FINAL LINKUP:

No, this isn’t the last linkup for Grace and Truth! But it’s my final one as a co-host. Continue to linkup each week with Maree at her blog and Tammy at her blog every Friday. I’ll still be linking up, too.

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Near the end of each month at Jennifer’s linkup we share four somethings that we’re loving, reading, learning, and eating.

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What I’m Loving

• STAY – TOMORROW NEEDS YOU

I saw a shirt with this saying on it last Sunday at our local Out of the Darkness community walk for suicide prevention: “Stay. Tomorrow needs you.” The shirt (and the event!) really moved me.

So I found a similar long-sleeve shirt online that I’m ordering because I love the message and want to pass it on.

Also at the event, walkers are encouraged to bring photos of their loved ones to place on the memory wall, and write messages of hope.

Here’s our local Moms Demand Action team that came together for the walk.

Everyone is also provided with honor beads to wear according to the personal connections they have losing someone to suicide or struggling with a mental illness.

Which beads might you wear?

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What I’m Reading

• 21 MYTHS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS

Our online book club for the Alabama chapter of Moms Demand Action had a great discussion last Monday on this book, “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker.

We all learned things that we had been taught wrong about Native Americans. I also was able to share some things I learned from our fellow blogging friend Anita Ojeda. She teaches at a small private school for Native Americans and provided me with good info from her students’ perspective.

. Do any of them surprise you? November is National Native American Heritage Month. 

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What I’m Learning

• WHAT HAPPENED IN GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND

I’m learning about what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11/2001, as I listen to this audiobook, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede.

When all US airspace shut down on September 11, incoming flights already in progress to the US had to land somewhere else. 7,000 of those surprised passengers unexpectedly landed on the island of Newfoundland in Canada. The book chronicles how the townspeople responded.

The book has been on my list for awhile, but I moved it up because tonight I’m going to see Broadway’s musical “Come from Away” based on the event. I’ve heard it’s a fantastic show.

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What I’m Eating (or Drinking)

• APPLE CIDER SLUSHIE

Well, actually *I AM NOT* the one drinking this. But last week when we went to see the pumpkins at Isom’s Orchard, our 2-year-old grandson got a slushie. And LOVED it. I may or may not have liked the slushie had I tried it, but I definitely love my little guy loving it. 

What is something you are loving, reading, learning, or eating/drinking this month?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

When circumstances don’t go the way we want, we can still find hope. How? One way is by intentionally developing our integrity.

While I haven’t yet listened to the podcast episode on Integrity mentioned in this post by Deborah Rutherford, I still gained a lot simply by reading the many outtakes she shares here from her interview with Sarah Geringer. I’ve been reading Sarah’s words for years and am always encouraged by her honesty and her integrity.

Read (and/or listen) here.

“Finding Hope in the Hard Days as a Woman of Integrity”

Now link your own blog posts below. 

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

“The goal of reading is not to get anywhere, but to open where we are.”
– Mark Nepo

Here are 5 nonfiction books + 1 novel I recommend from what I finished reading in September. 

[See previously recommended books here]

NONFICTION

1. Falling Down and Getting Up
Discovering Your Inner Resilience and Strength
by Mark Nepo

Mark Nepo writes with great insight on our falls. If you need encouragement to get back up again, again, and again, this book will inspire you to look reality in the face, yet still continue forward. 

[Read my full review here of Falling Down and Getting Up]

2. “All the Real Indians Died Off”
And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans
by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

This is the October selection for our online Moms Demand Action book club. Some of these myths I already understood to be false about Native Americans, but other chapters taught me lessons I needed to learn. The writing is a bit more academic than I’d prefer, but it’s definitely readable and engaging.  

3. Saving Us
A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
by Katharine Hayhoe 

A valuable book. I learned so much about the harm we’ve been doing to our planet, but more importantly I also learned what we can do about it other than groan. The book addresses our treatment of Earth from many perspectives—science, psychology, and the author’s Christian faith.

4. Speak Your Truth with Love and Listen Deeply
A Training in Mindfulness-Based Nonviolent Communication
by Oren Jay Sofer

I listened to this audiobook from Hoopla in a couple of days. It’s about how to have respectful communication without arguing, blaming, or judging. As a student of Marshall Rosenberg’s method of Nonviolent Communication, Sofer’s principles here are familiar to me but still worth listening to in his own words.

5. A Life in Light
Meditations on Impermanence
by Mary Pipher

Although engaging and well-written, I didn’t read this memoir word-for-word. Until I got to the last few chapters. Then I slowed down and read every word that Mary Pipher said (she also wrote Women Rowing North, a fabulous book about aging and one of my top 10 books I read in 2019). Her wisdom about life’s many changes is valuable. 

FICTION

6. The Golden Couple
by Greer Hendricks

The wealthy couple Matthew and Marissa Bishop agree to marriage counseling with the renegade therapist Avery Chambers. The mysterious plot takes you behind the secrets that everyone is holding on to. An interesting story! I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading the hardback.

WHAT I’M READING NOW

• Language Power
  100 Things You Need to Make Language Work for You
  by Norbert Schmitt
• American Idolatry
  How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church
  by Andrew L. Whitehead
• Nobody Needs to Know: A Memoir
  by Pidgeon Pagonis
• I Never Thought of It That Way
  How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times
  by Monica Guzmán
• I Didn’t Sign Up for This
  A Couples Therapist Shares Real-Life Stories of Breaking Patterns and Finding Joy in Relationships, Including Her Own
  by Dr. Tracy Dalgleish

What good book have you read lately? Please share in the comments.

Grace & Truth Featured Post

Maybe you like to read as much as I do. And/or maybe you also like to write. What have you been writing lately? It’s what Linda asks in this week’s featured post. 

“What Are You Writing These Days?”

Link your own blog posts below. 

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

Transportation

It’s about to be dark outside. Yet I’m still not home. I know it takes four hours in the car to drive from Mississippi to Alabama.

But I’m not in a car.

I’m on a tricycle.

Thankfully, I wake up. It was a dream. It’s a recurring one. I often dream about wacky modes of transportation, trying to get from here to there.

I laugh about these dreams when I’m awake. But when I’m asleep, the slow progress and the looming distance ahead in inadequate vehicles are torturous.

Stay Awake

That’s why I need to read authors like Mark Nepo in my non-sleep hours. He keeps me awake to my real life so I can move forward, even when it’s hard.

And it’s been hard the past two years. I keep falling down, only to have to get back up again. And again. And again.

So this latest book by Mark Nepo is right on time: Falling Down and Getting Up: Discovering Your Inner Resilience and Strength.

Nepo frames our challenges as opportunities for deepening. He asks us to befriend our fears, pains, and griefs, not be crippled by them.

How? Like many spiritual teachers, Nepo advices that one way is to stay present in this moment because fear gains its power from the future and the past.

“Strength and resolve are always restored through the complete surrender of our naked attention.”

So stay aware of now. Pay attention to this. Face life here. 

“Fear gains its power from not looking. Consider the proverbial boogeyman in the closet. The longer we don’t look, the bigger the boogeyman gets. Until some kind grandfather or aunt takes us by the hand, saying, ‘Well, why don’t we take a look in there, together?'”

Begin Again

And after we look under the bed—even if what we see causes us to fall down again—get back up, and be willing to accept help as needed.

“While nothing can minimize the pain and loss that comes from falling down, nothing can keep us from helping each other up.“

We all have falls. Many falls. But the damage comes when we refuse to get back up.

So be willing to begin again. Open to where you are.

And do it often. I have to choose each day to begin again.

Not Here to There, But In to Out

Fortunately, it’s highly unlikely that I’ll ever have to travel from Mississippi to Alabama on a tricycle. That’s just for my nightmares. But even if I did, by beginning again each day, I’d eventually make it.

This journey through life—one that we each are on—might feel as daunting as riding a skateboard or a unicycle through mountainous terrain (yes, I’ve had those dreams, too). But as Nepo writes in Falling Down and Getting Up:

“The inescapable truth is that we don’t travel from here to there, but from in to out.”

You bring what lives within you out into the world each time you get back up again.

It’s less about where we’re going but how we’re growing.

Get back up again today and see.

Do you have crazy transportation dreams, too? Share your thoughts in the comments.

My thanks to NetGalley + St Martin’s
Press for the review copy of this book.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

I’m grateful for books that help me get back up. What are you grateful for? Read our featured post this month by Lynn Simpson to open new possibilities for yourself through a gratitude practice.

Read all of Lynn’s post here at her blog.

“The Power of Gratitude – Receive New Possibilities”

Now link up your own blog posts below. 

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

Honoring time requires embracing certain truths: that time is precious and time is plentiful.
– Laura Vanderkam

I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a Friday morning, 8:15am. And I’m still in bed.

I decided to solve another Sudoku puzzle from the NYTimes website instead of getting up.

My husband Jeff is already up. I smell cinnamon rolls cooking in the kitchen.

I have things I want to be doing today. Granted, I’d already finished the pressing things on Thursday. I’d worked hard during the week. I was extra tired by Friday morning.

But . . still here, still in bed . . . I’m now also eating cinnamon rolls.

I make the comment to Jeff, “Just one more cinnamon roll before I get on with the day.”

His response to me changed everything: “Maybe this IS the day.”

Of course. This is the day.

And this is how I’m getting on with it.

Do you struggle, too, with the notion that taking a break on an ordinary morning is sometimes the perfect way to spend a day (or at least a morning)? Share in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

When I read Ashley’s post about letting go of “shoulding” ourselves, I immediately related. And I thought back to my morning in bed. I’d told myself that morning I “should” get up; I “should” be productive; I “should” have already worked out, eaten breakfast, made the bed.

But sometimes we need to quiet our “shoulds.” At least evaluate why they’re popping up in the first place.

Read all of Ashley’s wise post at her blog.

“Why We Gotta Stop Shoulding Ourselves and Others”

Then link up your own blog posts below. 

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

So commenter #28 Lynn Morrissey on my 15-year-blogaversary post is the book giveaway winner!

Thanks to all who left a comment and a congratulations there. You all are amazing blogging friends! I look forward to hearing and reading more from you in the years ahead.  

Grace & Truth Featured Post

Do certain books speak to you of a particular season? In Michele’s post, she shares some of her seasonal favorites. She also writes about a new book she’s reading about using stories to help shape our faith.

Read all of Michele’s post at her blog, then link up your own blog posts below.

“Stories Shape Our Faith and Heighten Our Joy in Every Season”

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

How long do you think you’ll live? According to this life expectancy table, I have 24.6 years left, and my husband Jeff has 23.15 years.

I could easily be bothered by this news.

But I don’t believe it.

Our life span is predicated on so many variables. We can’t accurately predict the day we’ll die.

And more important than how long we will live is how we will live. If I really do have 24.6 years to live, I want to use these years wisely and kindly with people I can love and with people who love me.

How do you want to spend your remaining years?

Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Read more about aging here:

• Do You Look Good For Your Age? 4 Tips to Fight Ageism

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

Paula addresses getting older in this week’s featured post. Instead of fearing the passing of time, she encourages us to “approach aging with courage and grace.“

Read all of Paula’s post at her blog. 

“Embracing the Gift of Aging— A Journey of Courage and Grace”

Then link your own blog posts below.

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

“Hey Lisa!”

I’d almost made it to my car Monday afternoon before she called me back in. I felt my defenses rising when I heard my name.

I knew it wouldn’t be good. She said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

Another red flag.

It’s hard to walk into criticism. But there was no turning back now.

Nobody likes being criticized, right? It’s uncomfortable to hear that we’ve done something wrong. It can cause us to feel bad about ourselves or feel mad at the other person.

Can good come from criticism?

Well, it depends. How do we define criticism and how do we receive it?

One definition is that criticism is the expression of disapproval. A second definition says it’s the analysis of the merits and faults of a work. That doesn’t sound as bad.

But either way, regardless of motive or tone, criticism can still sting, depending how we receive it.

On my best days, I want to take this approach to criticism: Listen, pause, consider, respond. On my worst days, I just get defensive and want to push back.

On Monday, I was somewhere in between.

I turned back around to hear what my friend wanted to say to me.

As it turned out, her message wasn’t a direct criticism. She was just passing the buck. Someone had been complaining to her that our mutual friend needed a bath. She wanted me to tell her that. A sensitive situation, to be sure.

While I appreciated her trust in me to make this happen, it was misplaced. I told her so. I said I’d mention it to our friend, but I couldn’t control the results.

She understood. Conversation closed.

My ego got a pass this time. The criticism wasn’t personal. I walked away satisfied with the encounter.

It’s not always this easy. (Sometimes I get criticized for mishandling criticism, and appropriately so.)

But this time it was a breeze. I am grateful.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

Barbara tells about the criticism she received of her literary work at a writer’s conference, and how it affected her. 

Read all of Barbara’s post at her blog, then link up your own blog posts below.

“Criticism Can Be a Blessing”

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

Near the end of each month, I share four somethings at Jennifer’s linkup that I’m loving, reading, learning, and eating. 

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What I’m Loving

• NEW INSTA ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW

My friend and our fellow blogger Lois Flowers has created a new Instagram account called “Remembering Our Parents.” 

It’s a space for each of us to “honor our parents, share their wisdom, and encourage each other as we continue on without them.”

She invites you to participate, too. Just answer a question about your mom or dad and send her a photo. Get all the details here. (And read more in today’s featured post when you scroll down.) 

This is what I sent in about my mom. Although it’s been almost 13 years since she died, I still miss her terribly. I still need her advice. I’m glad I still have her love.

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What I’m Reading 

• YOUR FUTURE SELF

I continue to think about this nesting dolls metaphor for all the versions of myself. This book, Your Future Self, helps me remember that who I am today is likely not my last version either. It’s been fascinating to read. 

“He saw that the younger version of himself was just one patch in his quilt of selves. Just as he’s changed from who he was to who he is, he’ll certainly continue to change as the years unfold.”

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What I’m Learning

• COURAGE IS ACCEPTING CHANGE

So instead of envisioning my current self as the largest doll in the nesting set, I should assume I’m maybe two versions back and continuing to grow. 

Accepting changes that have already happened in my life (many without my permission, I might add!) is requiring courage on my part. But courage is also required to intentionally create change in my future.

And I’m not a brave person by nature, so . . . ugh.  

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What I’m Eating

• A RETURN TO HEALTHY OATMEAL

Growing up, I often ate Quaker Oatmeal for breakfast (I still remember the lightweight aluminum pan I cooked it in). As an adult, I turned away from it.

But now that high cholesterol and other scary things have arisen in adulthood, I’m returning to my roots of old-fashioned oatmeal (not the yummy sugary kind) with a piece of whole wheat toast crumbled in. 

I can’t say I love it, but I feel good about eating it (and it helps me not feel as guilty about a chocolate dessert later in the day, lol).  

What’s something you’re learning or loving this month?  

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

After Lois lost both her parents just five weeks apart in 2019, she recognized the gift of talking about them with others.

I lost my own parents seven months part in 2010. It was a very difficult year. I was grateful to have others around me who also knew and loved my parents. 

Read what Lois has started on Instagram to help us remember our parents now in community.

“Built around follower stories, @RememberingOurParents is an Instagram community for all of us with moms and dads who are gone but definitely not forgotten.”

Read all of Lois’s post at her blog, then link up your own blog posts below.

“Introducing ‘Remembering Our Parents’”

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!