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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Chasing God's glory down life's unexpected trails

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Incourage essays

When Stepping Aside Makes Room for Others to Flourish

I heard my husband stirring. He’s an early riser so I wasn’t completely surprised, but it seemed awfully dark. I squinted at him and mumbled, “What time is it?” “It’s 2:30,” he said. “I’m getting up to ride my bike trainer and watch the Olympics.” “You’re crazy,” I chided him, then rolled over, and went back to sleep. Maybe you weren’t [...] Keep Reading

August 24, 2021 Categories: GeneralTagged: Incourage essays

Pandemic lessons: When hospitality is more than entertaining

My daughters gather at the stove giggling and chatting. The familiar fragrances of garlic, oregano, and basil permeate the air. The girls take turns swirling the ruby red tomato sauce and meatballs in the big pot with a wooden spoon. “Be careful with my meatballs,” Nana Maria chides playfully. “You don’t want to break any of them up.” My [...] Keep Reading

June 18, 2021 Categories: Culture, GeneralTagged: Incourage essays

How to navigate through the fog of uncertainty

I grew up in Chicago where winters were punctuated by blustery winds, snow drifts, and icy roads. I remember having to put on all the layers to bundle up before school and the strange sensation of my nose hairs freezing when I stepped outside our front door in the morning. After college, I moved to Central California to chase a career as a [...] Keep Reading

January 11, 2021 Categories: General, Navigating GriefTagged: Incourage essays

When my roses are preaching about healing from trauma

I’m not very good at keeping plants alive. I forget to water them. I leave them in the sun, and sometimes they become parched. I even have a penchant for killing succulents. That said, I love flowers. Watching them grow and bloom makes my heart swell. In this time of COVID-19 and sheltering at home for months, I’ve been longing to see more [...] Keep Reading

July 23, 2020 Categories: GeneralTagged: Incourage essays, Lead Loved, trauma

The dance of grief and glory through the holidays

I still remember our first Thanksgiving after my husband Ericlee died. My family tried to hold it together. We tried to stay the course with certain traditions, but it was clear everything was off-kilter. He wasn’t there to run the Turkey Trot. He wasn’t wearing his silly apron in the kitchen, helping me chop the butternut squash for the soup. [...] Keep Reading

November 21, 2019 Categories: Navigating GriefTagged: abundance, behold, christmas, courage, death, gifts, Grief, hope, Incourage essays, kids, laughter, transitions

Pivoting Away from Jealousy Toward Abundance

When I was a newly-minted widow, I started to struggle with envy. In those early days of grief, it was excruciatingly hard for me to see all the summer vacation photos with daddies playing with their kids, the wedding anniversary celebrations, and the perfectly-crafted family Christmas pictures. Feelings rose up inside me that I never faced before. [...] Keep Reading

October 15, 2019 Categories: Navigating GriefTagged: abundance, community, compassion, flourishing, friendship, gifts, Grief, Incourage essays, struggle

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Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

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Recent Posts

  • We Can Bear Witness to the Glory of God in Each Other December 21, 2022
  • Rejoice Advent Devotional: How strength rises when we wait December 19, 2022
  • Learning to trust the Potter and the process November 11, 2022
  • Fall has fallen! It’s time for Pumpkin Chili October 22, 2022
  • Unexpected branches: An invitation into God’s family tree September 21, 2022

Popular Posts

  • Celebrating a Heaveniversary: 10 ways to honor a loved one’s death
  • 10 meaningful sympathy gift ideas for widows and families
  • My refuge: Resting under the shadow of His wings
  • 10 creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory (and clean out the garage)

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🏃🏽‍♀️As you are settling into the new year, are you looking for a way to incorporate more movement in your daily habits? Walk Run Soar is ...

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Jan 26

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🏃🏽‍♀️As you are settling into the new year, are you looking for a way to incorporate more movement in your daily habits? Walk Run Soar is a devotional journal I wrote with my husband with daily encouragement, scripture, and coaching tips to help you walk or run. We care about physical health and spiritual growth. Find the 📖 anywhere books are sold!
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One of my fave things about this season of ministry is getting to plan and speak at gatherings for women of all ages. Today I got some time with ...

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Jan 26

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One of my fave things about this season of ministry is getting to plan and speak at gatherings for women of all ages. Today I got some time with @brynnmcilhatton planning for the Spring Thrive event for middle school and high school girls in Fresno-Clovis. 
Thrive is one of my favorite events hosted by our church for the city. This unique event is designed for young women by women. There’s teaching, worship, food, and all kinds of creative ways to connect!  I won’t give too much away quite yet, but if you’re a local young woman in the Valley save the date April 22. Details to come! 
👋🏽TAG a FRIEND who might like to join us and follow @wellchurchstudents 
☕️ by @yavabakery ♥️
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Do you ever struggle with imposter syndrome? Feeling inadequate, ill-equipped, or too ordinary for your calling? Do you ever wonder why God didn’t ...

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Jan 24

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Do you ever struggle with imposter syndrome? Feeling inadequate, ill-equipped, or too ordinary for your calling? Do you ever wonder why God didn’t choose that woman or that guy for the job? I’m with you. That’s why I’m sinking into these words from Galatians again. I’m remembering folks like Gideon, Esther, Moses, and Mary, who struggled with the same questions and thoughts.
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🎊Part of living in a mixed-race family is bringing together new and old traditions from our different cultures. Since Shawn and I married, we have ...

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Jan 23

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🎊Part of living in a mixed-race family is bringing together new and old traditions from our different cultures. Since Shawn and I married, we have been intentional to share our mix of cultures with our girls. 
🎏Today is the start of Lunar New Year celebrated in different ways by Asians from many different cultures. Shawn and I both have Chinese American heritage. My family is also Filipino and Polynesian. My dad remembers celebrating Chinese New Year growing up in a diverse neighborhood in Hawaii.
For lunch in Fresno, we supported our favorite local Chinese restaurant - Little Peking. We savored the heat of Spicy Eggplant, the tangy-sweetness of the Orange Chicken, the rich marinade Mongolian Tofu and Veggie Fried Rice for my Meilani. My Giada had her favorite potstickers 🥟 rolled by experienced hands. Zayla can hardly wait for the finisher: fortune cookies!
For family dinner tonight with my parents, I made Adobo chicken with bok choy & edamame. We gather and savor traditional foods to celebrate, to remember, and as a peaceful protest when violence still rages against Asian American brothers and sisters who are image bearers of God too. We eat, we laugh, we pray, we grieve. 
👉🏾How do you celebrate Lunar New Year? Is there a friend you could invite, a local restaurant you could support, or a book you could read to learn more? 🧧
#lunarnewyear2023 #veryasian #montereypark #aapi #chinesenewyear #foodiegram #familydinner #haveyoueaten #filpino #hapa #mixedrace
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☕️ This marks year 12 of gathering with my “chai sisters” for our annual Word Party. This year, my dear amiga Yasmin hosted. Her mama is ...

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Jan 21

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☕️ This marks year 12 of gathering with my “chai sisters” for our annual Word Party. This year, my dear amiga Yasmin hosted. Her mama is visiting and cooked up a traditional Salvadoran breakfast for us - complete with pupusa, tamales, fried platanos, chai and mimosas. 
Terry blessed us with her hubby’s melt-in-your-mouth arroz con lèche. I brought the mint chocolate cheesecake, and it was a party! 🍰 
Beyond the excuse for delectable food and heavenly chai, our Word parties are a chance to reflect on the past year and to look into the future with eager eyes. We each choose One Word to embody our year. We commit to studying, cradling, following, contemplating, dwelling on that word until we meet again. Some of us journal our discoveries. Others peck out late-night text messages to the group with discoveries throughout the year.
At the party, we each have the assignment of tracing what God has taught us about that word theme in the past year. With great anticipation, we also reveal our word for the coming year and pray over them together. This gathering has become sacred through the years.
Today I exhaled with these friends as we reflected on 2022 and embraced a new journey set before us for 2023. I love how our word themes always intertwine and echo each other’s. God is leading me back to His HESED, his grace, mercy, and loving kindness. ♥️ 
👉🏾Do you have people who help you reflect and point you back to the Spirit?! 
#hesed2023 #wordoftheyear
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