Links, books, and other things I love – March 2016
1 SECOND EVERYDAY – February edition
[click here if you can’t see the video]
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AROUND THE WEB
• White Privilege
Um, this one might make us uncomfortable. It’s important reading on “What my white, heterosexual, educated, first world privilege is teaching me about empowerment.” I just finished reading Ta-Nehesi’s Between the World and Me so I’m already convicted.
• Stop Complaining about People in Poverty (At Least Around Me)
And while we’re at it, keep reading this by Shawn Smucker.
• How Meditation Changes the Brain and Body
Yet another new study shows a little bit of mindfulness can go a long way.
• School Digger
An interesting site to evaluate any public school in America.
• 4 Common Mistakes with Pronouns
Henneke says that silly mistakes with pronouns are like tiny pebbles in our shoes. Take the time to stop and remove them.
• Favorite blog tools from ProBlogger
In this podcast (and in the blog notes) Darrin Rowse gives links to his favorite tools that save time and make his blogs stronger.
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ON READING
• 10 Rewarding Reasons to Read
Why do you read? Can you pick a favorite reason from the list? I couldn’t decide: maybe 2 or 3 or 6 or 10.
• Quiz: “How comfortable are you with uncertainty?”
This quiz is from the book, Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing, by Jamie Holmes. I’ve not read it, but I hope to.
• Books I recommend from February reading
• Currently reading:
- The Marriage of Opposites (Alice Hoffman)
- Habits of Grace (David Mathis)
- Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
- Breaking Busy (Alli Worthington)
- Reliving the Passion (Walter Wangerin Jr.)
- A Return to Love (Marianne Williamson)
- The Path of Centering Prayer (David Frenette)
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THINGS I LOVE
• Old photos
In cleaning up boxes of photos, I ran across this lovely picture of hubby Jeff with his brother Steve and parents from the 1960s. Such a classic.
• Memorizing in community
Our group at Do Not Depart is continuing to memorize Matthew 6 together. It’s aways enlightening to spend extended time in one section of scripture. Weekly blog posts are here.
• Cruise!
Looking forward to vacationing soon with my 4 Corner friends (picture below) and our spouses. On a cruise! (I never thought I’d get Jeff on a cruise, and well, it hasn’t happened yet. Check back next month.)
• Sleepover
We had our annual spend-the-night party two weeks ago to discuss plans about the newest memories we’ll be making together on the water and in the Bahamas.
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ON THE BLOG
- Who will be your divine encounter?
- 4 ways to love someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s
- How to meditate
- 6 loving things to say when you don’t know what to say
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What are you looking forward to in March? Please share in the comments.
Linking at Leigh Kramer’s
My previous posts
I confess I am jealous of your 4 Corner friendships. Your blog post arrived in my inbox not long after I found out that someone I consider my “best” friend (who does not live nearby at all) is traveling 500+ miles with 2 other women to visit another woman who moved away from my friend’s town. I spoke with her on the phone 2 nights ago and she did not mention the trip. Perhaps it was to spare my feelings, as she knows how lonely I am here, but finding out about it via someone else’s Facebook message didn’t feel so hot, either. 20 years of military life, leaving people behind… I have always been the one to make the effort to return to see people. It is hard sometimes to see others with such good friendships.
I hope you all have a fabulous time on the cruise. Cruising is my favorite vacation. I’m way overdue for one.
Oh, I’m sorry about your “best” friend situation. 🙁 Sometimes Facebook can really make things worse in situations like that. Back in the old days, we would just remain ignorant. ha.
I’ve often thought about how our physical location has such influence on how our lives go. Having never lived anywhere except this general area, I have had ample opportunities to keep many of my same friends that I’ve had from childhood, which I know is very rare in today’s society. But on the other hand, I’ve not had the opportunities to explore other communities and be faced to grow in the situations that you’ve had to deal with. I’m sure you’re a stronger person as a result of those challenges.
Hope your ship comes into port soon! 🙂 Of the four couples going on this cruise, only one couple has gone more than once, so we’ll all be relative novices to the sea. Praying for smooth waters.
The article on White Privilege was excellent, Lisa, thank you for sharing. I was astounded at some of the comment responses she received, her responses were all grace though and that says a lot about her as a person. I love these posts you do, Lisa, I’ll be back to investigate more 🙂 Have a blessed day!
I haven’t read any of the comments she received on White Privilege. I’m amazed at how often we can be so insensitive to each other when we’re given a chance to comment with strangers about such deep matters of the heart. 🙁 But then again, it is nice to see others respond with grace! Thanks, June–you’re always a grace-giver.
You’re a busy girl! A caught that glimpse of snow in the seconds video. Made me shiver.
I wonder if there’s ever a day in each year that I read more than you? I really doubt it…
Love that picture of Jeff!
Good eye to catch that one second of snow. It’s about all we had this winter. ha. Jeff and I just got home today after a few days in Cape Canaveral where it was in the 70s all week. Here it’s in the 40s. 🙁 I need to move further south! ha.
I see you are reading Breaking Busy. I’ve been considering reading that one.
Thanks for the Pro Blogger Tools link. I want to check that out.
And, oh boy, can I say how much I love that classic pic of your hubby’s family? So cool!
Breaking Busy has been good, but nothing really new. I almost feel like I could be less busy if I’d stop reading it. ha. But I received it as a review book, so I must keep going. Yes, that picture of Jeff’s family is definitely a classic. The clothes and hair clearly set the date. 🙂
I always love the 1-second-a-day videos. The article on pronouns was helpful and I always enjoy “reasons to read” articles. I can remember my mom wearing hair piled up similar to that in the old photo. I’ve wanted to try a cruise some time. How fun to go with both friends and husband!
I don’t know if my mom ever got her hair to pile up that high, but she did get some height back in the day. 🙂 I’m not sure how they even did it! ha. Glad we don’t have to; it definitely had to require some work.
It is lovely to see photos of you busy doing and yet more books to read…too many books and not enough time 🙂
Yes, always more books, on and on they go. The list never ends. 🙂
LOVE your 1 second a day, Lisa! You captured February well. And aren’t you glad it’s OVER?? Let’s hear it for springtime’s fresh breezes!
I’m more than ready …
I agree with you, Linda–I’m glad that spring is peeking its head around the corner now! I have been so ready for warmer weather and now it is here, perhaps not to stay, but at least more regularly. I’ll take every day of it we can get.
Hi Lisa! I just love cruising, so I know you and your friends will have a wonderful time! So will your husband, you just wait and see. What cruise line?
I am so looking forward to my first two speaking gigs. I’ve already done the first, and the second is tomorrow. I hope it’s the start of a real speaking ministry. I guess we’ll see what God has in store!
Keep on reading my friend, I love to see your titles! I just ordered “You’re Already Amazing”/Holley Gerth. Have you read that one?
Monday blessings,
Ceil
We just got back from our cruise two days ago and had such a wonderful time!!! I can still feel the waves when I sit real still. ha. My husband loved it too. Our cruise line was Royal Caribbean and we went to the Bahamas. So beautiful and so warm! 🙂
I know you were such a blessing to the people that you spoke to this past week. Good of you in sharing what you’re learning with others! God is so good.
Yes, I have read Holley’s book, “You’re Already Amazing.” She is such a down-to-earth author; love her words of encouragement.
I just love catching up with you!
I have only been on one cruise in my life. I went to Ensenada with a group of moms whose kids were friends of my youngest son’s. We had a blast! And I was very glad that the sea was calm – I get seasick pretty easily!
One of the best things that I look forward to in March is the NCAA college basketball tournament – “March Madness.” Oh, the basketball is so much fun, there’s always some amazing upset victories, and my son and I pick teams through each round in a friendly competition. He won last year, so I’m out for payback!
GOD BLESS!
This was only my second cruise, Sharon. The first was with my daughter on her Senior trip. We had a great time and went to Cozumel, Mexico. On this cruise we went to the Bahamas; just got back two days ago! It was SO beautiful. Wish I were still there. 😉 Only one in our group of 8 got sick one night. Thankfully it didn’t last long for her. It inspired me to put on the patch I brought, so I never got sick the whole trip, thank God.
And back to March Madness! I’m glad to hear you love it too. We’ve been watching some of the regional championship games today and will look forward to printing brackets soon and filling them out! My husband usually wins in our family competition, but it doesn’t keep me from competing anyway. We’ll have to compare brackets in a couple of weeks.
Hi Lisa! I love the glimpse into your world!
Thanks, Katie. Just now catching up on blog reading after being without internet for several days. So surprised to hear the news about the journey you’ve been on lately with your husband; praying for complete healing all around! Blessings to you, friend.
The cruise wounds wonderful. I am longing to take one again someday. and love the old photo. how classic. Don’t you love Problogger? I listen to him when I walk and just his accent keeps me going and his tips are right on. wealth of info. Never heard of that book about Nonsense. could be interesting. think I will see if our library has it. Great list as usual, Lisa. Thanks
The cruise was really wonderful. We got back on Friday. Still wishing I were there. ha. Yes, I do love Problogger and his accent is the best. 🙂 The one word I can’t get used to, though, is how he pronounces “schedule” as “shedule.” ha.
wow those articles!
And I love the picture 😉
Thanks, Sarah. The picture makes me smile every single time I look at it. 🙂