fostering and how it has impacted their life.

[7:18] - "Just because it's hard, doesn't mean it's not right."

[13:15] - Cynthia shares some of her best advice for building strong and lasting relationships.

[17:27] - I loved hearing about her friend, Elaine, who impacted her life so much through her intentionality.

[20:17] - "If you think it, do it." Act on those ideas we have to express to people that we care about them.

[22:34] - I asked Cynthia to share about praying for her kids and what that has looked like over the years.

[26:57] - Walking through learning difficulties with your kids and resisting the urge to intervene excessively and learning to trust God instead.

Links & Resources

• Crystal Paine
• Pardon the Mess Ep. 2.33: Money Saving Mom with Crystal Paine

Books

• Life Is Messy, God Is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life by Cynthia Yanof

Social Media

• Crystal Paine on Instagram
• Crystal Paine on Twitter
• Crystal Paine on Goodreads
• Money Saving Mom
• Money Saving Mom on Facebook
• Money Saving Mom Deal Seekers Facebook group
• [email protected]

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