Share Four Somethings: March

With April 1st right around the corner, it’s time to pause once again and look back on March. As a reminder, this year I am joining a group of other bloggers each month to Share Four Somethings. On the last Friday of every month, we link up to share our thoughts around these four topics: Something Loved, Something Said, Something Learned, Something Read. In addition to enjoying the opportunity to consider what I’ve discovered in my own life over the last month, I LOVE reading the recommendations from my writing tribe!

Here are the first things that popped into my mind for each Something.

 Something Loved

We began our month with a family trip to the West Coast. My younger daughter graduates from college in May, so we decided to celebrate her last spring break by going to visit her sister in California. We started our week in the stunningly beautiful Napa Valley, visiting wineries and dining in scrumptious restaurants. From there we traveled to Los Angeles to get a glimpse into the life of our older daughter, our brave adventurer beginning her adult journey on the other side of the country.

Having the four of us together for seven days was absolute heaven. Although I miss having them in our home everyday, this stage of parenting has its own unique appeal. Wine-tasting together, for one! Experiencing the smart, thoughtful, hilarious young adults they have become is a joy, a privilege and a delight.

This month I LOVED being with my grown up daughters for a whole week!

Something Said

On Saturday, March 24th, I attended the March for our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. Depending on whose estimates you read, my friends and I were there with 300,000 to 800,000 other people of all ages. I have talked here on the blog before about why I attend events like these, but the bottom line is that I consider it praying with my feet. I was there to bear witness to the words of sadness, outrage, determination and hope shared by the young speakers on the podium and by the masses through their signs in the crowd. As I took a picture of each sign, I whispered Lord, here our prayers…for our children, for our country, for our leaders.

Something Learned

I’m writing this on Good Friday and my brain and heart are full of images, scriptures and reflections from our Holy Thursday and Good Friday services at my church. I’m struck once more by the tragic, triumphant beauty of the story. Jesus entered into human brokenness and suffering, but ultimately won the battle. I absolutely love to think of Christians all over the world setting aside the things that divide us for this weekend and entering once again into the essential narrative of our faith. Because of Jesus, we are no longer separated from God. God’s hand is outstretched, beckoning us home.

Earlier this month, I stumbled on a slightly different translation of a familiar Psalm. I scribbled it on the inside cover of my journal and recently began praying the words every day. As I reflect with gratitude on the Good Friday story, the words become even more meaningful. Here is the prayer I learned this month:

Tell me where you want me to go and I will go there. May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to Your name. Psalm 86:11 (TLB) 

Tell me where you want me to go and I will go there. May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to Your name. Psalm 86:11 Click To Tweet

Something Read

If you don’t know Rachel Hollis yet, let me introduce you. I “met” Rachel on my favorite podcast. Rachel was interviewed by my BFF Jen Hatmaker a couple of months ago and they talked about her new book Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be. I LOVED everything she was saying, so I ordered the book.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Here is what I love about Girl, Wash Your Face. Rachel landed on the perfect combination of humor, vulnerability, and kick you in the butt honesty. Each chapter begins with a specific lie she once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As she lays out the lies many of us believe AND excuses many of us make, she offers a path back to who we were really meant to be before we got sidetracked. Girl, Wash Your Face reminds me of the kind of coach I want to be with my clients: supportive, encouraging, honest and not afraid to push you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes we all need a loving kick in the butt!

Bonus recommendation: Rachel’s first books were semi-autobiographical fiction about her journey as an event planner in Los Angeles in her early 20s. Because I loved her voice in Girl, Wash Your Face, I downloaded her trilogy Party Girl, Sweet Girl and Smart Girl onto my Kindle to see what I thought. I’m halfway through the second one and they are just fabulous. In addition to telling a great story, her protagonist lives in the same neighborhood and is the same age as my oldest daughter in L.A. Light, entertaining, uplifting and well-written, I highly recommend her fiction as well!

Here is the trailer for Girl, Wash Your Face, if you want to know more:

So there it is, my Four Somethings for March. Be sure to head on over to my friend Heather’s site to connect with all the other great posts for this month!