a settled place

My mothering days can be measured in a variety of ways. I'm learning that it's usually best not to measure them by the number of times I've re-warmed my coffee in any given morning. Nor by how many socks come through the laundry without matches, nor by how many microscopic pieces of Playmobil are scattered all over the carpet, nor by the number of bottles sitting around with just one ounce of milk left in them. I could measure my days by those standards, but it would leave me feeling unfulfilled, unproductive, and full of self-pity. And these days are far from pity-worthy. The new year has been so good for me. I needed a fresh start, and I'm always so thankful for one in the middle of any given winter. I'm especially thankful this year because after Elijah was born in August, I felt like we never quite got back into routine. January 1 was perfect timing for us to start over with a solid morning routine and surprisingly, when I follow my own set schedule, I do h...

I was next to positive I had already reviewed this book, but it turns out I hadn't... I wish I had written this earlier so that I could have done the book full justice. It's been a while since I read it. But all of that said, I'll try to give you a decent idea of what it's like with just a few bullet points. I could really identify with the premise of author Bekah DiFelice's writing, because I understand what it's like to feel transient, like you're always on the move and have no place to put down roots. Bekah is a military wife, so her situation isn't just like mine, but there were many years in our lives where it felt like I was packing boxes and moving us around all the time... and so reading about someone else's similar experience was refreshing. I appreciated the way that Bekah paralleled these vagabond experiences with spiritual lessons. There are so many! Almost There pointed me toward Home. Our times of feeling homeless here on earth alw...

"Whole: Restoring What is Broken in Me, You, and the Entire World" was my read during my twelve-day stay on the antepartum floor in the hospital before our little guy was born. Truly, God used this book in enormous ways in my life... it's always fascinating to me how He provides the right book, the right message, at the right time. This book was part of a journey of healing for me in so many ways. The essence of "Whole" is that in order to become complete and fully restored as people, we must first be vulnerable about our brokenness - accept it, admit it, and address it. It is a book about repentance, although I'm not sure if it ever uses that word. Incidentally, I'm reading another book right now about that same topic - brokenness. Our Father is a God of redemption, and He delights in healing and re-building the things that are falling apart. I'd definitely recommend "Whole". I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my re...