Lizzy: You know I don’t really remember. My roommates and I had a notebook where we would write notes of encouragement to each other. I don’t know what prompted it but one day I started writing haikus in there. A couple of weeks later, one of my roommates was about to travel quite a bit and I wrote out and left upwards of 11 haiku on the table. Little did I know she would take them with her and every new place she went she would take a picture of a haiku and write where she was. Thus started the adventures of the traveling haiku!

Lizzy: Yes, there was a packet of haiku that I often traveled with. They went all around the nation of Turkey as I visited historical sites such as Pamukkale and Ephesus. I would also write new ones along the way and photo document them in each new place! I can remember often saying out loud, “Oh! I need to write a haiku!” It was a fun way of making memories in new places.

Charity: You talk about in the introduction of your book that there are seasons of loss or seasons of loneliness how did you find comfort and how can your reader find comfort?

Lizzy: Something I’ve learned the last year is that when we cry out to the Lord for something and He answers, we have to be okay with and accept what He does next as exactly what we need. For example, there were times when I cried out to the Lord for fellowship with someone. I desired a deep companionship, but the Lord supplied a hug and a kiss on the cheek from a wonderful friend. I realized that this was the Lord’s answer to my prayers. And I had a choice to make: I could accept it and be thankful that it was just what I needed OR I could be frustrated that it wasn’t what I wanted. I decided to accept it as good and when I did a weight fell off me. The Lord is perfect in all His ways. I had to learn and am still learning to live like that is true.

Charity: I like this idea of pouring milk over cereal, what are some other every day things you do while you’re processing grief?

Lizzy: At different times I did different things. There were weeks when I would wake up and text a trusted friend a list of at least 5 things I was thankful for. There was a period of time, maybe three weeks, where I didn’t read anything but Psalm 119 each day because I didn’t know if I had it in me to do more.

And even if it was only a passage or two, I kept my nose in the Bible. Even if it didn’t change how I felt, I knew I needed it and that it was changing me. For this, I am so thankful. The Word of God is wonderful.