Positively (Im)perfect

Usually I write a yearly installment of what I've read, but I decided that December 2016 is too far away for all the gushing I want to do already. And if I break up my book lists by quarters, I can write even more about each book (since we all know how good I am at being concise). So here's the first quarter round-up for 2016--and it's a good one, folks. Get your pens and reading lists/Kindle one-click order buttons ready! ---   ---   ---    The Land's Whisper | The Parting Breath Series - Monica Lee Kennedy I'm not really sure how to do justice to  The Land's Whisper  with mere words, other than to say if I were Miss America I would give everyone in the world this book instead of a puppy so they could experience the pure excellence that is Monica Lee Kennedy's writing.  But I'm still going to try and do it justice...so buckle up. This was my first book of the new year, and it had some very big shoes to fill. But very soo

Tragedy has rocked our world again this week. And undoubtedly we all have our own unique causes for grief or crosses of suffering to carry as we move through Good Friday toward the hope of our own sort of Easter. Yet here we still are today, "Good" Friday, in the midst of it--whatever it is.  Who in their right mind would deign to call it good ? We know that suffering, and ultimately death are a part of life. But culturally we still tend to keep it hidden away in the shadows, to speak of it in hushed tones because it is somehow 'easier' or more 'appropriate.' It can be all the more overwhelming, then, when we are thrown out in the open with suffering and death, when these unpleasant realities not only show their face, but crash through our world in harsh and relentless ways like torture and senseless attacks and prolonged suffering. These realities have not kept to the shadows this Lent. It seems like there is heartbreak all around. Mo

I realized this week that we're officially past the halfway mark of Lent, so I'm taking a moment to hit the pause button and take a look back. Like any good practice, I think it's good for both accountability and processing to take a moment and check in on where I am with both my goals and my soul--good, bad, and in-between. My first goal was to declutter using the motivation of the 40 bags in 40 days approach. My progress has been sporadic, but I've still gotten a good amount done. One of my big victories has been getting through all three kids' wardrobes, weeding out all the too-small and/or threadbare stuff (stealthily) as I fold each load of laundry. How boys seem to blow holes in the knees of every pair of pants within a month is beyond me. Good thing it's all the rage right now! I got through a few drawers of my own wardrobe, some of the kids' books, and a LOT of kid artwork. I also owe a great deal of credit to my husband, who attacked the baseme