Good morning, friends, and Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway through the week already, and this morning I just want to remind you of something I need to remind myself of sometimes too. We don’t have to carry everything. I don’t know what kind of week you’ve had so far. Maybe things are going great. Maybe your plans have completely changed. Maybe you’re tired, worried about someone you love, waiting on an answer to prayer, or carrying something in your heart that nobody else even knows about. Whatever it is, God knows. And He is right there with you. 📖 Today’s Scripture “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 ESV Bible Translation - ESV English Standard Version.pdf I love those words, “very present.” Not far away. Not too busy. Not waiting for us to get everything figured out. Present. Right here. Right now. Sometimes I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to have all the answers, fix every problem, take care of everybody, and keep pushing no matter how tired we are. But God never asked us to do life without Him. So today, I’m choosing to slow down a little and remember where my strength really comes from. Maybe you need that reminder too. ❤️ 🙏 A Little Wednesday Challenge Before you get too far into your day, spend a few quiet minutes with God. Open your Bible and actually sit with His Word for a while. Thank Him for getting you through the first half of this week. Think about somebody who might need encouragement and reach out to them. And that thing you’ve been worrying about over and over again? Give it to God. 🙏 Let’s Pray Heavenly Father, thank You for another Wednesday and for bringing us this far through the week. Thank You for being with us in the good moments and the difficult ones. Lord, some of us are tired today. Some are worried. Some are waiting for answers. Some are hurting. Some are carrying burdens we haven’t told anyone about. Please remind us that we don’t have to carry those things alone.

Or show them their own when they can’t see it…. This is what @Rositsa Aleksandrova is for all of us. And who we are for one another: UNICORN

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear” I am ready, and excited to be part of this group. It arrived and showed up completely unexpected at the perfect time in my life where I’m actually more receptive and ready. I have so much gratitude in my heart! Thank you all!

I had an idea. I only have 525 points until I get to Level 7. You guys have already helped me gain several hundred points in the last couple of weeks. So I had this fun idea: I'm going to start this post with a really good Dad joke. Then for every comment and LIKE, I will reply with another good one. Let's get this! What do mermaids use to wash their fins? Tide. 😄

I was out with friends the other night listening to a great local musician play covers of some of the best hits from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. The atmosphere was relaxed, the kind of evening where nostalgia mixes with laughter, good food and a few drinks. The conversation naturally shifted from the songs being played to the concerts we had attended in the past, and eventually to the “bucket list” acts we each wanted to see before they stopped touring. Names began to fly across the table: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, AC/DC, Eminem, Jelly Roll, and dozens more. Then it was my turn. I’ve always like songwriters that tell a story so I casually mentioned that I’d like to catch P!nk someday. And that’s when it happened. The joke. The judgment. The reminder of an unwritten code. “Careful, we’ll have to take your man card.” It was meant as humour, but the message was unmistakable. Certain tastes, behaviours, or interests are apparently off-limits if you want to keep your membership in the club of traditional masculinity. Even in 2026, the spector of the “man card” looms large. THE BURDEN The concept of the “man card” is one of those cultural artifacts that you’d think we’d long buried, but it survives - mostly in jest, and it reflects something deeper: the policing of masculinity. At its core, the idea suggests that being a man is a fragile status, always at risk of being revoked if you stray from prescribed norms. If you admit to enjoying a female pop artist, showing too much emotion, or knowing your way around a laundry machine, you risk being called out. This pressure to conform is not harmless and it comes from all genders. It reduces manhood to a checklist of clichés: enjoy sports, drink beer, lift heavy things, remain stoic, avoid vulnerability, and never admit admiration for something coded as feminine. It teaches men that they must constantly perform to the ideal of a pre-dispositioned gender; type-casted into a role that discourages stepping outside of invisible boundaries for fear of ridicule or exclusion.