Positively (Im)perfect

It's no secret that I love to read, and I thought this link-up with Haley over at Carrots for Michaelmas served as the perfect year in review for all of my bookish finds; especially because she has just as many books on her "started but not yet finished" list as I do! Guess I'm not the only one... I also can't wait to snag a few titles from her list and the rest of the bookworms taking part in the link-up so I can get my read on in 2014! I ultimately had to consult three different places to "find" all of my books--my Kindle, my Goodreads , and the various 'shelves' around the house where I tend to leave my non-digital books. (And I had to wrack my brain for the few I borrowed from the library, too, if that counts as a place). But I think I got them all. So here they are, grouped into loose categories, with the understanding that many fall into multiple categories (anything more is beyond my organization level!): Don't be fooled -

The other night, I went to retrieve a picture of myself for a little project. It's one of the few baby pictures I have in my possession, (the rest being maintained in a fabulous 80s-style photo album at my parents' house), and I knew exactly where that picture was: tucked between Ezra and Nehemiah in my NAB Bible. "Kinda strange place to keep a baby picture," one might think. But my Bible is chock full of such things. As I rifled through the pages to find my photo, I found myself pausing continually at each natural break in the binding to look at another card or note or photo, taking in memory after meaningful memory, tucked away in its own special place. It must have been sometime in high school that I started using my Bible as a spiritual scrapbook of sorts; no doubt influenced by my own mother's practice, as I can picture even now hazy memories of paging through her worn Bible, running my fingers over the groove of the underlines and markings, bookmarked

Last week I committed to a week-long focus on hope . My goal was to move beyond the seemingly lovely ideal into the nitty gritty real-life practice of cultivating and maintaining hope--the virtue that sustains us when we're hit with the real stuff life throws at us. As promised, here's my review of how it all turned out. The week by normal standards was fairly average. There was plenty of the usual chaos, some expected and unexpected frustrations, and lots of delightful little happenings that truly redeemed even the greatest of those frustrations. I saw prayers answered, and wait still for some questionsand hopes that remain unanswered. Not a whole lot changed in my world, nothing overly crazy happened, but I did notice a definitive shift in my perspective. Ultimately, I confirmed that hope is hard (shocker). But I honestly surprised myself with how well I actually remembered what I was supposed to be working on. (That's kind of a big deal here, mommy brain and all). I

"We rejoice in hope...we also exult in our sufferings, knowing that suffering brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  -Romans 5: 2-5 I realized yesterday when planning for this upcoming week that I've been sort of dreading it; mostly because it's Fall Break (why Spring Break alone can't suffice I'll never understand). This means the kids will be home all week, which I interpret as me becoming overwhelmed. It's another change in my routine that I've painstakingly pieced together over the past few months since the school year started, which has revealed luxuries such as zipping through the grocery store with only one kid in less than an hour, or detouring the car past Tarjay for wholly unnecessary trips that wear out my Red Card. I know a break in routine seems

There is an inexpressible ache for it in our world- Etched into the walls of our nations Into the stark white of headstones And the cold steel of ebony bracelets Written into the stories of our hearts Our hearts so weighted Weighted with grief and limping forward on the shoulder of hope Waiting Waiting for the day when other nations Will also collapse at the foot of our graves in tears Run their fingers along the names etched in the walls Offer an embrace so telling that no language barrier could cloud its meaning Waiting For the day when we as a nation will deign to do the same When our tears will water their soil When our ears will open to their stories of torment and suffering When we will emerge as the co-carrier of burdens When we will be the ones to dig ourselves out of the chasm of unjust injury So we might unveil the most formidable task, the greatest need of all: To build the Everest of Healing A towering mountain of love and forgiveness That will

As long as I can remember, I've been the shy kid. But it was more than just shyness. I was uncertain of myself; timid. When I made my very first friends, I let them take the lead and dictate what we were to play and who I should pretend to be. I didn't raise my hand much in school, even when I knew the answer--just in case. I was a bookworm who loved transporting myself to new and exciting worlds; it was more interesting than silly conversation and it took far less effort than suffering through small talk. So I spent every precious moment with my nose buried in my latest book, be it on the bus, in the car, or hiding in my bed on Saturday mornings (hoping my parents would think I was asleep so I could keep reading). When I wasn't reading, I poured my life into gymnastics, where I met my closest friends--but my gym was far away and my friendships didn't extend too far beyond practice and handstand contests. I wasn't necessarily insecure, and I wasn'

I'm happy to share that my most recent publication has hit the shelves! It's called "Joining the Family Business," which is part of the newest edition of the Chicken Soup for the Soul collection--the Reader's Choice 20th Anniversary Edition, to be exact. (It can be purchased here ). I'm even happier to share how much meaning there is behind this particular contribution. About fifteen years ago, my mom wrote a story for Chicken Soup for the Mother and Daughter Soul called "Résumé of the Heart." She wrote about her choice to leave the workforce in order to stay home with us kids, and how little value the world seemed to place on her line of work. She shared her epiphany that even though she wasn't exactly racking up credentials on her résumé by staying at home, the blessings of being around for the most important moments of our lives were being recorded on the résumé of her heart. This past year, I had the rare opportunity to reflect on her s

Life has felt challenging lately. There are, of course, the everyday tasks that never quite get done. The laundry and dishes and cleaning and upkeep, the balancing of school schedules and volunteer events. But the most draining (for all parties involved) are the late nights twice a week when my husband goes straight from work to grad school, the 20-day "weeks" that blur together when he has a drill weekend, my own health issues that suddenly require so much extra time and effort, and our new mission to become our daughter's greatest advocate. It feels like like I've been trying to run from the avalanche for so long, but it's finally caught up with me. I know I'm not buried yet--I know I'm still at the surface, and I know I can dig out of it. But digging out is tough. It seems like a never-ending process. And I am tired. So very, very tired. But you know what? It's okay to feel tired.  It's okay to feel stressed. It's okay to sit t