The Sacred Pause in Motherhood: What a Sunset and a Shadow Taught Me About Being Present

It was a regular Thursday evening. The kind of day where everything and nothing happens all at once. My kids had been especially loud, the laundry was half-folded on the couch, and dinner dishes were still sitting in the sink.

The house was buzzing with the usual end-of-day chaos. And I was buzzing too—in my body, in my mind. That overstimulated, overtouched, over-everything feeling that so many of us moms know all too well.

And then…
A pause.

I happened to glance at the sun setting through our living room window. The way the light filtered in stopped me for a second. I picked up my phone to capture it—not thinking much of it—just one of those “wow, that’s pretty” moments. But when I turned the camera around, I saw it.

A soft shadow cast on the opposite wall.
The unmistakable curve of my pregnant belly.
My baby.
A miracle, quietly making itself known in the most ordinary moment.

I felt my breath catch.
In all the noise, I had almost missed it.

(If you want to see the actual moment, I shared the video on my TikTok—a simple clip that says so much.)

It reminded me how often the sacred shows up in the small. How, even on the loudest, messiest days, life is unfolding right here inside me.
And not just physically—but emotionally, spiritually, relationally.

This season of motherhood—especially pregnancy while parenting young kids—is a blur of movement and need. So often, I forget to see myself in it. I’m so focused on meeting everyone else’s needs that I forget to witness the quiet transformation happening in my own body and soul.

That shadow on the wall?
It brought me back to myself.

So this is my reminder to you, and to me:
Pause.
Let the light in.
And notice the shadows—it’s often where the beauty hides.

Even if your home is loud and your brain is louder, even if your body feels stretched and tired and not your own… you are still doing something miraculous.
Even when you forget.
Even when you almost miss it.


Have you had a moment recently that brought you back to yourself—something simple, but sacred? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or over on Instagram or TikTok. Let’s keep reminding each other: there’s beauty in the blur.