Porch #57 * 4 Somethings +

Welcome back to PORCH,
your go-to weekend companion.
Embrace community.
Discover a fresh perspective.
Grow your faith in Christ.
Get unstuck.
Share your story.

Well hello dear weekend!  We've been awaiting your arrival!

Right off the top, welcome all you new August subscribers!  Wander around, see what's happening, and jump right on in to the conversation in the comment section.  I'm really glad you're here. 

I love these 4 Somethings posts because it lets me dip into the archives and pull up some old quotes that still have a bit of meaning to me.

I hope they'll touch a warm spot in your heart, too.

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SOMETHING WISE
It's important to notice how we're feeling as our remembered losses come to call, deep sorrows wrapped around joyful memories sweet.  Not to notice leads to shoving weird unexplained emotions deep down inside somewhere dark, even as odd behaviors and strange responses seemingly pop out from nowhere.
On the Necessity of Marking Unsettling Anniversaries (2017)

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SOMETHING WONDERFUL
All the numerous numbers in our lives {our birthdays, what the scale proclaims, the bills in our wallets, the great heaps of possessions, those pesky online stats} don't define us.  We're defined by our Savior!
When Our Stats Become a Lurking Danger  (2016)

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SOMETHING WHISPERED
My desire is to offer you, dear reader, a soft place to land.  A gentle pause in the busyness of your online travels.  A calm haven where you might catch your breath and be re-filled.  An opportunity for you to join in community with other like-minded souls to savor whatever is on the table at the moment.   
In Which There Is No Bling (2015)

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SOMETHING WHIMSICAL
A rhythm, a flow emerges as everything that's within comes together.  Fingertips speed over keyboard with little hesitation.  And our labor of love is birthed, often messy and incomplete as it bursts forth.  We pause to let the offering marinate, return to massage it again and again, and have the pleasure of watching our heart-words finally pull together and take wings.  As we follow His lead, this whimsically creative process accomplishes what He pleases.
The Grace of Guarding & Cherishing Your Creativity (2017)

What's happening that's wise, wonderful, whispered, or whimsical in your world?

Linda  🧁

P.S. MUSINGS
I'm celebrating my 67th this weekend, grateful to be stepping quietly into a season of hope and renewal.  But if I could make a wish, it would be for time to slow itself way down instead of galloping straight into the future.  It's all going much too quickly ... I want to stop, rewind, and re-live the best parts all over again.

I'm too young to be this old.

I've spent the better part of my life listening to women's stories, a box of tissues always within their reach.  Let me tell you that truth really is stranger and more glorious and tragic and miraculous than fiction.  

I honor all the women who've poured out their unspeakable dilemmas, trauma, and grief in our conversations in Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, Eastham, and Brewster.  You were brave and wise and open to healing, which Christ so faithfully brought.  I hear that many of you have gone on to bring your peace-filled souls, healthy minds, and beautiful giftedness back to your families, churches, and communities.  

Only Jesus.

Speaking of women's stories ...   

The Story of My Life 
Helen Keller
$2.85

A Treasury of Miracles for Women:
 True Stories of God's Presence Today  

Karen Kingsbury

$1.99

Plan B:
Further Thoughts on Faith
Anne Lamott
$4.99

Joy: Poet, Seeker, &
the Woman Who Captivated C.S. Lewis  

Abigail Santamaria

$2.99

The Hardest Peace: Experiencing Grace
in the Midst of Life's Hard  

Kara Tippetts

$7.64

Girl Meets God:
On the Path to a Spiritual Life  

Lauren Winner

$2.99

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thanks, Jean

visiting 

Jeanne/Lisa J

Richella & Lisa