I find that one of the greatest lessons that motherhood is teaching me is how to hold onto the things that I desperately love while also learning, little by little, to let these things go. In this episode, I share what this looks like for me in this season of eight children, ages 2-15, with…
Author: mackenziechester
My name is Mackenzie Chester. I am a wife and mother of eight. Welcome to my blog, The Sacred Everyday, where I write about waking up to the miracle of ordinary life.
Umbrellas Journal Now Available!
I have been wanting to design journals for many years. One of the blessings of learning to self-publish my book is that I also learned how to make journals. Today I am releasing my second in The Sacred Everyday Journal Series, and it is titled Umbrellas. The drawing on the cover is from one of…
Marriage, Hope, Love, and Longing (Podcast #48)
Next month, Randy and I celebrate 20 years of marriage. When I look back, I am amazed at the work God has done in our lives through the process of two becoming one. In today’s podcast, I want to share a new thing that God is doing in my heart, and how he is redefining…
Book Release Day!
Today my book is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, and anywhere else you like to buy books. Shoot, you can even add it to your Walmart grocery delivery order if you want to. I am so happy that this day has finally come. Thanks so much for being a part of…
Sometimes Hopes Come Back to Life
A year ago, after a great disappointment of the soul, I wrote these words: Sometimes small hopes die. And there is a grief that comes to us that cannot be measured by reason. A future that has lived in the illuminated imagination of the mind is set backward in time and exists only in shadowy…
Cover Reveal for my Book!
Dear Friends, It is really happening! This week, I got my first proofs in the mail for my new book, The Sacred Everyday, A Search for the Exquisite Beauty of an Ordinary Life. I am so happy with the way it has turned out. My book is real! And I am an author!!! Please stay…
My Ramble from a Cozy Cottage in the Woods (Podcast #46)
I have missed making podcasts this last month! It has been a really busy time for me because I’ve given myself a deadline to complete something that I’ve been dreaming about for over a decade. Listen to today’s podcast, recorded at a quiet cozy cottage in the woods, where I have been working away, getting…
Life in a Big Family (Podcast #45)
“How do you do it?” I have been asked this question so. many. times. When people learn that we have eight children ages 1-15, I think they are genuinely curious what our life looks like. Today I am sharing a bit about life as a mother of a large family, as well as some thoughts…
Moving into a Year with No Fear and No Regrets (Podcast #44)
On the last day of the year, I reflect on 2022, thinking about how this year has been different, what I have learned and some of the milestones of this year. I share some of our own family rhythms that we’ve established this year that have been making home in a family with eight children…
Marriage and the Creative Life (Podcast #43)
What does it look like to be married to a creative soul? Today, I am sharing a little bit of our story and what our life has been like these 20 years, trying to learn how to find peace in marriage while also responding to the deep call of the creative life. Show Notes: Why…
25 Years of December (A Selection of Journal Entries from 1997-2021)
Journaling is the best way to travel through time. This post is a collection of journal entries that span the Decembers of the last 25 years of my life. I wrote the first when I was just 15 years old. I am surprised at the person I used to be, and I am amazed at…
December Newsletter
Merry Christmastime, friends! I wanted to share a quick hello from my little office on a chilly Friday morning. I’m drinking a cup of Iced Lemon Poundcake Tea, and I have a day before me of writing and journaling, grocery shopping, decorating for Rosie’s 15th birthday this weekend, and a family evening of Christmas festivities…