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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Chasing God's glory down unexpected trails

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Providing a sense of home for widows in Haiti

She would often tap-tap-tap on the back screen door of the Bell Mission House built by my husband’s grandparents, where our family typically stayed. The first thing most people notice about Comère is she’s blind. Comère walked more than 5 miles from her home in Bahoncy beyond Fontaine in the northern mountains of Haiti. She would bring one of her ... [Keep Reading...]

August 21, 2019 Categories: Navigating GriefTagged: community, compassion, courage, death, friendship, Grief, haiti, hope, outreach, serve, social justice, struggle

Book review: It’s all under control

I’ll be honest: I didn’t think I needed to read It’s All Under Control. I don’t operate under the illusion that I have it all under control or even that I need to have it under control. Our family has weathered so much loss and transition in the last four years that I’m pretty convinced the only one in control here is Jesus. Basically, I feel ... [Keep Reading...]

October 5, 2018 Categories: Book ReviewsTagged: brave, fear, finishing well, flourishing, self-care, serve, sharing faith

Book Review: Holy Hustle: Embracing a work-hard, rest-well life

Do you need to work harder? Do you need to rest more? What shapes your ideas about work? What if you could redeem hustle for God’s glory? These are just a few of the questions Crystal Stine is tackling in her newly-released book, Holy Hustle. Crystal presents a challenging and refreshing examination of the roles of work and rest in our lives. ... [Keep Reading...]

June 11, 2018 Categories: Book ReviewsTagged: community, creativity, end-of-school year, family life, flourishing, identity, rest, schedule, serve

10 Inspiring Books I Read in 2017

At the start of 2017, one of the goals I set out for myself was to read. Don’t get me wrong: I read all the time, but my goal was to intentionally read books. This goal was about quality reading not quantity. I found in this fast-paced, social media-driven world that I was too-often reading lines and posts and headlines, but seldom reading ... [Keep Reading...]

January 2, 2018 Categories: Book Reviews, Navigating GriefTagged: community, compassion, death, family life, flourishing, friendship, Grief, inspirational, relationships, self-care, serve, social justice, struggle, transitions, world travel

Book Review: Daring to Hope

I still remember reading Katie’s Davis’ first book Kisses From Katie. I was sitting under a mosquito net in the stifling heat of a Haiti summer. My husband and I were operating a non-profit at the time. We had three daughters chasing each other through the mission house and a host of Haitian children playing in the yard. Reading about Katie’s life ... [Keep Reading...]

December 15, 2017 Categories: Book Reviews, Navigating GriefTagged: behold, brave, compassion, courage, death, Grief, kids, serve, sharing faith, social justice, world travel

Book Review: Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Broken World

When I was widowed in 2014, one of the most difficult things I did was step away from the missions work I was a part of in Haiti. My late husband and I directed a non-profit, which included for me running a social goods jewelry business. Our work was demanding, fulfilling, creative and challenging - not to mention lots of travel back and forth ... [Keep Reading...]

September 29, 2017 Categories: Book ReviewsTagged: compassion, courage, flourishing, justice, justice journey, margin, peace, self-care, serve, shalom, sharing faith, social justice

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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

  • Traveling the World From The Comfort of Home: Exploring Armenia January 14, 2021
  • 10 inspiring books I read in 2020 January 12, 2021
  • How to navigate through the fog of uncertainty January 11, 2021
  • Traveling the world from the comfort of home: Can you sushi roll? January 8, 2021
  • Traveling the World from the Comfort of Home: An English Tea party, if you please! January 6, 2021

Popular Posts

  • Celebrating a Heaveniversary: 10 ways to honor a loved one’s death
  • 10 meaningful sympathy gift ideas for widows and families
  • Instant Pot Filipino Garlic Fried Rice: A creative way to celebrate friendship
  • 10 creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory (and clean out the garage)

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Five years ago today, our family stood at the altar and said “I do” to a redemption story only God could craft. We chose love in the midst of our ...

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Jan 16

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Five years ago today, our family stood at the altar and said “I do” to a redemption story only God could craft. We chose love in the midst of our deep grief.
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People talk about the “dumpster fire of 2020,” but our dumpster fire was in 2014. That was the year my beloved received a devastating diagnosis. Four short months later, the girls and I stood at the graveside surrendering him to Heaven. That year I walked away from a ministry and work that we had built together over a decade in Haiti. The loss was unimaginable. Not only had I lost my husband, but I also lost my community, any sense of normalcy, my confidence, and my livelihood. I buried many dreams in that dumpster fire.
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But God promises to bring beauty from the ashes. And we stand a testimony today that He is faithful to His promises. For five years now, Shawn and I have been a couple. Two became one at that altar. And defying all math, five became one. For five years, my girls have experienced a new earthly father. We have stepped into a new sense of family.
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God has planted new seeds in our garden of ashes. We watered these seeds with tears and laughter through the years. Our family has cultivated new rhythms and watched new life spring from the grave. 
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Friend, I know you have walked through the fire this last year. I know you are worn and weary, broken and bruised. I know your loss is unimaginable. Today I want to give you permission to grieve. I also want you to know that hope is always on the horizon. Even in darkness there is a glimmer of glory. May you and I be like phoenix that rises from the ashes and spreads her resilient wings. May we sing in our loudest voices the redemption story God composes over and over again.
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Happy 5th anniversary, @shawnyoungruns  I’ve said it all year, and I’ll say it again. I’m so grateful to walk through the dumpster fire with you. 🔥 
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#beautyfromashes #redemption #redemptionsong #hopewriterlife #newsong #phoenix #widow #grief #griefjourney #anniversary #fiveyears #allthingsnew #chosen2021 #glorychasers #flourishingtogether #walkrunsoar #weareincourage #1000gifts
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We're ba-ack! We just kicked off Season 2 of the Walk Run Soar podcast this week with an interview with Dr. Ray Winter, who is the head Track ...

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Jan 14

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We're ba-ack! We just kicked off Season 2 of the Walk Run Soar podcast this week with an interview with Dr. Ray Winter, who is the head Track & Field and Cross Country coach at Fresno Pacific University. 🚶🏻‍♂️Ray shared about his story of coaching now at his alma mater. 
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🎙 We also chatted about:
-coaching through the challenges of Covid times
-connecting with God through nature and running
-how Scripture and mantras can be used to augment workouts
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We love how Ray talked about running as his "soul food" - where He goes for spiritual and physical nourishment regularly. 
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🎧 Listen in here: https://anchor.fm/.../Walk-Run-Soar--Season-2--Episode-1...
🍎 Or on Apple podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../walk-run.../id1493567998...
📺 on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/7zEfh4Rtvvg
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#runnersofinstagam #runners #christianrunners @FresnoPacificUniversity #runningmotivation #glorychasers #runforhim #runners #runningcommunity @the1protagonist
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Every year I listen and look for a ✨word of the year✨that God might use to teach me. This has been a spiritual practice in my life for more than...

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Jan 14

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Every year I listen and look for a ✨word of the year✨that God might use to teach me. This has been a spiritual practice in my life for more than a decade.  I follow that word through the year. I reflect, read the Bible, copy down quotes, and write about what I’m learning. I love the way the words connect from year to year.
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Of course, every year I choose a word theme and by December I am surprised at the lessons I’ve learned from following that word. It’s never what I hoped, imagined, or predicted back in January. Choosing a word always involves surrendering, reckoning and deepening my relationship with the One who was and is the Word from beginning to end.
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These last few months, I’ve noticed a new word bubbling to the surface. It always happens this way for me. I notice a word appearing in different places – in the pages of scripture, in art, in music, in conversation, and in my heart.
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This year I’m exploring the word “chosen.” The dictionary tells me it means “one who is the object of choice or of divine favor.”
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This morning I read these words in Isaiah 43:  “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he” -Isaiah 43: 10
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We may have flipped the calendar to a new month and a new year, but the reality is we still have a lot of wreckage to reckon with in 2021. As much as we are longing for a fresh start, there may be a lot of the same. Yet, I hear the echoes of Isaiah’s prophecy calling me and calling you to be witnesses. God will prevail even through our present challenges. We are chosen to know, believe, and understand who He is and to reflect His glory to a weary and wandering world.
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Will you join me? What’s your word this year?
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👉🏽I’m hosting a Zoom Word Party at 10 am on Saturday, January 31. If you choose a word of the year or would like to hear more about this practice from other women leaders, join us. Details at @leadloved or register at www.leadloved.com.
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#leadloved #wordoftheyear #oneword #chosen #womenoftheword #jesusgirl #faithblogger #oneword2021 #oneword365
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Books were my companions in 2020. In my early mothering years, I didn’t have the space to sit with books, to let them fill me soul’s pores in ways...

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Jan 13

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Books were my companions in 2020. In my early mothering years, I didn’t have the space to sit with books, to let them fill me soul’s pores in ways they had when I was a child voraciously reading in the corner. My busy schedule and exhausted lifestyle didn’t leave space for me to stay with words, to linger long.
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I know that sounds crazy since I’m a writer, but it’s true.
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But not this year. This year I read. I climbed into bed on some afternoons and many nights a week and dove into the deep end. I savored the words like a delicious meal you don’t want to end.
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These 10 books have been my friends in 2020 when other friendships have felt strained, awkward, and even distant. I know that’s mostly because this pandemic forced us to hold each other at a distance. I know that’s probably because many of us quickly grew weary of texting and bearing our souls even to our favorite people through Zoom.
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Maybe some of us never even started.
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But these books, these words, held me. They pushed, prodded, and poked. They invited me into dialogue I desperately needed. Sometime it was the sheer beauty of the words that brought comfort. Other times it was the message that looked me square in the eyes and said, “Yes, this is for you.”
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I read bits and pieces of many other books this year that were meaningful, but these 10 are the ones I wish I could wrap up in brown paper and tie with a pale blue ribbon and leave on your porch. I pray one or two of these will be a companion to you as it looks like 2021 may be a little more of the same for a lot of us.
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Click on the link in my bio to see my Top 10 list + 2 fave book club books: https://dorinagilmore.com/10-inspiring-books-i-read-in-2020/ 
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📚 What books did you read in 2020 that you would recommend? 📖 
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👉🏽The second pic is my growing stack for 2021! 
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#books #bookreview #top10 #booksworm #reading #bookstagram
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🍣 My girl is a big fan of sushi. In recent years, we have frequented different sushi restaurants as a family for special occasions. But we’ve ...

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Jan 11

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🍣 My girl is a big fan of sushi. In recent years, we have frequented different sushi restaurants as a family for special occasions. But we’ve never made our own sushi. Honestly, it felt a little daunting.
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🍱 One of our favorite parts of eating at sushi restaurants is seeing the artful ways the sushi chefs display the rolls and the combinations of seafood, veggies, and sauces they employ.
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🇯🇵 Meilani made a list of necessary ingredients. I sent a few texts to my Auntie Doris, who is Japanese-American, and has some experience with sushi and Japanese foods. (When in doubt, phone an experienced friend or family member!)
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🍚 Meilani put the sushi rice in our Instant Pot. We wanted to make sure it was cooked and cooled before assembling the rolls.
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🎣 Meanwhile, we took a little field trip to R-N Market, our local Asian food market. We frequent this market often for ingredients for our favorite Filipino dishes, but this was our first time buying sushi grade fish. I was grateful for an experienced butcher to help us along. We decided to purchase some fresh salmon, avocados, cucumber, and pineapple for our first rolls.
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We returned home with our bounty and set to work. I sliced the ingredients thinly while Meilani prepped the sheets of nori and sushi rice. We started rolling...
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Making sushi is not something I would attempt on a typical day, but this experience helped remind me that God’s glory is often discovered in the kitchen and through the exploration of culture through food. This is a value I long to instill in my daughters and embrace myself. We are each created in God’s image. We belong to each other. There is much we can learn from each other that will give us a fuller picture of our creative God.
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👉🏽We are traveling the world from the comfort of home during the pandemic. Check out the full story about our sushi adventures and other “trips” on my blog at www.DorinaGilmore.com
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#traveltheworld #workdtravel #foodie #foodiefamily #pandemiclife #creativeathome #glorychasers #yum #sushi #raisingstrongdaughters
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