here we go!

Welcome to Palms of Joy! My name is Mandy and I'm so glad you're here! Let's start with the basics. I am originally from Bradenton, Florida and now live in Nashville, Tennessee with my sweet husband, Kyle, and rescue pup, Dolly Pearl. Writing has been a passion of mine for years. Sharing stories on this blog is my big, scary dream and I can't wait to grow alongside you on this journey!

My heart behind Palms of Joy is this:

I want readers to feel encouraged, challenged, entertained and ultimately closer to God from reading and connecting with what gets shared in this space.

My goal is to encourage you to grow to become the best version of yourself. We will discuss faith, family, friends, dating, marriage, work, health, fitness and other important topics that can affect our daily lives. There will be weekly posts with short, encouraging reminders in between. Palms of Joy means embracing life with an open mind, heart and posture. When we live life with open palms, we are showing we are ready to receive God’s best. We are open to His plans, His people and His love.

We use our hands on a daily basis for many reasons; our palms in particular. We hold hands with others, write, type, drive, wave, give high fives, eat and pray. The list can go on. In my opinion, the best position our palms can be in is facing up, in full surrender to Christ. I want this space to inspire you to move closer to the Lord with your palms up and open to him. Palms of Joy!

Reflecting through writing is something I remember starting at a young age. When I was in elementary school, my diaries and journals had in-depth stories about Jonathan Taylor Thomas, the Backstreet Boys, and how I wanted to be as pretty as Kelly from Saved by the Bell. You know, really important, life changing topics.

My writing topics in middle school and high school shifted from my favorite bands to writing about swimming; a sport I competed in from age 6 through my senior year of college at Clemson University. However, the journals that mean the most to me are the ones I wrote in college and in my twenties.

I grew up going to church but did not experience a true, intimate connection with God until college. I developed a relationship with Him that I couldn’t help but to write about on a daily basis. Writing is how I unwind, process and reflect. The lessons I learned in those precious college years and beyond are ones I can't wait to write about!

My writing will not be perfect and I guarantee I will have a grammar error or ten. I'm not trying to be perfect here. I'm trying to be obedient to what I feel like God is calling me to do and that is to write and encourage!

It’s tempting for me to feel scared, insecure or lost in a world of blogs and writers that have been around for years. In those moments of fear, I always feel God whisper, “There’s room for you.”

There’s room for my stories. There’s room for my words. There’s room for my joy. There’s room for yours, too. I pray that through my courage, you will find courage. I pray that through my writing you can find your own sense of joy, become aware of your dreams and chase them with fervor.

Y'all - this is going to be so fun! Thanks for joining me on our new adventure! #palmsofjoy