Here I am, late to the party again. August is another one of those pesky months with extra Saturdays which is usually a wonderful thing. Except when I’m trying to link up on the proper week. (insert facepalm here. 😉 )
August was a rough month for our family. So much so that I debated giving this post a miss altogether. Because it sure doesn’t feel like I have much that is good to share.
We both lost our jobs the last week in July. Both involve COVID in some capacity but as is often the case, that’s only part of the story which I won’t bore you with here. But I am finding myself reviewing all the posts I wrote two years ago (last time hubby lost his job) to remind myself of God’s goodness and faithfulness.
Something Loved
We’ve begun seeing some friends again, at least outdoors. While we’ve had to cancel two summer trips to visit with out of state friends, I have managed to meet up with local friends a couple of times at local parks, usually where the kids can play in the creek and we can chat in the shade. It’s still irregular and the heat is a bit much at times, but it’s a balm for my weary soul that feels so lonely.
Something Read
I’ve done a ton of reading and rereading this month!
I finished up reading both The Spice King and A Guilded Lady by Elizabeth Camden. She had some nice political intrigue surrounding the presidency and assassination of President McKinley that carried well through both books. Definitely an exploration of his wife that is deeper than I’ve seen before.
I was tempted to go back and reread all of Elizabeth Camden’s work but instead, I was inspired to return to my favorite author, Lawnana Blackwell. I saw her make some comments to a fan on Goodreads that she wished she could go back and rewrite her first four books, so naturally, I started with those. They aren’t bad! She definitely gets better with each book but I still don’t think there is anything to be embarrassed about in those first few.
As the wife of a writer who claims to be embarrassed by his first indie-published book, and being familiar with those feelings myself, it was encouraging to find ourselves in good company.
I think writers are very critical of ourselves (as if we need to be when the industry has enough discouraging things to say), but we need to realize that true fans won’t always agree.
I’ve already flown through four of Blackwel’ls books in the last two weeks, her most recent Haven on Orchard Lane and then going back to the beginning with Like a River Glorious, Measures of Grace, and Jewels for a Crown. If there is anything weak about the stories, it’s probably the titles, but please don’t let that stop you. The stories within are well worth the read (and in my case, reread).
I also finished up a long term read, Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel which I immediately passed on to my overthinking sister. I’m now digging into Teaching from Rest by Sarah MacKenzie which I’ve read before but now seemed like an excellent time to revisit it.
Something Treasured
I’ve recently returned to a nearly abandoned knitting project, only to realize that I need to begin again. It’s a beautiful yarn that I bought as a splurge to actually make something for myself. But something went wrong along the way and as I began working on it again, I realized there was no way to save it except to start again. So I am. I usually hate this kind of thing. The desire to quit is real. But there is something special that happens as I make those tiny stitches and see the improved version of the project begin to emerge.
Making sure I have time to knit and embroider is really helping me to find a sense of purpose in these seemingly endless, purposeless days.
Something Ahead
There is very little on the calendar up ahead right now. No idea when things will return to anything like normal. I don’t know if my kids will be able to keep seeing their friends when things get too cold for outside gatherings.
But I have hope. I hope that ahead will be a new job for my husband, one that will be a good fit and pay enough for us to take care of our family. I hope ahead will be more freedom to gather rather than less, that the holidays won’t pass without the chance to safely see family and friends. Hope that there are better days ahead.
I don’t know if this is the case, but I’m choosing to have hope.
It’s your turn to share! Link to your #sharefoursomethings post or leave them in the comments here!
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of jobs. Praying the right job will come along. Teaching from Rest is a great book and so timely for this time of year. I also just finished Don’t Overthink It.