Hello, friends!
This July was incredible! It wasn’t all sunshine and roses… but I feel like it was so full of raw, beautiful life. I’ve really enjoyed looking back over the month, reviewing all the excitement that made it so beautifully messy and memorable. Here’s some of it!
Highlights of the month
- Working in the malt wagon at the county fair for the first time
- Trying to master the art of making waffle bowls
- Turning 19
- Running errands with sisters
- Playing several competitive games of cornhole with my siblings
- Singing a cappella with my family in an empty gym
- Meeting my goal of writing 20k words for my current WIP (work in progress)
- Chasing fireflies
- Having a super fun and helpful interview with Victoria from Glory Writers
- Listening to Sidewalk Prophets’ latest CD over… and over… and over…
- Raking hay
- Being reminded of the fact that I’m crazy blessed in the friend department
- Processing… lots… of sweet corn
What I’ve been reading
Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate
“I shush my mind, because your mind can ruin you if you let it.”
This book was sweet and enjoyable… in a heart-wrenching sort of way. I loved watching the two plot lines pull together… sometimes I can predict the ending of a book, but I really enjoyed how this one surprised me!
Why Memorable Writers Need to Experience Real Adventures – Christopher Babcock
“Adventure is a muscle you exercise whenever you embrace the unfamiliar over the mundane. The point is to avoid slipping into complacency and letting it become flabby. That requires commitment.”
Oof, this article was so good. It reminded me that I need to just get out and live! This would be a good read, even if you aren’t a writer.
Devotedly – Valerie Elliot Shepard
“I want to walk humbly and quietly with my Master, sensitive only to His wishes, not fluttering and eager with my own.” – Elisabeth Elliot
Yes, I’m still reading this one. I’ll finish it one of these days…:) It’s still so good!
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
“Life itself… is always far more daring than any effort of the imagination.”
Aagh, these are so much fun!
Journal Snippets
Odd how when there’s so much flowing through your heart and life that begs recording, the journal entries wane.
John 11:5-6… this fascinates me. Jesus loved them, so… He tarried. (Take that, oh anxious soul.) The beautiful, heart-wrenching drama of the story of Lazarus sinks into deep tragedy, then suddenly at the end swells into victory, leaving the audience in awe of this homeless man – Son of God. Jesus waited. He let hearts be broken so that His power might shine through in greater intensity. He took decaying hopes and brought them back to life, and life more abundant.
Let me rejoice at the beauty… but let me not cling to it.
Cleanse my heart, Lord… draw me nearer and nearer to You until You truly are enough for me. Let me rest peacefully in Your will while working hard.
Acts 3 – I never cease to wonder at how “they lifted him… and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” The strength was given after the start of what was humanly impossible.
What made this July stand out to you? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Laurel Luehmann 