<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Joy in the Story]]></title><description><![CDATA[Joy In The Story]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2026 09:48:14 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[I Didn’t Choose a Word for 2026. But One Found Me Anyway.]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the beginning of this year, I very intentionally did not choose a word. No theme. No carefully selected word to put at the top of my journal. No declaration of what 2026 was going to become. I actually wrote about it. I was entering this year with open hands, and choosing a word felt a little too much like trying to name something God hadn’t revealed yet. I didn’t know what this year would hold. I didn’t know what God would ask of me, what would change, what would grow, or what I might...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/i-didn-t-choose-a-word-for-2026-but-one-found-me-anyway</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9a28f8950c73fdcf78ba54</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 02:23:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_defc836790ea4266a354374b87f1c87a~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_665,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dear Younger Me, Keep Writing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dear younger me, You're writing in notebooks no one else will ever read. You're filling journals with prayers, questions, dreams, and pages that feel far too ordinary to matter. You wonder if anyone would ever care about the stories running through your head, and if they did, whether you'd ever be brave enough to let them read them. So let me tell you something from a few years down the road. Keep writing. Not every sentence will be brilliant. Not every story will change someone's life. Keep...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/dear-younger-me-keep-writing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a919b5794a35c6c99d35d2f</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:40:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_04700574c39e46439a0fdddd71eda43d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Friend God Gave Me Later]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s a lot of conversation about learning to let people go. About accepting that some friendships are only meant for a season. About recognizing when someone has served their purpose in your story and trusting God enough to release what no longer fits. And I think there’s wisdom in that. Some people really are seasonal. But I think we need to talk more about the other side of it, too. The people God gives us later. The friendships you didn’t grow up with. The people who weren’t there for...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/the-friend-god-gave-me-later</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a88422cc90b45e7944ef4cd</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:21:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_e1dac5c8e8094f1bbf93f59b853be9ec~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_768,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What If This Is the Good Part?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I think I’ve spent a lot of my life waiting for the part where everything clicks into place. The part where I feel settled. Certain. Completely sure of who I am and where I’m going. The part where the questions have answers and the things I’ve been praying about finally make sense. The part where I’m not juggling quite so much, where the calendar feels a little less full, where I finally feel like I’ve caught up. You know—the good part. But lately, I’ve been wondering something else: What if...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/what-if-this-is-the-good-part</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7671db7e238b0b8adec50c</guid><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:53:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_043616d949cb4084851563ec9e8c6b95~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[100 Pieces of the Story]]></title><description><![CDATA[Well. We made it. Blog post number 100. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out what someone is supposed to write for their 100th blog post. One hundred lessons? Absolutely not. I do not have 100 lessons worth teaching. One hundred things I've learned? I turned 30 this year. We've already done enough numbered lists about my personal growth for a minute. A retrospective of every post I've written? I love you, but neither of us has time for that. So instead, I decided to...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/100-pieces-of-the-story</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a766e2c7e238b0b8adebd55</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:59:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_670984faa0cc41b5937027dc614c2dcd~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_724,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Before I Write the Next One]]></title><description><![CDATA[I almost didn't notice. There wasn't a countdown on my website. No confetti popped up when I hit publish last time. No little notification appeared to tell me I was getting close. I just happened to look. 98 published posts. Which means this is number 99. And suddenly, writing the next one feels a little different. Because somewhere along the way, I wrote 99 pieces of my life onto this little corner of the internet. Some were carefully planned. Some started as a sentence in my Notes app that...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/before-i-write-the-next-one</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7669827e238b0b8adeb34d</guid><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:32:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_1aa3c23249dc4f6d997cba7d4270035f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thank God for My People]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve spent the past week reflecting on how overwhelmingly thankful I am for my people. The kind of thankful that makes you stop in the middle of an otherwise normal day and realize just how many people God has woven into your life. People who know you. People who love you. People you can call. People you can sit beside without saying much at all. People who have seen you at your best and people who have been there when you were very much not at your best. I’ve found myself thinking about all...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/thank-god-for-my-people</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7658cfdc26a7fc1f8bd573</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 22:28:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_64c455e506db4358a5869c382c636e8d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_724,h_579,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Mom I Thought I'd Be]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s a lot happening in this picture. I’m working an event, camera pressed to my face, trying to capture everything happening around me. And I’m also on the phone. Because something family-related needed my attention at exactly the same time. When I saw this picture, I laughed. Of course. Of course this is the picture. Not the perfectly posed photo of me and my son. Not a sweet candid moment where I'm leading effortlessly. This one. Camera in one hand. Phone against my ear. Working and...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/the-mom-i-thought-i-d-be</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a71ec37034af70595dcbb90</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:51:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_dfd7c93b0b144f8ea7f14bb1a20abe38~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Discernment Diaries: The Camp Floor]]></title><description><![CDATA[I thought God was calling me to lead. Maybe He was calling me to sit. This summer, somewhere between cabin conversations, campfires, and the beautiful chaos that camp always brings, God met me on the floor. Not the polished floor of a sanctuary. Not in the middle of a sermon. On the floor. It happened after I led one of our evening devotionals. We had spent time talking about loving God more. We talked about relationship instead of perfection. About bringing everything to Him. About prayer....]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/discernment-diaries-the-camp-floor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6804a5388acffd1e3d2f20</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 01:57:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_40e2b8571674423cb12252a31499102e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Know You'll Go When He Says Move]]></title><description><![CDATA["We know you'll go when He says move." Sometimes a sentence finds you at exactly the right moment. Those words were written inside a card gifted alongside a Bible I received before camp, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. Not because they make me feel fearless, but because they make me pause. Do people really see that in me? Do I? The funny thing about obedience is that, from the outside, it can look brave. It can look confident. It can look like someone who never hesitates....]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/we-know-you-ll-go-when-he-says-move</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6405b1424f5a9980a9b6ee</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:51:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_152e695312b84761ada7929b73f3d0f2~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From TDH to Tumble Oak]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is something about camp that refuses to let you leave unchanged. Every year I think I know what to expect. I know the long days are coming. I know my body will ache in places I forgot could ache. I know sleep will be scarce, coffee will become a necessity instead of a luxury, and somehow every piece of clothing I packed will smell faintly of campfire by the end of the week. And yet every year, God surprises me. This week was no exception. It started with what has now become one of my...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/from-tdh-to-tumble-oak</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d5668e447e3bde58ae378</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:04:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_b86cd93737c64169addc23c5cbe7a9e5~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_768,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spiraling... or Stirring?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm writing this one from the middle. Not from the other side. Not with a neat bow tied around the lesson. Not with a list of five ways to know the difference. Just from the middle. Because lately I've been convinced I was spiraling. Not a little concerned. Not slightly overwhelmed. Spiraling. At least that's what I called it. My thoughts felt louder than usual. Certain ideas kept returning no matter how many times I tried to set them aside. Questions lingered longer than I wanted them to....]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/spiraling-or-stirring</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3a7a6ba30545020ad67946</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:41:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_7f5038f8de634397b4d74fb936b24bd6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Men Who Taught Me What Love Looks Like]]></title><description><![CDATA[Father's Day has always felt a little bigger to me. Not because of gifts or cookouts or greeting cards, but because when I look around my life, I see the fingerprints of so many good men. I see my dad, my grandpas, my stepdad, my father-in-law. And now, I see my husband. Somehow, God has surrounded me with men who have shown me what love looks like—not through grand gestures, but through consistency. Through showing up. Through support. Through encouragement. Through quiet sacrifices that...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/the-men-who-taught-me-what-love-looks-like</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a38829e6eab84e606083023</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:54:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_7365c5ee9f474041bba9b4e13878b8c1~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_724,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Than A Title]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I learned I would be inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success, I was honored. Like most milestones, my first reaction was shock. My second reaction was excitement and reflection. Because the truth is, this recognition means so much more to me than a line on a résumé or another accomplishment to list. It represents a season of saying "yes" to God's leading, even when the path felt overwhelming. A few years ago, I never imagined I would be back in school. Life was...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/more-than-a-title</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a28a315bcf454bfefdf370e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 23:55:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_d54829b16f85482292fd622788f63960~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_768,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Discernment Diaries: Somewhere Between Gratitude and Uncertainty]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes I think the hardest thing to admit is that life can look really good while you still feel deeply unsettled inside. Because lately, things have been good. There have been opportunities I prayed for. Conversations that felt meaningful. Moments that reminded me God is moving. Things I never thought I’d be capable of doing are somehow happening anyway. And I’m grateful for all of it. But underneath the gratitude, there’s also been this quiet wrestling I can’t seem to shake. I keep...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/discernment-diaries-somewhere-between-gratitude-and-uncertainty</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a028162e8ad7aab1e5b295b</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 01:25:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_7f5038f8de634397b4d74fb936b24bd6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Every Story Matters This Mother’s Day]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mother’s Day has a way of reminding us that every story in the room is different. For some, this day feels light and joyful. For others, it feels tender. For some, it is filled with laughter and handmade cards and phone calls. For others, it carries grief, silence, longing, complicated relationships, exhaustion, or memories that ache a little more today. And yet, every story matters. Not just the polished stories. Not just the easy stories. Not just the stories that look beautiful from the...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/every-story-matters-this-mother-s-day</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a00d6ba9b0abb41c545930e</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 19:04:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_60b24f8a66ed48b79dfceaa74e9347d7~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_588,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Open Hands Looks Like Peace]]></title><description><![CDATA[I didn’t realize how tightly I was holding on…until I finally let go. Not in a dramatic, everything-changes-in-an-instant kind of way. But in a quiet, honest moment with God where I admitted: “My timeline isn’t working.” Maybe you’ve been there too. You’ve prayed about it. Planned for it. Worked toward it. Envisioned how it should go. And yet… things aren’t lining up the way you thought they would. We don’t always recognize it as control. Sometimes it just feels like pressure. Pressure to be...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/open-hands-looks-like-peace</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69eb787a8d49bd7442f18772</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:10:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_c530b98b22454dc2a27919e740d353a5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_724,h_362,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Holy Week Didn’t Go as Planned (and Still Meant Something)]]></title><description><![CDATA[I had a vision for Holy Week this year. Not perfect—but intentional. Present. Meaningful. But if I’m being honest… that was already a stretch. Because my husband and I are both in ministry. And Holy Week, for us, doesn’t just mean reflecting—it means leading , planning , showing up , and pouring out  in ways that are full and beautiful… but also exhausting. So before the week even began, we were already in it. Long, full days. A lot of responsibility. A lot of giving. And still, I hoped to...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/when-holy-week-didn-t-go-as-planned-and-still-meant-something</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d591bc74eeae096e524065</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 23:32:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_a5e06de133274b93a5121d040b7fe2e9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Is Where It Hurts]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Good Friday reflection Image from The Chosen; Season 6 I don’t want to rush this. I know how the story ends.You  probably do too. But today isn’t about the ending. Today is about the part we don’t like to sit in. This is the day everything broke Jesus had already been betrayed. By  a friend. With a kiss. He had already been arrested in the middle of the night. Already questioned. Mocked. Accused. The crowd—the same voices that once shouted “Hosanna!” —now shouted something different:...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/this-is-where-it-hurts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cfbf865b09ec14f23a81e4</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:31:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_0ba41ae101314579b1f4e7b108de3dff~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Still Becoming, Still Saying Yes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trusting God in the in-between of calling and confidence There are moments in life that don’t arrive with fireworks…they arrive quietly—almost gently—and yet somehow shift everything. Recently, I was given the opportunity to speak at She Leads Church, a space that equips and encourages women in ministry to lead with confidence and calling. Around the same time, I was nominated for The National Society of Leadership and Success, an honor that recognizes leadership and growth. Even writing that...]]></description><link>https://hirschmeun.wixsite.com/joyinthestory/post/still-becoming-still-saying-yes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c8724fbe72f39f1f5c141e</guid><pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:53:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca6473_a74e97b69dd64abc8ea748d3a5cb95a4~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_768,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Torri</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>