Gratitude in Motion: Trusting God’s Timing and Honoring the Gift of Dance

November always brings me back to gratitude. Some days it feels easy to list the things I’m thankful for — my Jewelbox Society members who choose to dance with me each month, my husband, my sweet dog, the warmth of home. But gratitude is more than a quick list. For me, it’s a practice rooted in faith, perspective, and the way God’s timing always weaves together the pieces of my life — even the messy ones.

I’ve had seasons where I wondered if I should walk away from Dandelion & Opal. Where the work felt heavy, the progress non-existent, and the trench of despair seemed too deep to climb out from. Maybe you’ve had a season like that too? Like where every step forward feels like slipping in the mud, sliding right back to the valley floor. Actually, my beginner course, Archway to Ballet, was born from this exact rising from the ashes I wanted to instill in others. The course was my journey back from the fire that had destroyed all I had built.

When I look back, I can see God’s timing. What felt like detours or disappointments were really preparation. Even the hurt and the betrayals became lessons that shaped me. In hindsight, those seasons of “not yet” became some of my biggest blessings. Because I know now: God has the power to turn any situation around, but it happens on His time — not mine. I posted once that God is our Father, and like any good dad, sometimes when we ask, the answer is no.

That’s why I couldn’t give up on my dreams for Dandelion & Opal. If I quit right before the breakthrough, I would never know what He had in store. I would have thrown away all the work and all the lessons, only to lose the thing that brings me joy. And truthfully, I would wither without it. Dance is my praise. It’s how I worship, how I move through grief, how I rejoice, how I breathe life back into my spirit.

The enemy wants us to stay stuck in despair — to give up, grow bitter, or shrink into sadness. Why? Well, because sad people can be vulnerable, and can become easily manipulated to will. But every time I move, every time I dance, I reclaim my joy. I remind myself that I am wonderfully made in the eyes of the Lord. My gifts have come from the Lord, and no one else. My body is a gift — strong, capable, and designed to move. To stretch, to sway, to leap, to flow. And I don’t take that lightly.

Gratitude, then, is not only about thanking God for what He’s given me externally, but also honoring the way He’s made me internally — body, mind, and spirit. When I dance, I’m not just exercising. I’m praising. I’m testifying that even in the valleys, He sustains me. And when I rise, it is not by my strength, but His.

So this month, I invite you to pause and consider: what if you looked at your movement as a form of gratitude? What if every stretch, every breath, every step could be a prayer of thanks? Gratitude doesn’t always look like journaling or quiet reflection. Sometimes, it looks like sweat, like joy, like laughter in the middle of the living room while music fills the air.

Because when you move, you heal. When you dance, you remember that your spirit is alive. And when you honor the body God gave you, you step into a deeper kind of gratitude — the kind that lifts you out of the valley and points you toward His light.

✨ If you’re looking for a space to reconnect with your body, spirit, and joy through dance, The Jewelbox Society is a place where movement becomes healing and gratitude is practiced in motion. Each month we explore a new theme that reminds us of the beauty, strength, and magic God has already placed inside of us.

Dandelion & Opal’s mission: Transforming women’s lives through fitness, inspiration, and motivation using the art of dance with accessibility.

I created Dandelion & Opal to reach women who cannot attend regular, traditional studio classes due to logistics of time, availability, or lack of self-esteem and confidence. Dance Your Way Back to You | At-Home Healing, Fitness, Grace & Renewal

With Growth and Gratitude,

Ms. Nicolyn

Gratitude In Motion