So y'all, I want more than anything to just pour you a cup of coffee with my homemade vanilla creamer, and cozy up on my couch, with toys scattered around on my floor and dirty dishes in my sink and just chat like friends, like sisters, because that's what we are in Christ. I'm an extrovert, so talking is how I process my thoughts and feelings, how I organize things in my mind before I can truly know what I think and believe. Talking is usually what I do before I sit and write the words on … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Stop Judging and Put on Love
I caught myself doing it again today. I was driving my kids to school this morning and passed two people bundled up and walking along the road. They were walking on the road instead of the sidewalk, because the sidewalks are completely covered in snow, but I was annoyed that I had to slow down to go around them because there was a car in the lane next to me. I wondered why they were even walking on the street when it's so cold out. Or I was at the grocery store picking up a few things for … [Read more...]
No Man Made a Greater Mistake…
I recently saw this quote on my friend Beth at Red and Honey's blog and I just thought it was amazing and important. When it comes to both green and natural living, and issues of faith and social justice, it can be easy to believe the lie that we cannot make a difference. That the choices we make don't matter. But let us remember that doing nothing is far, far worse than doing something - even if it is only a little. And together, little things can become great things in our lives and … [Read more...]
6 Books that Changed My Life
Does it mean I'm getting old that my memory is a little hazy? When I think back to the very beginning of the radical change that has happened in my life over the past 6+ years, I really don't remember exactly when it started. But I do remember what started it. I read a book. Books are dangerous things, aren't they?! They have such power to inform and educate, encourage and inspire, challenge and convict. They can be so-so-good-I-don't-want-to-put-it-down and at the same time … [Read more...]
Anticipation in A Season of Joy and Brokenness
Christmas is right around the corner, and I have to say that I really do love this time of year. This morning I was sitting in our living room sipping my coffee and enjoying the way the lights of our Christmas Tree dance and reflect off the ceiling and the windows in the peaceful darkness of the early morning. While all was calm and all was peaceful (at least for a few precious minutes until the littles woke up!) there was also a hint of sadness around the rough edges of my heart. The places … [Read more...]
Should Christians Love Shopping?
The biggest shopping day of the year is right around the corner. And lots of people are talking about whether or not we should go out shopping on Thanksgiving and what it means about our culture and society that Black Friday is becoming almost a bigger Holiday than the one that we will celebrate tomorrow. I overhead a lady one time gushing about how much she LOOOOOVES (insert hands pressed to chest and eyes squinted shut) shopping and how she was SO excited for Black Friday because she just … [Read more...]
How to Give Extended Support to a Grieving Family
How do you provide extended ongoing support to friends or family after someone they love has died? After writing last week about cancer and losing my dad, and with the Holiday Season upon us, this topic has been on my mind. In my experience, after a family loses a loved one, it can be a hard and awkward time for people around them. This has been true both for me when I lost my dad and as I have had close friends who have experienced loss. It's hard to know what to say, what to do, … [Read more...]
On Experiencing the Waves of Grief
I'm sure you've noticed if you've been following along with the Green in 365 series at all, that I've missed posting the last several weekends, missing posts on both Friday and Saturday. For those of you who've been reading along with me here for a while, you may remember that last year at this time, my father passed away. We gathered as a family up in Michigan this past weekend for the one year anniversary of his death. The experience and process of grieving over this past year has been … [Read more...]
Celebrating Easter {Green in 365}
This is Day 84 of the Green in 365 series! Today I want to share a few more resources for celebrating Easter this coming Sunday. So far we've covered natural and homemade Easter gifts, green Easter baskets, and Easter crafts using supplies you have at home. Our family celebrates Easter as the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death on the cross, and it's important to us that our children understand the importance of that above the gifts, treats and baskets … [Read more...]
Simplify the Season: Making Memories
This is Week 4 of the Simplify the Season series. What are your fondest memories of Christmas when you were growing up? Is it stomping through a snow covered tree farm to find the perfect Christmas Tree? How about putting up the Tree and decorations with your family? Maybe it's the traditional breakfast or meal that you had on Christmas Day? Or the candle lighting service at your church on Christmas Eve? Do you remember the gifts you got for Christmas when you were younger? Sure, you … [Read more...]
