My Midlife Battle Cry

My Midlife Battle Cry

Have you ever received a surprise via email?

I opened my email and started reading about his gorgeous green book called, Midlife Battle Cry: Redefining the Mighty Second Half, by Dawn Barton. The email mentioned my niche to midlife women and asked if I’d be interested in a free copy. Well, my ears perked up and I said, “Yes, I’d love a free copy of this book.”  All I had to do, in return, was write a blog for “my people” and share it on social media. Easy Peasy. The book arrived a few days later.
That evening, I crawled into the hot bubble bath and opened the introduction. I was hooked, even though she jokingly said, “No one reads the introduction.” I always read the introduction because this is where the writer tells us what we get from reading said book.  

She talked about the shock of reaching the “fiddy” milestone birthday and all the expectations we carry along with a bag of regrets. We wonder what’s next and if we’re all a little washed up in midlife.She proposes the second half is the best and half and I have to agree. 


More About the Book

 From the back cover:  “In Midlife Battle Cry, hilarious bestselling author Dawn Barton blends stories, insights and –yes some sass—to inspire you to 

  • embrace who you are physically, spiritually, and emotionally;

  • make your midlife a pivot point into a bold and powerful season; 

  • share your experience and wisdom; and 

  • accept that sometimes adding arch support to your favorite shoes is the way to go.”

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Keys to Finding Your Purpose

Keys to Finding Your Purpose

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10

Get Curious

Having launched our fourth child into college, I was facing an empty nest in a few years. Though I was sad to see this season of active parenting end, I was eager to focus on myself. I was excited to dream. Questions swirled through my mind:

  • What could I do now?  

  • What am I good at? 

  • What have I always wanted to do?

  • What lights me on fire?

Scrolling through Facebook one day I came across an ad for Hope*writers, an online community of writers. The word hope inspired me. I had been journaling for decades, but I had never written publicly. I knew I was good at encouraging others. Isn’t writing simply encouraging others with words? I had a twenty year old dream to write a book. Everytime I spoke at churches or women’s events, people would say, “When are you going to write a book?” I kept saying, “One day I will.” 

I was a Mass Communications/Speech Communication double major in college, so I was passionate about speaking. I feel most alive on stage. I got to thinking, I know absolutely nothing about writing a book: I better learn. I joined Hope*writers with a dream in my heart and a backpack full of fears. I didn’t know anything about writing, and I struggled with technology. Every task felt insurmountable, but I felt this nudge from God to pursue my dream of writing a book and so I began my writing journey.

Now What?

We will all come to the day where we’ll ask ourselves, what do I do now that my kids are grown? What is my purpose in this season of motherhood? We can languish in despair or we can follow the passion inside. We can pursue the activity that lights our hearts on fire. We can dust off our dreams and get busy. 

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