Welcome to my weekly Sunday post where we take a break from money-related posts and I share about what I'm loving right now and give you a little peek into our life from the past week.
****Why This Post is Late****
I’m late in getting today’s post up — for a very good reason! I spent the last two days almost completely offline just soaking up special one-on-one time with Kaitlynn attending the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
One of the big things I’m saying yes to during my #YearofYes is more one-on-one fun and adventures with my kids. As you probably know, I’m not naturally a spontaneous mom who chases fun.
But as my kids are getting older (Kathrynne turns 12 this week!!), I’m realizing more & more how fleeting these years are and how important it is that I take time to really listen to my kids, care about what they care about, and to step into their worlds with them.
So that’s why Kathrynne and I are having weekly dates (quality time is her love language), why I’m watching football with Silas (he loves, loves to explain all the plays and the positions to me and have me get all excited about the game!), and why I just spent the last two days in Kansas City with Kaitlynn taking in our first U.S. Figure Skating Championship together (I didn’t know it was possible to be so intensely passionate about something when you’re 9 years old. But this girl lives and breathes skating!)
I want to be more than just a spectator in my kids’ world. I want to make their world my world — even if their interests (hello, football!) aren’t naturally “my thing”. And thanks for your patience when real life trumps blogging! 🙂
What I’m Watching
We watched some of the Inauguration on Friday. Not all of it like we would have wanted to, because we were traveling a lot of the day, but we caught some parts of it and have had some lively political and worldview discussions as a result. It was such a good opportunity for so many important conversations with our kids.
I didn’t do much other watching this week except for hours and hours and hours of live figure skating! It was incredibly inspiring to see such talent on the ice and to see the determination and grit of skaters when they would fall and get right back up again. It was also so fun to get to be there live and in person to cheer the skaters on.
At the championships, there were so many new-to-me skaters I fell in love with and skaters I’ve long admired that I loved getting to see perform in person. Best of all, we actually had the opportunity to meet and interact with a number of the skaters either through the autograph signings or through just finding them out and about during the event.
Of all the skaters we met, I’d have to say that Jason Brown is the one who most impressed me. He was incredibly kind, genuine, and gracious… and Kaitlynn and I talked later about how much we can learn from his example.
What I’m Reading
I finished two books this week: Time Well Spent and A Trip Around the Sun. Both were very inspiring to me.
I read Time Well Spent while running on the treadmill (I figured out a way I can keep a good pace and still get in some reading on my phone!!) and thought it was packed with valuable insight. I ended up ending some of my workouts with hurriedly writing down notes because I was learning so much from it and wanted to get my thoughts onto paper before I lost them!
As someone who has loved everyone Mark Batterson book I have read, it’s not surprising that I also enjoyed A Trip Around the Sun. He co-authored it with one of his mentors and I loved reading more about their relationship in the book and getting the perspective of someone who was 70+ years! If you are looking for some encouragement to live a life of more adventure and excitement and want to glorify God in all you do, I’d heartily recommend this book!
This week, I’m reading: Answers to Prayer (an old Christian reprint), Be Real (a spiritually encouraging book), Settle for More (a story-driven book), and Thirty Chic Days (a book on life improvement).
I'm hoping to finish Settle for More and Thirty Chic Days. I'll let you know how that goes next week! {See my Reading Goals for 2017. Also, see the 8 books I’ve read so far in 2017 here.}
What I’m Pondering
I woke up feeling discouraged and inadequate one morning earlier this week. I had a really long to do list. I had a number of must-do projects. And I was tired and worn out from a few really full days and some discouraging situations.
I felt like snapping at everyone about silly things, I felt frustrated that I was behind on projects, and I felt stressed about everything I felt I needed to cram into that day.
I then remembered the words of our pastor last Sunday, “God has an abundant supply of everything you need — if only you will but ask.”
Talk about a truth bomb!! I felt Him prompt me to trust Him with my to do list, release my stress and discouragement to Him, and literally rest in Him by going back to bed for 30 minutes.
Guess what?! When I woke up, I felt like a different woman! And He was so faithful to carry me through the rest of the day, provide enough time to do what needed to get done, shower me with unexpected encouragement, and to even give me some extra breathing room.
How often I miss these opportunities to see God show up and show His love for me because I’m trying to do things in my own strength — which only results in stress and frustration. His strength is definitely so much better than mine!
In Case You Missed It
My Posts This Week:
My YouTube Videos This Week:
What are you watching, reading, or pondering this week? Leave a comment and let me know!
