Thursday, March 30, 2023

Porch #85 * The Sheer Delight of Occasional Surprises

PORCH 
📰
a Christ-centered
iron-sharpening-iron
weekend newsletter

gentle conversation & calming snapshots
 uplifting linkage & occasional surprises

for those who delight in doing life
 in the company of kindred spirits

A lovely weekend to you!

I hear that four brand new little chicklets are awaiting my Easter visit.  Lavender, Midnight, Luna, and Coffee (pictured up top) have stolen my heart from afar.  I hope Kristin isn't expecting me to help out in the kitchen too much because I plan on spending all kinds of time cuddling in the corner with my newest feathered loveys ... when I'm not out in the barn hoping to be the first to discover freshly hatched eggs from the senior feathered family matriarchs.

Pet therapy.

Meanwhile, we're cleaning out the three season porch (the namesake of this weekend newsletter).  Overlooking the back woods, this becomes my go-to spot for morning mugs of tea and quiet devotional moments.  Relaxing afternoon naps on the comfy sofa.  A wide open space for my asparagus ferns.  Sunset suppers at the too-large-table.  And a serene locale for blogging, of course.

This year I want to create some kind of little nook, a space to putter around with watercolors.  I'm so done with making excuses for not pulling out the paints and brushes, a little dish of water, and the pad of paper I bought a year ago.

Art therapy.


*
Bibliotherapy.


After a moving piece about the tragic school shooting in Nashville, CT's Russell Moore shared my picks on his Desert Island Bookshelf feature in this week's edition of the Moore to the Point Newsletter.  I'll be sharing the details in the April Bookbag.

*
Anniversary therapy.


More on this log cabin masterpiece, a sweet labor of true love, in the April Bookbag, too!

May some amazing moments find their way straight to your heart this weekend,
Linda 💘
📰

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Blog Hostesses - Paula & Jeanne & Donna & Richella & Lisa

42 comments:

  1. Once again I come away with a fistful of encouragement and something new. I signed up for the Moore newsletter because who doesn’t want MORE book recommendations?

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    1. I find Russell Moore's writing to be thoughtful and provocative in all the best ways. He puts words to much of what I've been thinking in recent years but haven't quite been able to articulate well.

      It's always reassuring when we realize that we're not the only one with a certain viewpoint. I'm grateful.
      ✍️

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    2. He cohosts a podcast with Mike Cosper called The Bulletin and I have come to appreciate his reasonableness.

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    3. Reasonableness surely is a gift these days when it's become far too easy to run off the rails straight into the quicksand of disharmony, labeling, crazymaking, and other unbiblical places.

      'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.'
      - Isaiah 1:18
      ✝️

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  2. I love your watercolor sketches and your goal of finding your special nook to be able to do them more often. I'll love following you on your journey in color! (And love those chicks!)

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    1. You're encouraging me, Jeanie, to stop procrastinating and making lame excuses to myself.
      🎨

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  3. Good see your art therapy paintings. It's such a wonderful way to get lost in something that turns out to be beautiful in unexpected ways. - Debby

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    1. And you, my friend, are my role model. In more ways than one.
      🌞

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  4. Those chicklets made me smile. so cute!!

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  5. Love the pics and recall my childhood on our farm with baby chicks. (Loved them more than trying to gather eggs under the chickens in the coop.) Enjoyed this delightful update on you and yours. Looking forward to seeing your watercolors. I am currently rereading God Meant It For Good by R.T. Kendall and a novel our daughter gave me for Christmas. Looking forward to the hope of sunnier spring days ahead with more times to walk outdoors. We've had lots of rain this winter and early spring and almost no snow this winter.

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    1. Yes, Pam, let's hear it for sunnier days ahead, more walks outdoors, good books, perfect gifts, ... and friendships that weather life's unpleasant storms.
      🥰

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  6. Your art work is wonderful, Linda! I do hope you will pick up those colors and brushes again in the near future. Drawing/painting can be so therapeutic.
    And those chicks? Adorable! Enjoy those warm fuzzies.
    Blessings!

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    1. I had so much fun dabbling with a beautifully artistic granddaughter last summer but my motivation has kind of faded away. It's time to re-kindle it.
      🕯️

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  7. I too need to pull out my watercolors and brushes, or at least my watercolor pencils, and play a bit on paper. It makes me smile that across the miles, we would be leaning in the same direction. Another coincidence? In your short stack of books is a title I just started reading this morning: Invitation to Solitude and Silence. I'm looking forward to experiencing God's presence more profoundly as I implement Ruth Haley Barton's invitation.

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    1. Don't you love how God works in our lives at the same time ... no coincidence, no chance, just a delightful grace.

      Invitation to Solitude & Silence was an incredible game-changer in my walk with the Lord. It was deepening and freeing and eye-opening. I count Ruth Haley Barton as a mentor-from-afar. I'm so grateful for her work.

      I look forward to hearing what you think, Nancy. Bless you in the process!
      🕊️

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  8. I just got some watercolors and instruction book to play around with at Christmas. But I have not delved into them yet. I'm not at all a good freehand artist. I can do something with a pattern, like cross stitch. But I'd love to be able to dab a little flower on a note . . .and have it recognizable as a flower. :-) I'm hoping some Saturday to dabble a bit.

    Is that last photo a doll house? I've always wanted one--I love miniatures. I always thought I might take the plunge if I ever had a granddaughter to share it with--but none so far, and seemingly none on the horizon.

    I loved Don't Overthink It. I have a tendency that way. :-) I just posted the books I've read in my end-of-month post yesterday.

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    1. Hi Barbara! I'll be heading over to check out your end of the month reviews. Always fun to see.

      And I am now the excited owner of a Little Log Cabin Library! It was a total surprise and I can't wait until it's finished and open for business. We had only talked about it casually along the way but I kind of forgot about it because we live on a quiet lane with no through traffic. A fun new venture for me.

      Will keep you posted.
      🤩

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  9. Your digital porch is always lovely, but your physical one sounds like place I'd love to camp out!

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  10. Linda I love all of your "therapies"! Such fun to have these outlets, or shall I say "inlets" of rest and creativity!!!

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    1. Therapies come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, don't they! The secret is finding what works best for each one of us individually. No one-size-fits-all.
      🤷

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  11. Your water color painting is beautiful, Linda.
    Those baby chicks are so cute!

    Hugs and blessings

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    1. Thanks, Veronica! I hope you have a wonderfully adventurous week.
      🌷

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  12. Those chics make one smile! I always think of the delight children have around baby chicks. Having a space where you can retreat and create is a delight, too! My home office has my books and journals strewn about, and my art journal supplies covered. This summer at my new home, we'll be building a "she shed" and I'm very excited!

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    1. Oh I just can't wait to hear all about your new home, your she-shed, and all the other changes happening, Lynn!
      🤩

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  13. Oh Linda, I would love to join you in cuddling those adorable little chicklets. :) Have fun! I love your porch retreat and art therapy, too. :) Love and blessings to you!

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    1. I hear they're growing by leaps and bounds already. Like everything else in life, I want to slow time way back down ...
      🐤

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  14. Bibliotherapy is my favorite kind of therapy!

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  15. Those chicks are so adorable. We used to get baby ducklings in the spring; they were precious (until the turtles would get them in the lake, sadly).

    I see several books I love in your stack!

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  16. The chicks are very cute, and I like your artwork too!

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  17. That's so fun that Russell Moore chose to feature your stack of deserted island reads, Linda. I love the irony of some of the titles you grabbed. Now you've got me thinking about which books I would choose ... :-) And please keep up the painting, friend. For the therapeutic benefits AND the beauty you create.

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    1. I'd love to hear what books grabbed you, Lois. Really!
      📣

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  18. Baby chick cuddles! What a comfy idea. I'm glad you got your paints out - it's always liberating to jump into what our hearts have wanted to do. Sometimes I prep for things that I don't follow through with for a few years - God's timing! Congratulations on your stack feature in Nashville - so close to our little mountain. Shalom in your week!

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    1. My heart is aching for your town, for this unspeakable loss of those children, for those families. This is an awful pandemic that shows no sign of going away. Lord have mercy.
      😢

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  19. Those baby chicks are making us all smile! Your books made me pause and wonder about the ones to which I am drawn, so thank you! Have a blessed week!

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    1. I love a peek at the books other kindred spirit types find valuable.
      🧐

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  20. Love that bookstack and those sweet chicks! I hope you get your nook set up soon. Watercolor is wonderfully relaxing :)

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    1. Last night I put my little stash of paints and paper at the end of the long table on the porch. Right by the window, it's ready to go. Can't wait to sit quietly, brush in hand, again ...
      🎨

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