Worthwhile Weekend Words

choosing-griefWe’re getting some much-needed rain in our neck of the woods today – perfect for grabbing a hot cup of coffee or tea and enjoying some good reads. Here are my picks for this week:

This family of eight kids stayed together and raised themselves after their single mom died giving birth to the youngest. Thirty-five years later, they reflect on what made that possible.

This blog post about the outpouring of love shown to this couple as they adopted their daughter reminded me of how I felt as we welcomed both of our girls into our lives. Even a small gift can mean so much.

For many months now, I have followed several different simple living blogs. While I cannot even pretend to claim to be a minimalist, there are aspects of that lifestyle that appeal greatly to me, and I have been trying to make baby steps in that direction. This piece, about the illusory joy of decluttering, was a good reminder that minimalism can be just as much an idol as consumerism. Her last line, especially, drove home the point for me: “Less may be more, but it’s still not enough.”

Over at Brain, Mother, a wonderful essay about beauty as seen by a young child. I love the conclusion to this piece, and the reminder of what we might see when we strip away judgment.

Addie Zierman is, perhaps, one of my favorite writers; I don’t know that I’ve read something of hers that didn’t touch me or speak to me in some way. This post is no different. She’s in Armenia with World Vision at the moment, and speaks honestly and powerfully about surviving the winter, about “first world problems”, and about letting each other in.

Finally, this difficult news article on disrupted adoptions – those that end because the adoptive parents feel that they are in over their heads and that they have no other option. This piece is a detailed look at one family and the events that led to a very difficult decision, and it highlights the need for education, compassion, and support for all involved in the adoption process. It’s a long, hard read, but an important one.

That’s what I have this week. What about you? Read anything interesting lately?

2 response to "Worthwhile Weekend Words"

  1. By: Addie Zierman Posted: March 7, 2015

    Thanks so much for the kind words and the link to my post Jenn! It means a lot!

    • By: Jenn Posted: March 7, 2015

      Thanks for stopping by, Addie! And thank you for sharing your words. I so appreciate what you have to say. 🙂

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