Dear Instagram, it feels like I'm going through a break-up with you. I feel this shift in my heart take back my time and lead a quiet life. I'm all in for the inspiration and storytelling, but yet I don't want to miss my own life by scrolling through others. Maybe we can find a beautiful boundary where I feel creative and content. Maybe. ;)
Dear Easter, thanks for reminding my family how great traditions are. This is our 2nd year using our Easter baskets to tell the gospel story, and I am seeing it just will get better with age. Like literally, the older the kids get the more rich it will become.
Dear May, I welcome your greenness and sunshine and warmth! Cannot wait to start planting my veggies and cut flowers.
Dear 90's era, who knew you'd make such a strong come back and be a great theme for a friend's birthday party?!
Dear Jack, you are growing to be such a kind, little gentleman. I had all. the. feels. seeing you dance so sweetly at your Tea For Two event at school.
Dear Peter, I love watching you want to be just like your brother. You are 100% in the "parrot stage" of childhood and it is a hoot. Thanks for the daily giggles.
Dear knee surgery, it's been a long time coming (11 years to be exact). Nervous but ready to have this behind me.
Dear kiddo soccer season, let's have nice weather ok??! Can't wait to see my all-star play with some of his best buddies.
The Warsaw Orphan. I am so glad the book I was hoping to borrow was not available because it led me to this one. Some books just stay with you and this one totally did. It took me a hot second to get into it because there are two story lines that weave together, which means a slew of characters, but once I got a hang of whose who I was all in. It's a historical fiction story set during World War 2 in Poland. This young girl lived near the Jewish ghetto, and this reality aged her fast to take action in any way she could.
I read this in January and it was struck me how eerie to think there is yet another war, here and now, where a dictator is taking action against innocent people. This book was heartbreaking in many ways but still carried hope and a love narrative. I always wonder why I'm drawn to WW2 books, but I'm grateful because we. cannot. forget. any of it.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. This book will read you as you read it. If you are willing you will change as a person from reading it. Genuinely, I have grown in a lot of way thanks to the teachings from each chapter. This book is a part of a course (my church offers it as a class) but it can totally be read as a stand alone book. However I would be remiss to say that my favorite part of this book is the devotional, EHS Day by Day. If you want to go deeper in your relationship with Christ.. read this book. If you feel stuck in your ways and want to love people better.. read this book. I love the quote "it is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature" because it is so true! No wonder so many people don't see a difference between the "church" (followers of Jesus) and anyone else who doesn't believe in Christ. I know I will come back to this book again.
God Bless This Mess. Anyone else a big Hannah Brown fan? I rooted for her ever since Colton's season so it was a treat to read her story told from her own heart (versus reality TV since they do such a fine job at storytelling people's lives ;). This girl just goes where few people do when looking at their stuff, owning it, and wanting to learn from it. Yes there is some Bachelor "tea" but I actually was most blown away by her story as a child to how those situations/themes threaded themselves through her story in challenging ways. Her story is proof that the past doesn't have to define who you want to be. There is grace and healing from looking backwards in order to move forwards.
Kisses and Croissants. A cute, cheesy read. My cup of tea if you will. I just love a simple story sometimes. The young girl dreams to join the American Ballet Company, and lands herself an opportunity for a summer internship at a dance academy in Paris. I loved wandering the streets of Paris through this quick read. A family mystery with a side of French boy/American girl love story and Paris vibes. Bon' appetite!
Becoming Mrs. Lewis. If I had to guess I would think many know who C.S. Lewis is because of his Narnia series. Fun fact: the person who brought those books to film was his stepson, Douglas Gresham. And the mother to Douglas Gresham is Joy Davidman who ended up writing a letter to Jack (C.S. Lewis' name) asking him questions about a relationship with Christ. This letter changed everything for Joy. This story was a slow burn, but SO worth it. It's written as a historical fiction, so much of it is based off reality which makes it that much more wild and sad and sweet. Joy and C.S. Lewis' love for one another is inspiring.
Social Icons