Porch #158 🍁 What's saving your life this fall?
Six lifesavers giving me cause for pause, enjoyment, calmness & gratitude (+ meet the random winner of the Amazon $50 gift card giveaway!)
You just might hear the wind chimes gently singing through the porch’s open windows on this glorious November day. Listen in …
🍁
PORCH
a soft place to land
a calm weekend haven
a gentle pause from life's busyness
so we may experience
the tender lovingkindness of Jesus
as we do life together
in community
It’s early November, y’all!
And who doesn't enjoy taking a peek at what's saving a friend’s life? As she sifts through the routine odds and ends of her daily rhythms or stumbles into an aha moment, we may be able to ferret out some spark of worthwhile inspiration for our very own selves. This is just plain fun, sometimes thought-provoking, informative, or touching.
So here’s a handful of bits and pieces giving me cause for pause, enjoyment, calmness, or gratitude as we begin the slow but steady gallop toward the holidays.
Yes, you heard me right. The holidays. Buckle up, buttercup. And don’t worry, we’ll do them together, ok?!
🍁 CHATTING TOGETHER
I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved hearing from so many of you this past week! It was a pleasure to meet so many new readers and to reconnect with old friends from back in the day. I really appreciated those of you who felt safe enough to share your tender stories. I hope you felt welcomed, heard, and cared for and that you’ll continue to chat with us here.
The drum roll please - the randomly chosen winner of the $50 Amazon Gift Card code is Paula who writes at Grace Filled Moments. A retired social worker, Paula is celebrating 5 years of blogging and generously offers one of the biggest monthly blog link-ups I know of. Congratulations to this lovely lady!
🍁 THE SWAP SHOP
Located at the town transfer station (aka the dump), the Swap Shop is a wondrous little shack filled with all manner of free treasures that local residents are invited to add to or take home. It’s the place to meet and greet on Saturday mornings.
I get most of my like-new books for the little library there, cartons for my grandchicken’s eggs, occasional vintage kitchen goodies … and this week an old fraying wedding ring quilt in not-too-bad shape. I spotted her tossed under a table, all lonesome and beckoning me to claim her as my own. She cleaned up all pretty in the washer and dryer, and has happily taken her place on the porch sofa, a captivating selection of faded fabrics and softly fraying edges that I’m wrapping around myself on these chilly evenings.
🍁 PIVOTING INSTEAD OF PLANNING
Thanks to the wit and wisdom of Kendra ‘THE PLAN’ Adachi, I’ve been embracing the whole concept of pivoting. Yes, I’m a planner to the core and our family is well known for arranging gatherings and holidays a year in advance. But the grandkids are now either adults or are almost there. We’re happily welcoming new family members (and their families), navigating an increasing number of complex work schedules, sports lineups, locales, and health issues.
Bottom line, we’re all learning to pivot, to become a whole lot more flexible, kind to ourselves, and more respectful of where each one is coming from. We’re learning to hold those cherished, carved in stone, long-range plans in open hands and willing to give up our pre-conceived notions of how, when, and where family gatherings should happen.
And when it comes time to do a quick pivot, well, recent weeks have shown us that we can learn to do that dance, too. All is well when we morph and grow with affection, grace, release our grip on the way things used to be ... and stop gazing in the rearview mirror at what was and is no more.
🍁 TV-FREE EVENINGS
Um … there’s nothing on. What can I say? If you’re enjoying something we absolutely shouldn’t miss, please let us know, OK?
Otherwise I’m happily reading, puttering, indulging in an online coloring app, or working on this Sudoku-X 16x16 Numbers & Letters. The cover says it’s EASY, but even genius family members have struggled mightily to successfully get through one puzzle. It's not uncommon to invest a week of evenings to find, as you're closing in on the final squares, that you made a simple mistake somewhere along the way and the party's over.
This is a fabulous 🎄 gift for your puzzling loved ones. And don't forget these erasers, they'll need them. Oh and if you want to get a jump start on your shopping, here you go …
🍁 PILES OF PUMPKINS
We discovered the most wonderful farmside pumpkin stand on our recent travels and I had a ball looking for the tiniest ones with the longest stems, the biggest wart-y, blue ones, and everything in between. Tim couldn’t have lifted one of these babies even if he wanted to. It was all too much fun on a golden autumn afternoon.
🍁 THE BIBLE PROJECT
I so appreciate this series of overviews of the books of the Bible. Creatively animated and biblically solid, these not too lengthy clips help me understand the book’s big picture and pull all the sometimes challenging historical and theological pieces together. I’m a fan.
And for us old folks, I recommend clicking on the settings link and playing at .75 speed to slow down the presentation. Otherwise, you young ones will have no problem capturing every nuance of truth. A helpful addition to your devotional life, your spiritual formation … and an excellent resource for your Bible Study group.
What’s giving you cause for pause, enjoyment, calmness, or gratitude? I can’t wait to read your lists!
Linda 🍁
🛒 I appreciate all of you who are supporting my work when you click on any Amazon link here & then shop 'til you drop. That's it! A few cents go into my pocket at no extra cost to you ever. You’re happy, I’m happy, it’s a win-win.
Oh my goodness, I had to chuckle because I can just hear you saying Buckle up, buttercup. Lol. Thank you bunches and bunches for the shout out. I just love you my friend.
Thanks bunches for sharing your porch with Sweet Tea & Friends this month. ❤️🤗
Wow - those pumpkins are amazing!! So much variety in one type of fruit . . . or is it a vegetable? I can never remember! I love The Bible Project too - it's one of my most used Bible study resources. I recently started listening to the Lazy Genius podcasts, possibly after you recommended it, and I'm enjoying the tidbits of practical wisdom. Visiting from ST&F today.