That Thing I Do Now - Vol 43

Happy Saturday, everyone!  I pray you are enjoying the weekend already and have plans to rest, relax, do something fun with people of your choosing, and - of course, enjoy some down (aka reading) time!

This is the part where I keep it real and let you know that this week was a bit rough... I wasn't feeling up to reading All. The. Things. and really wasn't feeling up to a whole lot of anything.  We lost a friend after a long battle and while we know that, even still, God is good - it's in these times that we must choose to believe... to lean in... to trust anyway... even though it looks like our prayers went unanswered and our hearts are broken... It's in these times that we most need a bit of unplugged quiet and to be left alone with our own words that lead us back to His.  Her funeral is today... the day before Mother's Day... and my heart breaks for her children... her husband... her family - and yet I rejoice that she is with Jesus and that He gave her the years she had here.  She spent them well and was a joy and a blessing to all who knew her.  

But do not despair... I did manage to find some Awesome across the Interwebs because -well, because there is just so much Awesome to be found! So - a shorter list than usual... but then again, it is Mother's Day weekend and whether you are the Mom or you have one, you should probably not be online so much, right? (Yeah.  You're welcome!)

Happy Reading!

* This one by Ann Voskamp  on how Mother's Day is for the birds... "Just let them sell their truckloads of perfect Mother’s Day Cards.  There’s far more Velveteen Mothers who are broken into real and worn into beauty."

* This post by Marc Chernoff  with 20 Questions that Will Free Your Mind from Negativity "In the long run, the simple questions you ask yourself on a regular basis will determine the type of person you become."

* This post by Jennifer Dukes Lee on What You Need to Know About Your Critics... "Look. There will always be critics. Some are well-meaning; and some are, well, mean.   But don’t let either of them stop you. Don’t stop making your art. Don’t stop writing your story. Don’t muzzle your voice, or consign your paint brushes, or bury your dreams in the cemetery of good intentions.  The only effective way to avoid criticism is to stop what you’re doing. "

* This post by Sarah Bessey In Which We Pray #BringBackOurGirls ... "Our Father who art in heaven, bring back our girls.  Two-hundred-and-twenty-three precious young women are still lost to us.  We are weeping for our children, hear our prayer."

* This post by Jessica Hoover over at Hand Me Down Grace, on Mother's Day Redeemed, for my friends' Littles... one day... "What I have come to believe is that those of us who have lost mamas are a rare breed. We are the women who know the full value of motherhood. The worth of a mama who loves well and the richness of that relationship isn't lost on us.

When I think of my motherless sisters I think of brave. I look at you and I know that not one ounce of you doubts that motherhood is a gift. I see your determination to mother well. I want to link arms tight and believe with a full heart that we can be the mamas who shout it from the highest hills that motherhood is the highest of callings."

* This post right HERE from Abiding Love, Abounding Grace where I write about making a Map and finding Treasure...  "Mostly, I whisper it quiet... I hear from God.  I say it hushed at first because it can seem strange, be misinterpreted, make people feel uncomfortable - but is this not what should be breaking our hearts?

God WANTS to be heard.  He is speaking to us - all of us - in our every days and He desires that we catch the tune of the melodic love song that He is constantly singing over us.  I don't always hear it, oh but when I do..."

Finally... our video! Because, of course!
Enjoy!

So - what did you think? Had you read these yourself already?  Did you find something that is not listed above? If so - share some Linky Love in the Comments below!

I will be posting a special blog post on Mother's Day... my first Vlog attempt.  (Grace, ya'll!) So come back by on Sunday to celebrate what it's meant to be a Mom with me.