Uncovering & Creating.

I joined a book club recently. A book club for two (and I promise its not Clyde & me). My sweet friend, Laura, who moved to Colorado & I were discussing books and had several of the same books on our "want-to-read" list so she suggested doing a book study together. It has been wonderful and I look forward to our skype discussions so very much. It also helps me process the book and probably spend more time contemplating the content versus just flying through the book. 

Our first book is A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman. Her words are beautiful and I find myself re-reading paragraphs just to soak up all the goodness she has to say. The book presents the idea that we are all artists and are born to live that out. Just take this in ...

"God is not a technician. God is an artist. 

This is the God who made you. The same God who lives

inside you.

He comes into us, then comes out of us, in a million little

ways. 

That's why there's freedom, even in the blah.

Hope, even in the dark.

Love, even in the fear.

Trust, even as we face our critics.

And believing in the midst of all that? It feels like strength

and depth and wildflower spinning; it feels risky and brave

and underdog winning.

It feels like redemption.

It feels like art."

Yep. Beautiful, right? I feel like I am learning so much already and feeling freedom in the idea that ... "We are not trying to become a better version of ourselves. Instead, we begin to uncover the person whom we have forgotten we already are."

There are so many quotes and stories I want to share but it would be unfair to do that. You simply must read the book. Read. Underline. Discover & uncover. Discuss. Share. I promise you will savor every moment while reading this book.

There will be more posts to come on this & all that I am learning, but for now, another beautiful quote from Emily Freeman.

"You have to uncover the art before you can release it. 

The problem for most of us is, we have let the negative emotions 

decide for us that the art isn't worth uncovering. 

We have allowed the terror of exposure and the risk of failure 

to outweigh the truth of our remade identity."

Reading & learning

Around our house, we spend a lot of time talking about books and interesting articles. I really love that and desire for our house to be one of learning and growing in every stage of life. We've been reading quite a bit and definitely have discovered new things, learned about different lifestyles and ideas and every so often, drifted off into fiction land (we're more into nonfiction for the most part). 

I'm  always looking for new books and wanting to share what I've been reading, so I thought I'd write about what we've been reading the past few months. 

So fascinating & a great read for parents & teachers, but honestly anyone

I have a whole new perspective on introverts now & find myself recognizing them & how to encourage those who are introverted. I even realized I have introverted qualities (not a ton, but some).

This is a late elementary/early middle school book, but it is beautifully written & we all could learn a lot from Esperanza. Also, love that the family is Hispanic. Really, its SO good!

All time favorite books:

Same Kind of Different as Me- Ron Hall

Wild at Heart-John Eldredge

Captivating- John Eldredge

I have a list that is ridiculously long of what I want to read. I'm currently reading Yes, Chef, a memoir by Marcus Samuelsson. Memoirs are typically my favorite genre because I'm fascinated by others' lives and their stories. Will is reading The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger (sounds super nerdy, but apparently its really good). 

Other books on my "to-read" list: 

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Exactly Where You Are by Ann Voskamp

Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children       by David Elkind

A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily Freeman.

Let me know what you're reading, I'm always looking for more suggestions!