My August

I am thinking . . . already about my One Word 2015 and about how God keeps divinely orchestrating my journey with One Word 2014 Compassion

I am praying . . . about how we speak to each other; it’s the next step in my Compassion journey for August

I am following . . . a new blog (to me), The Daily Love, by Mastin Kipp after reading his wonderful article, “How to Speak Your Truth Without Hurting Others,” and seeing him on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday show

I am pondering these words . . .

“[Compassion] is a way of saying, ‘For a fellow creature to be in pain and without help in God’s universe is simply unacceptable to both God and me. So I will go in between the two. I will grasp the hand of God with one hand and grasp the hand of my neighbor in pain with the other.'”
– Brian McLaren, Naked Spirituality

I am planning . . . a trip to Guatemala in Central America next month (yikes!)

I am going . . . with Alene, a woman I want to hang around so her brave will rub off on me

I want to read . . . Let’s All Be Brave by Andrea Raynor because Alene loved it—I read the Kindle sample and loved it too (since last month, I’ve only read my samples down from 82 to 72; I add more every week, sigh)

[P.S. Wow—As God would have it, I just saw this for free on the BookLook Bloggers program, available August 6. I’m in. Go, God! Now to decide if I want the eBook or a hard copy. How do you decide?]

I am listening to . . . You Make Me Brave with my church and at home

“As Your love in wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us, You are not against us
Champion of Heaven, You made a way for all to enter in”

(click here if you can’t see the video)

I am thankful . . . for the invitation to sing praises with special spirit friends last Wednesday at the apartment of a special brother with Alzheimer’s, who no longer sings himself but still enjoys listening—once a saint, he’s still a saint

I am creating . . . digital copies of my home movies VHS tapes with this before they deteriorate even further

I am watching . . . when Morgan first met baby sister Jenna minutes after she was born in 1995 (and wishing I’d converted my tape sooner because the quality is so poor, but still happy I have it at all!)

(click here if you can’t see the video)

I am reading . . . Les Miserables by Victor Hugo—which inspires me to be more compassionate

“That evening, before he went to bed, he said again: ‘Let us never fear robbers nor murderers. Those are dangers from without, petty dangers. Let us fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices are the real murderers. The great dangers lie within ourselves. What matters is not what threatens our head or our purse! Let us think only of that which threatens our soul.’”

but which also makes me want to stop reading because of the heartbreak in it

“However, the old woman who lighted her candle for her when she returned at night, taught her the art of living in misery. Back of living on little, there is the living on nothing. These are the two chambers; the first is dark, the second is black.”

I am memorizing . . . still in John 15, up to verse 15 (over halfway!)

In my Bible journal . . . I’m halfway through Deuteronomy

“With your own eyes, you saw the LORD’s mighty power do all these things” (Deuteronomy 11:7).

Whatever I see with my own eyes that You do, let me tell others and remember it to build my faith for times when I can’t see.

I am realizing . . . it’s time for new flea medicine for Kandie, our sweet Golden (when Jeff resorts to giving her a bath, it’s serious!); my vet recommends Comfortis

I’m looking forward to . . . Mackenzie’s wedding tomorrow, girls’ night out with choir chicks next week, and the beach a few weeks after that

One of my favorite things . . . traveling anywhere (and coming home) with this man (the latest trip was to Portland, Indiana, for a Cushman swap meet)

* * *

What are you looking forward to in August?

The Simple Woman’s Daybook
…where every day is a blank page

past Daybooks

• ← On the blog – July 2014
• Change your tone →