Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace & Purpose in a World of Crazy, written by Alli Worthington
I need regular reminders to say no to good things, prioritize what matters most, and look to Jesus for my worth and rest. This book does those things in a down-to-earth way that's encouraging, not overwhelming.
p. 31, Sometimes we can fool ourselves into thinking self-medicating is actually self-care --- "I deserve that chocolate bar!" But if we find that our habits are directly related to stressful situations in our lives, and that they are not renewing or restoring us, then we need to recognize those choices as a warning sign of busyness.
p. 89, And though I was spoon-fed sayings like, "The world is your oyster" and "You can do anything you set your mind to," this is simply not the truth. We want to believe that we have all the options of the world available to us and that we can overcome limitations if we just try hard enough.
The reality is, we didn't choose where or two whom we were born. We didn't choose what we would look like or what our talents or passions would be. It can be frustrating to realize that we don't have as much control over our lives as we once thought.
p. 106, As soon as I catch myself thinking something that is negative or destructive, I stop myself by saying, "No. That isn't truth. But I know this to be true ..." And then I follow that up with truth that I know from Scripture. < snip >
I keep going, focusing on "whatever is true" until truth replaces my negative thoughts and that truth takes me to a place of gratitude.
p. 160, I realized I made my decisions based on the most important things in my life: faith, family, future, fulfillment, and friends.
*****
The Contender, written by Robert Lipsyte
Racial divides, crime, and drug addiction are impacting the life of a teenage boy in Harlem, so he decides to pursue boxing as a way to break free and move forward in life. That choice teaches him a lot about hard work and perseverance, character traits that serve everyone well. This is a school book for the kids that I read on my own.
p. 35, "Everybody wants to be a champion. That's not enough. You have to start by wanting to be a contender, the man coming up, the man who knows there's a good chance he'll never get to the top, the man who's willing to sweat and bleed to get up as high as his legs and his brains and his heart will take him. That must sound corny to you."
"No."
"It's the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward."
*****
Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy, written by Emily Ley
Addressing three areas of life - ourselves, the people in our lives, and the things we're called to do - Ley talks about our thought processes and shares practical ways to put healthy ways of thinking into practice. She also gives several writing prompts for those who want help processing the concepts she talks about.
p. 2, True joy isn't found in having it all together. The good life is rich, slow, real, and flawed.
p. 9, But here's the thing about doing it all: even if you can do it all, no one can do it all well.
p. 61, Make margin for what matters. This is your one precious, crazy life. White space in your calendar is priceless. Why work so hard to fill it up? Aren't the in-between moments where we find the most joy?
p. 67, Life may be messy, but the mess is worth it.
p. 71, Just because you're good at something or just because something is a noble cause doesn't mean it needs your attention right now. Take ten minutes, and make a few phone calls or send a few e-mails. Quit. It's okay to be a quitter when you're choosing what matters.
p. 86, What if we unabashedly poured love on our loved ones and our communities, even when we don't feel like it? I don't know about you, but when I extend sincere courtesy and perform random acts of kindness, my heart suddenly feels fuller.
p. 127, You don't have to be the best at everything. Allow your weaknesses to be someone else's strengths. That's what community is for.
p. 131, Guard your heart, because what you put in it is what you'll hand out to the ones you love.
p. 139, You've heard the term balancing act, right? As I said earlier, I'm convinced that the idea of balance in life isn't a real thing. It's basically a balancing act. No one actually achieves it.
p. 180, The difference between people who achieve their goals and people don't is their ability to dust themselves off and wear their dirty outfit proudly.
p. 181, I've always believed that customer service is a ministry. It's a chance to love on people, to over-deliver, and to just do the right thing. And from time to tome, it's a chance to restore faith in humanity.
p. 188, Quit worrying about whether you're a good mother or not. In fact, here's a handy quiz to tell you definitely if you're doing a good job.
1. Do you love your children?
2. Do you make loving and caring for your people a priority?
3. Are you making the best decisions you can for your family?
If you answered yes to those questions, congratulations! You are a good mom!
p. 201, Imagine what life would look like if we were truly content with just the objects we own. Sit on that for a minute. All you have now is all you'll have.
p. 209, The peace of contentment is just as valuable as the confetti that comes with achievement.
*****
Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love, written by Katherine and Jay Wolf
I loved this story of a couple whose early years of marriage and parenting were completely rocked when she had a stroke that nearly killed her. She survived, but had part of her brain removed and lost the ability to walk, talk, swallow, and hear through one ear. After two years of non-stop medical care and the return of some bodily functions, she moved home and they started life all over again. Taking turns sharing parts of the story, readers get a full view of the struggles they went through, their commitment to each other, and the hope that keeps them moving forward.
p. 19, Perhaps some detours aren't detours at all. Perhaps they are actually the path. The picture. The plan. And, perhaps most unexpectedly, they can be perfect.
p. 57, I suppose in that moment, I realized that when we most need our intangible God to be made tangible, we need look no further than His people to make Him manifest.
p. 62, I suppose to love someone well is to assure them you will never leave them and then to let them go.
p. 70, Rather, as our hearts were filled to overflowing with the comfort we so desperately needed, our burgeoning hope could spill out onto those in need. We who were the receivers became the givers, and in so giving, we were continually refilled and encouraged by the realization that none of our suffering would be wasted.
p. 195, That experience reminded me that vulnerability is contagious.
p. 197, We became increasingly aware that when it seems you've gotten everything you hoped for and yet are left longing, perhaps those hoped-for things weren't the truest hope. If hope is only rooted in an outcome, then your expectations will crush you.
p. 202, I found that acting in love inevitably provoked feelings of love, and the reverse was no less true.
p. 241, Maybe it takes life being undeniably terrible before we can truly recognize its undeniable splendor.
*****
Man-Made Wonders of the World, written by DK
I didn't take the time to read many pages of this book, but I enjoyed looking through all the pictures. One doesn't have to be interested in architecture to appreciate seeing so many incredible things all over the world.
*****
Number the Stars, written by Lois Lowry
A ten year old Danish girl has to say goodbye to her friend, a Jewish girl escaping the Nazis. It's a time of sadness and fear, but also of bravery and maturity as she plays a part in the process. A work of historical fiction, this story highlights how the Danish Resistance was able to get nearly all of the Jews in Denmark, which was several thousand people, smuggled to safety in Sweden. This is a school book for the kids that I read on my own.
*****
Rules of the Road, written by Joan Bauer
An awkward teenage girl has the chance to spend the summer on a road trip with the elderly owner of the shoe store chain she works for. The woman isn't very personable, but the two soon discover they can learn from each other and team up to make sure the shoe empire remains a company with quality products and excellent customer service. This is a school book for the kids that I read on my own.
p. 49, My grandma always said that people who snored were sleeping with enthusiasm. I tried to remember this, but there's just so much enthusiasm a person can handle in close quarters.
p. 150, I'd just come off the sales floor with Harry Bender, who'd shared with me his two golden sales rules that lifted him from the sewer of despair to the top of his profession.
Rule Number One: Care about people more than what you're selling.
Rule Number Two: Never miss a good opportunity to shut up.
p. 165, You never know where the road's going to take you. I think sometimes it's less important that you get to your destination than the sidetrips you take along the way.
*****
Secret Daughter, written by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
A woman who saves her daughter's life by giving her away. A woman whose son begins a new life in a different country. A woman who's unable to carry the babies she conceives. I really enjoyed this novel about families in India and America whose lives become intertwined through love and loss.
p. 83, Sometimes, as she has well learned in life, one's actions must precede the emotions one hopes to feel.
p. 220, It was as if they stood on opposite sides of a lake, neither of them having the ability to cross the distance between. The angry words they hurled fell like stones to the bottom of the water, leaving ripples of sadness on the surface.
p. 270, But her mother always said the key to a successful marriage was for each spouse to give as much as they thought they possibly could. And then, to give a little more. Somewhere in that extra giving, in the space created by generosity without score keeping, was the difference between marriages that thrived and those that didn't.
*****
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