On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I brought back my friend Amy Waters to discuss navigating the holidays when it just feels hard! We covered it all, from unmet holiday expectations to weightier stuff, like gathering together after the loss of a loved one. Amy offers us lots of tips from her perspective as a counselor, and of course, she points us to the hope we have in Jesus as we’re in the thick of the holiday season.   So you’ll know her a little better, Amy is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Women’s Bible Study leader, disciple maker, and self-proclaimed theology junkie. Amy spent nearly 10 years on staff at Pine Cove as a Conference Director and it was there that God gave her a passion for ministering to women and families.  She earned a Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2011 and is currently counseling at the Alethia Counseling Center in Tyler, TX. I cannot wait for you to hear from Amy today!     AMY’S RESOURCES Counseling Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper (free PDF!) Talk through your expectations with a trusted friend   AMY’S SIMPLE JOYS Pie Breakfast at Thanksgiving Cup of coffee with her mom and sisters for “happy time” at Christmas Cooking   CONNECT WITH AMY Website Instagram Twitter   SCRIPTURE REFERENCES 1 Peter 1:13 Romans 8:32 Jeremiah 15   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS   Do you anticipate anything being difficult this holiday season? If so, what? What are the scripts you desire to change? What is this holiday actually about? How can we glorify God as we go about this holiday season? Where can you see the hand of God in your holidays already? Pray and ask him to give you eyes to see him working in and through the coming weeks. SPONSORSHIP DETAILS   SONGFINCH Songfinch is a personalized gifting company that brings stories, feelings and memories to life through one-of-a-kind songs. These one-of-a-kind songs would make a great gift for Christmas, a deployment, the birth of a baby, Anniversary, Birthday, and many more! Use promo code HUNTER for $20 off your personalized song from scratch!   AWAY Away makes suitcases for the way we actually travel, with features like an ejectable TSA-approved battery or a built-in front pocket. Every suitcase comes with a 100-day trial that gives any traveler getting Away plenty of time to decide on the perfect size and color. For $20 off a suitcase, visit awaytravel.com/hunter and use promo code HUNTER during checkout! Because this season, everyone wants to get Away!*   SIMPLE CONTACTS Simple Contacts lets you renew your prescription and re-order your brand of lenses from anywhere using an online vision test. Designed by doctors, every vision test is reviewed by a doctor so they’re truly bringing the doctor’s office to your home. The vision test is only $20 and shipping is free! Try it for yourself and save $20 on your lenses by using the code journeywomen20 at checkout.     FOR MORE EPISODES OF JOURNEYWOMEN:   SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to the Journeywomen Podcast. On Android, click this podcast RSS feed link and select your podcast app. You may need to copy the link into your favorite podcast app (like Overcast or Stitcher).   WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other women on their journeys to glorify God find and utilize the podcast as a resource.   FOLLOW JOURNEYWOMEN Like/follow Journeywomen on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for the latest updates.   *Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!