August Sun Fun
Oh dear September is half over. But yes. I want this done, so we do it now.
Praises and Prayers
August was a wonderful month that went by really fast. It seems unfair that it is summer in full swing right when the girls and Caid go back to school. We had a week after returning from Brazil and then POOF! Back to school and that whole schedule. Caid is the soccer coach for JV, so he is basically gone at practice or games…most of the time until the first weekend of October. So that trudges on. But he likes it. He also put a TON of practice in August on his annual show of Caid & Co. at the Bates-Hendricks street fest. We enjoyed all the “summerish” stuff we hadn’t done before Brazil, like fireworks, Rowan getting his first car, our book reading BINGO extravaganza, camping with our church (we are moving this back to MAY after the bugs/heat).
The State Fair is always a joy, and it was fun going with Sofia’s 6th grade class (YES, she is in 6th grade!) and show three of the girls around as they’d never been before. I enjoyed getting back on schedule, although with this being the first year the girls are at two different schools, which means different starting times. But the Baxter YMCA is now my favorite place, as Jessica and I workout in the mornings doing Zumba, strength classes, tredmill, or swimming, and then in the afternoon, Sofia and I do…something, including strength training if I am up for it. geez. two a days? Not really, as Sofia and I normally only end up with like 15 minutes of workout since the car line is soooooooo longggggggggg for 6th grade and middle school. This is my next three years schedule. I really like it:).
I turned 44 and couldn’t think of a better idea than Sofia had for a book swap, so we did book swap 2.0. My book—that I’ve been working on a couple years—finally is finished and I have copies in my hands!!! Unfortunately, this is a super busy time at World Renewal, with four big projects that need to get done (the magazine, the website, the giving pages, and the videos) in August and September. I’ll do a book launch and stuff once all that calms down—before Christmas! Life is full, I have all my creativity flowing, and I am grateful for every year that got me here.
Interweb Reads
Me stuff: Brazil Trip Overview, a Prayer for the President, The Gift quotes, Mixed quotes, I’ve got Questions quotes, What If Jesus was Serious about Justice? quotes, Everyone is Creative quotes
Missionary stuff: The sacred keeping of people we will leave (A Life Overseas), Reality TV and the Newly Arrived Missionary (A Life Overseas), Suitcases, Sacrifices, and Sending Well (reflections from the author of the new book, For those who send) (A Life Overseas), Painting pictures of Egypt, Fourteen years later (Rachel Pieh Jones), Will you leave, too? (A Life Overseas)
Christian things: Walk Your Path (Velvet Ashes), Loneliness, hanging out, and the holy trinity (Marilyn R. Gardener), The driven life abandons whimsy (Velvet Ashes)
Immigration stuff: What I would tell Matt Walsh about a blanket ban on “Third World” immigration (Amy Medina), What I would tell Allie Beth Stuckey about her response to Matt’s post on Immigration (Amy Medina)
Other things: What does all art ask? (Rachel Pieh Jones), Moral Injury in the Odyssey (Rachel Pieh Jones), The difference between curing and healing (Courtney Martin), Dolly Parton Didn’t need you to love her (and that’s why most of us did) (Russel Moore), Natalie Harp is the Patriarchy’s vision for unmarried women (Tia Levings)