june delights

inspired by Shauna Niequist and Stacy Bronec, we are here today to share some delights from this month:

“I really do believe delight is a flywheel: the more you seek to be delighted, the more delight you’ll experience. You’ll start to see and hear and taste delightful things all throughout your day.”

I have pretty much taken a full-stop break from writing after the release of my book, so this will more be a curated list than a substantial essay. Too easily, I slip into thinking that rest and delight are things only for vacation, but the truth is there are many delightful things in my usual day to day life. There are difficulties too, but struggles and delight can exist in the same day, even the same hour.

nature activities with children

My boys had no interest in this activity, except for the part where they got to pull all the dandelions out of the cardboard after I had made it oh so pretty. It was still so fun for me though. However, going to the tiny duck pond and splashing the water with sticks is a truly exciting adventure for them.

rainstorms

oh the sound of rain. Open all the doors, or sit on the deck and let the therapy begin.

easy frozen yogurt

Siggy’s cappucino yogurt, chocolate protein powder and a “my pint” ice cream-maker = happy mom

in-person book chats

although my book is available online, it has been a wonderful delight to share it with people in my day to day life through conversations. I find it to be a unique opportunity to evangelize, since mentioning that I have a book often leads to people asking what it is about.

teaching holistic sexuality to young women

I just finished teaching a six week course on holistic sexuality to a group of local young women for the third time. It was truly a delight to accompany them as we explored the spiritual, psychological and physical aspects of womanhood. I always learn so much from teaching. Our final class was dedicated to Edith Stein’s view of women, and truly, that deserves a six week course of its own!

“To speak to Him thus is easier by nature for woman than for man because a natural desire lives in her to give herself completely to someone. When she has once realized that no one other than God is capable of receiving her completely for Himself and that it is sinful theft toward God to give oneself completely to one other than Him, then the surrender is no longer difficult and she becomes free of herself.” (Edith Stein)

praying near water

again with the water therapy… prayer and journaling by a lake, river or while listening to rain just hits different.

In This House of Brede by Rumer Wilson

Heard about this book from a Reading Revisited booklist and got it from tehe library. Never read a book quite like this- a fictional inside look at life as a nun. I am reminded of Edith Stein's words: the strength of a woman is in her emotional life. Gorgeous, and touching.

Ancestral Kitchen podcast

It is truly delightful to listen and cook alongside the wise women of this podcast.

planning for next year

As much as summer is a time for being outside, and not “working,” I love getting to dream about the fall and the many ideas for things I want to do… putting on a rest themed retreat for women and hosting a creative writing workshop are just a few things I will be mulling over in the next while.

what’s delighting you these days?

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