How to Keep Your Relationships Strong When Life Won’t Slow Down

If you’ve been feeling distant—from the people you love or even from God—you’re not alone. Life has a way of sweeping us into a current of deadlines, responsibilities, and distractions until we suddenly realize the relationships that mean the most have been running on autopilot.

But what if that undercurrent of dissatisfaction, that quiet ache you’ve been feeling, is a signal? A reminder that our joy is tied to something we can’t buy, schedule, or check off a list—our relationships.

In this episode of Imagine Yourself, we’re talking about how to keep those relationships strong when life just won’t slow down. From small daily choices that breathe life back into our connections, to learning the ministry of presence, to setting boundaries that help us show up with our best selves—this is about protecting what matters most before the noise of life drowns it out.

Don’t let busyness steal the best part of life. Press play and start nurturing the relationships that matter most—starting today.

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"Imagine Yourself" is hosted by Lanée Blaise and Sandy Kovach—two dynamic voices with a passion for inspiring and uplifting others. Lanée, a TV writer, producer, motivational speaker, and podcaster, brings powerful storytelling and insight. Sandy, a radio personality, voiceover artist, and podcaster, delivers warmth and wisdom with every conversation. Broadcasting from the Detroit Metro area, they welcome guests from around the world to share valuable perspectives on health, career growth, faith, and personal transformation. Tune in and imagine the possibilities for your life!

Transcript

andy Kovach [00:00:00]:
What if the thing stealing your happiness isn't a lack of time, but a lack of connection? In today's episode, we're talking about how to keep your relationship strong when life just won't slow down. Whether it's your friends, family or your walk with God, we're sharing honest struggles and real ways to stay present when everything feels non stop.

Lanée Blaise [00:00:27]:
Thank you all for joining us again on Imagine Yourself podcast. I am Lene here with my friend Sandy and my co host and co producer Sandy. And today we want to build on the previous episode where we talked about God given friendships with Angela Scott. She's an author and a life coach and a friend of ours. And we talked about finding, having and embracing friendships. And today it feels like, how are we going to keep and nurture these friendships when life gets so, so busy?

Sandy Kovach [00:01:10]:
All I have to say is many people have seen this meme or a quote or whatever you want to say, joke. Adulthood is just saying after this week, things will slow down a bit, over and over until you die. It always seems like that. I mean, how many times have those words come out of your mouth?

Lanée Blaise [00:01:29]:
Not just with friendship, but with everything. But yeah, you keep thinking it's going to get better and you keep thinking you're going to do better and be rested and have time and have space and life seems to pop up with new challenges or new things and it can be barriers to your happiness, to your rest, to your time with God, to your time with friends. And we gotta figure out what we're doing with all that.

Sandy Kovach [00:01:57]:
They say that busyness is the modern day stronghold and I've never heard it put like that. But when you think about it, our time, because we have so many things going and different seasons of life might not be as busy and you know, we've all had seasons that are busier and some that are less so. And people listening may not be going through a busy time right now, but they, I'm pretty sure they have, you know, and they can relate to this. And it makes you feel overwhelmed and it makes you kind of like question your priorities. And it seems like. So when you're focused on your, let's say, your career, your work or whatever you're worried about, oh, I'm not spending enough time with my family or in my relationships. And then if you are spending a lot of time with your family, you're like, oh, I got this deadline. And you know, it's always like, and I think especially for women, we're always worried about the other thing and we're not really present in the moment.

Lanée Blaise [00:02:55]:
You're being pulled from the different angles of life and the different, like, if you have like a. What is like a pie graph of your life and the different slices that have to go to faith or family or work or friendship, it starts to get up, eaten up real quickly.

Sandy Kovach [00:03:15]:
It does. And the other thing I've heard it referred to now we're kind of tying this all in with our faith life and the ministry of presence. And Jesus modeled it by, you know, sitting and walking and eating with people and just spending time with people. I think we feel like if we don't have, like an entire, I don't know, half a day to spend with someone or even sit down for a couple hours, that we're not really spending quality time with them. But I think there's ways of giving people our time, and I'd like to kind of look at that and talk at that. I talk. I want to talk at that. I want to talk about that.

Sandy Kovach [00:03:51]:
I think you're. You're a master of that, Lynae in that. I feel like when I'm with you, you're 100% focused on what we're talking about, not just in the podcast, but if we're having a conversation. And there are so many people who you try to engage with them, and I'm guilty of this. Sometimes they're distracted. They're looking at their phone, they're looking at their watch. How can we be better at the ministry of presence?

Lanée Blaise [00:04:16]:
Sandy, you answered the question within your spiel right there. It really is something remarkably special about giving devoted attention to a person when you're with them. And that can go a long way because so most people on here, we all talk about a lot. I have six siblings, so I definitely had to understand how do I give myself. And some people have, like, lots of kids. Also, how do you give yourself to your child or to your spouse or to your friend or to your sibling in a way that you can go big spaces not being there? I know this. Okay, now I'm kind of going circular thinking, but let's come back to it. If I am with you, Sandy, and we are present and we are spending quality time together, and you are not worried that I'm distracted and unfocused.

Lanée Blaise [00:05:20]:
I feel like you have a special place in your heart for me, and you know that I have a special place for you, and there's that dedicated time. And then let's say that we go a month or a few weeks and we haven't Caught up or chatted or spent time together. You can give that forgiveness and know that Lynae must be in a busy season. But let's set up a time when we can give that to one another again. And to your point, it doesn't have to be a half a day or a whole day. It can be an hour or two or even a great 30 minute conversation. And some people just feel like multitasking on top of their friendship is the way to go. And I firmly disagree with that.

Lanée Blaise [00:06:06]:
It's actually funny that when it started with my siblings, when they'd be visiting my house, this was back a while ago, my house phone would ring the landline.

Sandy Kovach [00:06:16]:
Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:06:16]:
And I would glance at it and see the caller id. And they'd see it also because it was a big caller id and they'd see somebody, I'd say, oh, I'll call them back. And my one of my sisters said, so is that what you do to me sometimes when I call and I say, yeah, if I am exclusively with someone else and being present with them at that time, then yeah, I'm not going to answer your phone call. I mean, like, keep calling. Or you text me and say, please, it's an emergency. Right now. I really don't want to stop the flow. And when we're in busy lives, which we often are, and we really want to value another human, you don't have to answer every call right at that moment.

Lanée Blaise [00:07:00]:
There's just so many things you don't have to do in order to preserve that richness of the moment, of the ministry of presence being present right then. You know, there's also the part where this is really grim, but you never know when your last conversation with a person could be. I know that's a really terrible thing to say, but I used to do it with my grandma Susie. Grandma Susie was talking about how she was going to die and Father Time was going to get her and she was getting near the end of the road. I was 7 years old when she first started saying that stuff to me. This chick did not pass away till I was over 40 years old. So what I did, like almost like all through my teenage years and then my 20s and then my 30s, and then when I was 40, every time I'd get off the phone with her, I'd be like, I love you so much. And in my heart I was like, this might be the last time I talk to this lady.

Lanée Blaise [00:07:56]:
Of course that's because she's my grandma. So that makes sense. But nobody's Time is promised. And so what if we always end a phone call like that? I have an uncle like that, too. He's like, lenae, you know what I like about you? At the end of our conversations, you're always like, I love you, Uncle Jimmy. You make me feel so special and great. And I do that because it's true. But we.

Lanée Blaise [00:08:19]:
We just, no matter what the age, we don't know what that last conversation will be. And I always want it to be where I look back, be like, I told that person I love them or we had a good laugh or something. It's just really important to do that with the ones you love and you care about.

Sandy Kovach [00:08:36]:
Yeah. And they say, too, that relationships is the number one. The quality of your relationships is the number one. Determine determinant of how happy that you are. And so in this podcast, you know, we talked a lot about friendships in the last one, and we're talking about that here. But we're also talking about family relationships and work relationships and any relation, just close relationships. And a lot of those are gonna be our families and friends, of course, if they are our priority. And in the end.

Sandy Kovach [00:09:05]:
And we're on our. Let's go to the deathbed again. Sorry about that. And we're on our deathbed. We're not gonna say, you know, dang it, if I'd have done one more voiceover annual report for work. Right. If I could have done a tax form. Exactly.

Sandy Kovach [00:09:22]:
No matter. Even if it's a doctor or a nurse. And in that case, save one more life. That might be like a real thing. But in most of our jobs, they're not life and death situations. And we're going to be remembering the times that we're on the phone with Grandma Susie or the time that we're hanging out with our friends. Friend having, you know, an ice cappuccino, whatever. I'm trying to think what I'm craving right now.

Sandy Kovach [00:09:48]:
I like these Starbucks frappuccinos with the cold foam on it. They feel like they're not quite as caloric and decadent. So, see, I just went off on a tangent. Cause I'm thinking about coffee instead of thinking about you. Yeah. So we've got to make sure that we nurture these relationships. So relationships in the era of busy is kind of how I think we're sort of wrapping this whole podcast. And I think you do a really good job of it as somebody, number one, is more organized than me.

Sandy Kovach [00:10:18]:
And I. That's obviously going to help. What is your secret? I know you get overwhelmed. But how do you keep all of these juggling? I mean you've got, you're on a family function every five seconds, you know, you're at one end of the country or the other or you're, you know, off filming something or you know how you do it.

Lanée Blaise [00:10:40]:
Lynae, the answer is I love saying no also. How about that? That is like a crazy answer when we're talking about friendship. Friendship has been positioned when we were younger, especially maybe women, that you would do anything for your friend and if they need you, you come running for the solution, for the, to problem solve, to be there, everything. And that's not necessarily the kind of friend or family member that I am. My family members, especially family in this case, they know that if they really need something, I will be there. But they also know that I put these really weird boundaries in place. Like even my dad, sometimes he would call and be like, hey, I'm planning on like popping over this weekend. I'm like, no, don't come this weekend.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:39]:
He's like, no, it's a good weekend for me. And what are you guys doing? Like you're not up to anything. I'm just going to come over. I'm like, I won't answer the door. And he's like, what's wrong with you? I was like, I told you I.

Sandy Kovach [00:11:50]:
Don'T know this Linnae that you're speaking of.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:52]:
No, this is the boundaries because people, you know, because he's like, I'm your dad. I was like, I love you but I told you that this coming up weekend won't be good. So I won't answer the door. So you drive all the way two hours here so it'll be wasted. He's like, okay, okay, okay, what is good for you? And then I kindly tell him what weekend is good for me. I look at my little color coded schedule and plug them in. And it took a few times of him getting very angry with me. But then he's like now when he calls he's like, so Lynae, I was thinking about visiting you.

Lanée Blaise [00:12:27]:
What looks good on your calendar? It changes the whole way the conversation goes. I also have this little group of friends here where we live in Northville and they'll say, oh, we're gonna have a party or an event or something and it starts at 7:00 and they're like, you know, we wanted to invite you and your husband. And they say, but we know Linnae and Carolyn, those two go to bed at 9:30. So like even though it starts at 7. You still want to come? And I'll be like, yeah, I'll still come. It's just like, I'll be there for a couple hours and then we're gonna leave and we go home. Go home and be in bed by 9:30. They're like, I know.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:05]:
They're like, you don't want to just take like a nap before so that you can come and you can stay till midnight? I'm like, nah, I can't do that.

Sandy Kovach [00:13:12]:
Yeah, you know what you need to do. And you get up early and you gotta. Yeah. Have energy for your day.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:18]:
Exactly.

Lanee Blaise [00:13:18]:
That's good.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:19]:
It sets the stage in a way that, and especially you can use humor. All these people are laughing at me while they say, my dad now laughs when he ask me about the calendar date. My little friends around town laugh when they say, okay, she's probably not going to stay long. She's going. She and her husband gonna pop in and pop out. Even you, Sandy, you'll be like, so, Lynae, you really want us to start the podcast at 1:28? And I'm like, yep. Not 1:30, not 125? Nope. 128 will be good because I'm giving myself.

Lanée Blaise [00:13:53]:
It is just a juggling act to make sure that there's enough time for ourselves personally. There's enough time to spend with God to kind of to stop and reflect. There's enough time for the friends. And then there's this other part too. Sandy, when you do have to reschedule, try, you know, try not to reschedule things all the time, but, you know, try to actually plan something in a way that you're not squishing yourself or overbearing yourself. But when you do have to reschedule, consider the possibility that it might end up being a blessing for all involved. Let's say today for the podcast, I was like, sandy, I'm just too busy or I have to move it to later, which I did today. I have to move it out.

Lanée Blaise [00:14:44]:
You know, we have to move it later. What if I'm over here asking for you to do that and you're secretly saying, oh, I'm so happy when they moved it to a different time or day because I was feeling kind of crunchy myself.

Sandy Kovach [00:14:58]:
Yeah, I'm having a bit of a crunchy day and I got something else done. I just had to move something else around. I admire the way that you do things, and I think I would feel a little less hectic if I were more organized other than you know I know how to get through my tasks. I don't want to make this a podcast about time management because it's really about, you know, spending time for relationships. But unfortunately, if we don't manage our time, then we don't have the time to be undistracted and be present in our relationships. Do you find that that helps you? Do you find that you're able to be better because you're organized? Was there a time in your life where you weren't quite as to the moment? And I'm not saying everybody has to be to the moment. And whether they're using an app or a paper calendar, they have to put every moment down. That's for some people, not for another.

Sandy Kovach [00:15:58]:
But how do you think that affects? How does like a scattered personality affect a relationship?

Lanée Blaise [00:16:04]:
No, it's. So the scattered person situation. I feel like they actually need to have a different strategy. And their strategy can be as simple as. Have you ever had like a friend just text you a word or an emoji or a little phrase or something? I'll put it like this. When life is busy and hectic and you feel like you don't have time for full on conversation, even with your friend or your bff, but you need to vent a little bit or you just want to reach out. There are certain little times or moments or friends that I'll just send a little text and be like, girlfriend, I'm on the struggle bus. I can't really get into it, but I love you and just send up a little prayer for me.

Sandy Kovach [00:16:56]:
And that's all that's necessary.

Lanee Blaise [00:16:59]:
Yeah, yeah. And they will, they'll stop.

Lanée Blaise [00:17:02]:
And it's as simple as that. Same friend will probably send back a meme with like one of those, like, you got this type of, I don't know, person, somebody, you know, with some pom poms or whatever, like they're cheering and it's, it's just the levity, it is just the understanding and it is that part where they get to realize you love them and that even though you're struggling, you thought of them and you just wanted a little prayer for them. You don't need them to fix it. You don't need them to go into a whole lot of detail. And that's that part too, about trying to save the day all the time for another person. Every once in a while there's a moment where a friend has to, you know, really sit beside you, hold your hand, walk you through something very difficult. Let's say one of you Has a parent that is terminally ill or one of you has gone through a divorce or something like that. Those.

Lanée Blaise [00:18:10]:
That's when those friends really, really need you. Or when they just feel like that's.

Lanee Blaise [00:18:15]:
When you drop everything and.

Lanée Blaise [00:18:17]:
Yeah, and you run. You run over there to help, but the other ones, you. This is going to sound mean, but I don't want any body in my life, except maybe my kids, to think that there's going to be any regularity of Linnae dropping everything and just rushing over to save you. I have a really good friend here in town, and I gave her a test. This is a very bad thing that I did, but she probably won't mind that I'm mentioning it. I told her that I wanted her to learn how to say no more often for friends, for siblings, for whatever, because she was the type who wanted to rush in and be a blessing for her friends at all times. So what I did was I called her up and I told her that I was really busy, but there was this item that was on sale at this store that was on her side of town, even though I knew she was busy. Also, I was wondering if she could go pick up the item from the store, buy it, drop it to my house, and then I pay her back for it.

Lanée Blaise [00:19:32]:
And she's like, okay, so, yeah, in between. Because she has four kids. She's like, in between picking up the one. I could probably run over to that store for you get it and drop it before I pick up my other kid. Okay. Yeah. I was like, girlfriend, you just failed the test. And she's like, this was a test.

Lanée Blaise [00:19:53]:
I was trying to see if you would tell me, no, there's nothing at this. I made up this store. I made up this thing that's on sale because I also told her, like, today is the last day it's on sale, and then it'll, like, jump up, you know, 50%. I made it all up. And she's like, what? I said, I wanted to see if you had the ability to just say, lenae, I love you, girlfriend, but I'm just as busy as you. I can't go run, do that errand for you. And that is something that some people are listening to this episode right now and thinking, oh, dang, I need to be that friend who is comfortable enough to say no, or, I need to be that friend who is comfortable enough to allow my friends to say no to me.

Sandy Kovach [00:20:42]:
That is pretty good. All right. Boundaries. And even Jesus had boundaries. He would get away and sometimes and not want Anybody around him, not even his disciples. So on the other side of boundaries, there's the other problem of making time for people. And like we were talking about, the myth of things will calm down next week. The myth of there will be a day when I won't be busy.

Sandy Kovach [00:21:13]:
And it's possibly true that there will be a day, but more often than not, we're always gonna be juggling a bunch of stuff. So we just gotta say, okay, I'm gonna make an appointment. And I think we touched on this a little earlier. Lynae, you and I are gonna have lunch or we're gonna FaceTime for 10 minutes or. I like sending emojis and memes too. I mean, that's. We do that. And I have a friend from high school, we used to have our own little language.

Sandy Kovach [00:21:39]:
I think all kind of friends did that. And so we just write stupid outta context things that only we would recognize and then we'll just. And inside jokes. Yeah, inside jokes are great. I read a story about that not long ago that said inside jokes really help you bond and feel like you belong. Whether it's inside family jokes, inside marriage, inside friends, whatever. So that's another one. Whatever ways that you have to preserve friendships and do make time for them, whatever the case may be, and make time for yourself that downtime can include if you want, your friends, your family.

Sandy Kovach [00:22:18]:
But Sabbath rest is written into the Bible as well, because.

Lanée Blaise [00:22:22]:
So we're over here talking about friendships and relationships and Sabbath rest, I think was for the purpose of being with the best friend of all, the biggest, best, best, bestest friend, which is God, like having that time to reflect and rest. And I always like to imagine myself resting in the arms of God, like a parent holding you and shielding you from all the stress and worry and everything from the world. That right there is something that many of us put at the bottom of our list.

Sandy Kovach [00:23:05]:
And we should be putting it first, like seeking first the kingdom of God and all things will be added. Yeah, I mean, that's true. And that does help us figure out the rest of the day. And you have said many times that it's amazing what you can squeeze in to your day when you put God first and you ask him to direct you throughout the day with whatever your priorities, whether to go to the right or to the left, whether they're little things like that or should I take this job like a big thing?

Lanée Blaise [00:23:38]:
And God can stretch time. I really believe that. I know that that's not written anywhere in the Bible. I know that's not something. Sounds like something from the Matrix movie or something. But, you know, God can twist and stretch and bend time in a way that benefits us. God can make it where the most productive thing you can do is lay on the floor and be with God and focus on God and fix your eyes upon the Lord. And it, like you said, totally transforms your day, your life, your way, your path in a way that is more productive or efficient or beneficial or transformative.

Lanée Blaise [00:24:35]:
And we miss that as humans because we believe in very tangible. I see this as productive. I'm being busy. I'm moving around and doing things. That is way more productive than me sitting still and mapping out a strategy for my life and my relationships and my. My day. That's another one, too. Here's another part.

Lanée Blaise [00:25:03]:
Jesus would often actually be on his way to doing something important and something that was on the agenda and be stopped by a random person. I say random, but then the person ends up actually being mentioned in the Bible and we talk about them thousands of years later. But a person, random person that grabbed a hold of the hem of his garment or that ran up to him and said, oh, my gosh, I need your help. My child is on death's door. And Jesus would be like, okay, so, you know, I was doing and help you in this moment. That's the other part I know that I talked about, like, how we want to be there for friends when they really need it. And we know they've been through a divorce. We know some.

Lanée Blaise [00:25:52]:
But what about if it's something where we don't realize the magnitude of what they need us for and they just need that extra dose of reassurance when they're in a particularly vulnerable state? We don't want to dismiss that, and we don't want to have zero margin in our lives where we can't even address that.

Sandy Kovach [00:26:15]:
Yeah, margin. And we've talked about that in other podcasts, too, and it's so important, and we have to discern it from. You talked about your dad. You know, your dad could come another time. And, you know, there's nothing serious going on with him, and you're going to lock him out of your house to, you know, someone who honestly really needs you at that moment. So, yeah, it's always, like, attention. There is tension sometimes. In the Bible, we read one verse and it says, don't show anybody if you do a good thing.

Sandy Kovach [00:26:44]:
And the other says, make sure you shine your light if you do a good thing. It's just. It's like living in that tension and that's where I think godly wisdom can come in so that you can know. Because even if you give that person five minutes just to listen to them, you can't heal them like Jesus. But you know what? You can look them in the eye and say, oh, I'm so sorry, or be that person that pays attention to them.

Lanée Blaise [00:27:09]:
And again, that five minutes of dedicated time, not while you're trying to order your pizza from Pizza Hut, you know, while you're on the phone with them, just pause and be with them like a real individual, like a 1985 person would have been. Cell phones like that in 1985, they definitely didn't have smartphones. You didn't have so many gadgets pulling at your attention. Be like a. Yeah, like a 1980 something friend, which, you know, you're there, you're in it, you're listening and you're giving.

Lanee Blaise [00:27:49]:
And ignore the vibration on your watch or your phone. Yes.

Lanée Blaise [00:27:54]:
Starts interrupting.

Lanee Blaise [00:27:55]:
You're always vibrating and we always feel like, oh, it's a new thing. I have to go see what it is.

Lanée Blaise [00:27:59]:
And yeah, our brains are like little golden retrievers who are like, squirrel, squirrel, you know, and we don't want to do that when we're with a friend. I did have a friend that I was with the other day and her watch is attached because I told my son, take off the thing that tells me every time I have a text or whatever on my Fitbit. So it just, it tells me how many steps I have, but it, it won't buzz me for that kind of stuff. But her arm was constantly buzzing and I kept thinking, oh, like, do you have. Because she's looking at her watch, so my brain's like, oh, do you have to go? Do you have to leave? No, no, no. It's just I got a notification for this that.

Sandy Kovach [00:28:36]:
Yeah, I would say too, that's a smart thing that you did. And just for phone for people to disallow as many notifications you can, VIP people. Only certain people get through in your text. And I have like the weather. If there's a severe thunderstorm warning, I want to know about it. But I don't need to know every time my garage opens, which I could because everything's connected to the fricking Internet now.

Lanée Blaise [00:29:02]:
Or if you have an Instagram alert, I would recommend taking, even if it takes an hour, and go through your notifications and make sure that you have it where it doesn't do the sound or badges or whatever for every little thing. Because I don't need to know every LinkedIn or Instagram quest that comes through. I just want to keep it clean, keep it smooth. It will benefit your life, your mental health, your spiritual life, your friendships, your relationships, your sanity.

Sandy Kovach [00:29:32]:
So with all of this said, how are we want to tie a little bow on this? To give people something to walk away with as they try to focus on the relationships and focus on God and set that priority, but also fit it into their day and not go crazy.

Lanée Blaise [00:29:51]:
You said something to me earlier when we were talking about this episode about like, don't let the good ones get away. You talk about like friendships and relationships. It's not like I want us to think with a scarcity mindset or think that our relationships are going to go running away from us if we don't do A, B and C. But there is something to valuing what you have. Being grateful and telling that person that you're grateful, telling yourself that you're grateful for yourself, telling your body that you're grateful that it digested your food, Being grateful to God that God woke you up this morning and that God has blessed you in these ways. I know that this almost feels like a tangent, but in a way it is a posture of living your life in a way that you tell yourself, your God and others how much they mean to you and you act like it. And you still incorporate boundaries and you still incorporate humor and you still try to make sure that you're calendar doesn't get all squished up and that you're not trying to be everything to everyone and being superwoman for everyone. But the value and the gratitude to me is a big answer.

Sandy Kovach [00:31:16]:
Value gratitude for your relationships. Because if you're grateful for them, whether it's your relationship with your husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend or sister or brother, you know, I'm going to name all the relationships. Dog, cat, no babies.

Lanée Blaise [00:31:32]:
They care too. Those little buddies, you give them one little pet on their forehead or, you know, one little belly rub and they just love you for life.

Sandy Kovach [00:31:41]:
Yeah. You know how I love my. My animals, your buddies, my buddies. But yeah, and mostly our relationship with God. He knows our heart. He already knows what we're thinking. But I'm sure he loves to hear, whether it's in praise and worship or we're. We're beginning our prayer.

Sandy Kovach [00:31:57]:
Thank you, Father. I love you. Thank you for everything that you've done for me. Before we present him with our laundry list of what we want.

Lanée Blaise [00:32:07]:
Can you imagine yourself being up in heaven and God's only reprimand to you was, why didn't you spend more quality time in my presence?

Lanee Blaise [00:32:19]:
Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:32:20]:
You're like, because I was trying to do my taxes and trying to excel in my career and trying to get the laundry done and trying to raise the kids. And God might possibly say, if you had just spent a few minutes each day at the beginning of your day and the end of your day reflecting with me, all those things that you just mentioned would have been done easier, better, maybe even done without you having to do much. But you didn't take advantage of. You didn't value the time with God. I don't want that to happen to me. It's possible, but I will try to do my best to not have that happen.

Lanee Blaise [00:33:06]:
Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:33:06]:
Along with friends, too. I don't want any friend to ever be like, I don't know.

Sandy Kovach [00:33:11]:
You don't want regrets, basically, whether they're. They're gone or not. Why did I work late instead of going to have a cup of coffee with so and so? You know, they really could have used my help and I blew em off. Yeah. Value those relationships. Value. Including God. And I think if we do that, we end up.

Lanee Blaise [00:33:34]:
And by all of these things that I read the statistics, people are happier when they value their relationships above all things.

Lanée Blaise [00:33:41]:
Oh, that's a good way to wrap it in a bow, too. The statistical part of the joy and happiness that it actually brings. See, that's what we humans need. We need tangible proof sometimes and evidence that, you know, it's that combination of evidence, but also faith that this.

Sandy Kovach [00:33:57]:
And I think especially in this country, because we're still so hustle culture. And there's nothing wrong with hustle to an extent, but when you let it rule everything.

Lanée Blaise [00:34:08]:
Yeah.

Sandy Kovach [00:34:09]:
Americans really have to watch that. I think. I think Europeans, like, they know how to take vacations or like five weeks a year in France or something. And I'm not saying we need to do that, but can we have a little balance?

Lanée Blaise [00:34:22]:
Because it also brings us to the fact of we don't want to be. Let's say we live to be 98 years old. We don't want it to be that. That's when we're finally like, oh, well, now that I'm bored, I would like to develop some friendships and relationships. And that doesn't work that way. Kind of wrapping it back to Grandma Susie again. Grandma Susie passed when she was 93, but when she was 90 years old, she would still call me every morning to make sure. Did Kayla and Jay get on the bus for school today? And even on Saturdays.

Lanée Blaise [00:34:58]:
And I'm like, grandma Susie day Saturday, Boo. And she's like, oh yeah, that's right, that's right. But she had developed such a relationship with me, such a pattern with me that she's 90 years old and she's got, you know, her little granddaughter is her little BFF friend. So yeah, it's just important to cultivate and then nurture and water those relationships.

Sandy Kovach [00:35:23]:
Cultivate, nurture, water, pray.

Lanée Blaise [00:35:25]:
That's it, I guess. Imagine yourself doing that. Imagine yourself cultivating, watering, nurturing and praying over your life, over your friendships, over your relationships. And especially for the best friend of all.

Sandy Kovach [00:35:43]:
Thank you so much for spending time with us today. We hope this episode gave you something to hold on to. Something encouraging, real, something that maybe reminds you you're not alone on this journey. If you found it helpful, we would love for you to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you feel LED rating and leaving a comment is a great way to help others find us too and to give us some of the feedback that we need, you can always reach out. We'd love to hear from you. Use the text feature in the app. Visit Imagine yourselfpodcast.

Sandy Kovach [00:36:14]:
Com. You'll get more faith filled encouragement and content there too. And also ways to connect. We're on Instagram, Facebook and all the links are waiting for you in the show notes.