THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the times I get to eat wild blackberries that I come across during my daily walk. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for a cool morning to bake the muffins that Tyler requested. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for nail clippers. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for window screens. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

6/30/26 - WORTH REPEATING

*****

The word "accept" is a homophone. You get to decide which one you hear. Except. You have no idea which one I'm saying right now. But I can tell you at one point in my life the word "except" meant something different than the word "accept" does to me today. "Yeah, I would listen to him, except he stutters." That's a direct quote, said not about me, but by me. And I'm ashamed. Dismissing someone else's experience simply because it's not mine. At least not yet. And now, perspective. And I'm grateful. < snip > Find every reason to accept someone. Not except them.

~ Drew Lynch // 4/22/26 Facebook reel // The Stuttering Association for the Young award acceptance speech

*****

You know, I've shared with you my three Gs in this. Don't grovel to a person. That means you get little and walk on eggshells. < snip > Don't grovel. Get real little in front of mom and dad or somebody else or a spouse. Don't grandstand, which you get big and you come in armed with five volumes of books and whatever. Don't grovel. Don't grandstand, but be grounded as a healthy adult. Grounded in Jesus, in the word of God and some good therapy.

~ Jim Cress // How To Set Healthy Boundaries Without Damaging Relationships // Therapy and Theology

https://therapyandtheology.transistor.fm/episodes/s12-e5-does-praying-for-our-family-make-a-difference

*****

Sometimes control is fear disguised as strength. 

~ Lysa TerKeurst // Does Praying for Our Family Make a Difference? // Therapy and Theology

https://therapyandtheology.transistor.fm/episodes/s12-e5-does-praying-for-our-family-make-a-difference-c03c983d-4d57-427c-9bd5-d1d146341988

*****

Life is hard. Good books help. < snip > Life is hard, and good books can be such a source of joy and connection and respite, that really energetic peace and rejuvenating calm, and we want that for you and think you deserve our best effort.

~ Anne Bogel // Get ready for a reading retreat // What Should I Read Next?

BOOKS I FINISHED - JUNE 2026

The Correspondent, written by Virginia Evans and narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Jim Seybert, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Jade Wheeler, Peter Ganim, and Steve West

I read the print version of this book back in February because the wait list was much shorter than for the audio, but then decided to wait in line for the audio next. I'm not a re-reader, but I enjoyed the story and knew the audio had a full cast of narrators. I'm glad I listened to it. The following is what I said about the book after I read it earlier this year

I love stories about friendship of all sorts, family relationships, messy lives, grief, and personal growth. I love epistolary novels. I love books where the characters love books. And I love an ending that's perfect for the story. So, basically, I thought this book was wonderful. Spanning about ten years, it's comprised entirely of letters sent between the main character, a woman in her seventies, and several people from different parts of her life. It's about regret, anger, guilt, fear, and unforgiveness, but also about kindness, love, trust, healing, and redemption. 

Counterweights: An Essential Practice for Holding Hope in a Heavy World, written by Shannan Martin

I love how this book encourages the reader to intentionally acknowledge both the hard and wonderful parts of life, to believe there's value in all the people around us and treat them accordingly, and to intentionally look for beauty, joy, and peace. It's a call to learn, grow, and accept as you keep moving forward in the one life you have to live. As a random sidenote, she refers to specific words of Jesus commonly described to as "The Sermon on the Mount" as a poem. I've never heard those verses described that way and thought it was an interesting perspective. I heard about this book on a few episodes of The Lazy Genius. 

p. 47, The flowers die. The garden fades. We can't bypass decay; it feeds the coming harvest. Grief and beauty are the time signature for being human.

p. 69, Dignity should not require a house number. Neither should a nap. 

p. 69, Rest is not a luxury; it is mandatory. God affirms this. As part of our sacred mission to care for one another, we must protect the ability and capacity to rest, especially for those who lives present the tallest hurdles. 

p. 75 (quoting Howard Thurman),  Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. 

p. 118, The wavy economics of friendship prove that one real friend is enough, but there's no such thing as too many. 

p. 125, Our days are built of things we cannot control. But there are tiny gaps scattered throughout them where we can at least turn up the brightness a bit. 

p. 134 (speaking of the Sermon on the Mount), Jesus's poem is an invitation to hover closer to the ground in defiance of a culture that rewards taking flight.

p. 156, Every day we're confronted with the choice to either mind our business, heads down, or pay attention and try to move toward each other.

p. 189, As our Christian paranoia lifted, it was clear: The more we knew the people near us, the safer we were. 

p. 204, If we decide opening our door would expose either our abundance or our lac, a risk too top-heavy to wager, we miss out on the awkward disarray of what it means to belong together in a world where we don't have to pretend. 

p. 206, How might we change if we stopped fearing each other and actually got to know those whose struggles are different from ours? What would we stand to lose if we simply took care of one another? 

p. 219, In a world of constant disruption, spring remains reliable.

The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition, written by Anne Frank with introduction by Nadia Murad and narrated by Selma Blair

It's been so many years since I read the the original version of this classic book that it was before I kept track of what I've been reading. Simultaneously tragic, humorous, and relatable, it's the real time thoughts of a Jewish teenager who, along with her family and four other people, hid from the Nazis for two years in a secret part of a building in Amsterdam. This edition of the diary includes entries omitted from the original publication, as well as edits Anne made in order to have two versions of her diary.

16:27, Paper has more patience than people. 

1:22:50, You only really get to know a person after a fight. Only then can you judge their true character. 

5:39:18, The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside. Somewhere they can be alone with the sky, nature, and God. 

6:4:39, On the contrary, beauty remains even in misfortune. If you just look for it, you discover more and more happiness and regain your balance. A person who's happy will make others happy. A person who has courage and faith will never die in misery. 

9:25:46, Laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction. 

Miss Benson's Beetle, written by Rachel Joyce and narrated by Juliet Stevenson

A single woman in 1950's London has a mid-life crisis of sorts and decides to cross the globe in search of a beetle she's always wanted to find, even though she has no proof the beetle actually exists. Her assistant is another single woman, someone different than her in nearly every way. While it's certainly about the hard things they've each faced, the good things they're pursuing, and all the adventure along the way, it's primarily a story about the development of a life-changing friendship. There was an element of the story that felt disjointed and unnecessary to me, but I enjoyed the book as a whole. I learned about it from This Book Made Me Think of You, written by Libby Page, which I read back in February. 

4:25:32, It was only a moment, but judgments are made in the blink of an eye. Especially harsh ones. 

6:16:27, She was a sweet person, but her intelligence she saved for special occasions.

My Name is Mahtob: The Story That Began in the Global Phenomenon Not Without My Daughter Continues, written by Mahtob Mahmoody

I discovered after reading Not Without My Daughter last month that Betty Mahmoody had written a second book, which didn't pique my interest, and that her daughter, Mahtob, had also written one, which I thought sounded interesting. I enjoyed reading her perspective on the heels of her mom's, especially once I knew she'd never read her mom's book. While her mom's book focuses on their time in and escape from Iran, Mahtob's focuses more on life after their return to America and, unlike her mom's book, was written many years after they were held hostage by their husband/father in his native country. Mahtob's goal was to forgive her dad for what he did and maintain a boundary of never speaking to him again. 

While the traumatic experience of her childhood, as well as the danger her dad's threats put her in well into adulthood, had significant and long-lasting negative impacts on her life, I admire her resiliency and determination to not let him ruin her future. I also respect her mom's intentionality in stating the truth about what happened, but not speaking poorly of Mahtob's dad as a person, fostering an appreciation for Mahtob's Persian culture, and always making it clear that Mahtob was the only one who got to decide whether or not to have contact with her dad.

p. 112, We hold on to the things we nurture - all the more reason to choose the object of our tending wisely. A nursed grudge, if not released, can infect our lives and relationships for a lifetime.

p. 235, "The good is no less real than the bad, so why not focus on it?"

The Salt Path, written and narrated by Raynor Winn

Setting out to walk over 600 miles along the coast UK coast would be a major undertaking at any point, but the author and her husband of more than 30 years did it the same week they discovered he had a terminal illness and lost the home they'd poured their lives into for decades. Theirs is a story of loss, grief, perseverance, love, and the importance of both movement and being in nature. The audio version of this book was recommended to me by a family member and I enjoyed it, although it did take me a bit to sync up with the author's accent. Language warning for those that matters to. Although it never seemed gratuitous in context, there was a fair amount of swearing. It's only in writing this description that I looked up the original book cover and I love it. Movie adaptation covers are never as good as the originals.

PUZZLES I FINISHED - JUNE 2026

Gnomish Delight - Artist: Peggy Collins / JQ Licensing - MasterPieces - 1,000 pieces (missing 1)

With an assortment of butterflies, flowers, and bright colors, this thrift store puzzle was fun. 

St. Thomas - Artist: Eric Dowdle - Dowdle Studios - 1,000 pieces

Birthday puzzle #2. I've done so many Dowdle puzzles over the years and they never fail to delight me. He puts so many details in his art and the list of trivia he includes about the scene and real people in it, which was a lot for this one, is a personal touch that I really like. 

Wild & Whimsical: Birthday Party - Artist: Karen Burke - MasterPieces - 1,000 pieces

This one's from the "50 puzzles for her 50th birthday" surprise party some friends had for me. I'll choose the rest as randomly as I usually do, but wanted to do the one with a birthday theme first and during the week of my birthday.