Music I Love: Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen

Sunday night. I think it’s my favorite night of the week. Last night Michael and I were sitting in the library. He was working away on his forthcoming book, Platform. He was in the zone. I was catching up on email, blog posts, Facebook, etc. No real agenda. Just reflecting on the past week and planning for the one in front of me.

I love Sunday nights. It’s like a reboot. “Old things are passed away. Behold all things become new.” A brand new week awaits. A week to laugh, to cry, to grow and learn. A week to live.

The past week had been one full of challenges.

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Nothing Is Wasted: The Story Of Tsi

What drives you to do what you do? Where do your passions come from? What situations have you endured that have become a part of “your story” and have been redeemed to help others? We all have them. As Richard Rohr has said, “Nothing is wasted.” That is certainly true of Tsi, a fourteen-year-old girl we met on our third day in Ethiopia. World Vision wanted us to meet her because she has an inspirational story of survival and rescue, and also because they wanted us to see, first hand, what World Vision is doing to save lives.

Tsi, a beautiful teenager, (not unlike one of my own five daughters) is being raised by her mother and grandmother.

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Take A Deep Breath (My thoughts on Andy Andrews’ The Noticer)

Today is the official release of Andy Andrews’ new book, The Noticer. Even though I’m not “officially” reviewing the book on my blog, I could not let this day go by without saying something about it.

I received a review copy of the book back in January and was asked to give some feedback before it went to press. After I read it Mike asked me what I thought. Before I could begin my critique, he said, “Better yet, let me ask you this question: Can you think of five people, right now, that you would want to give this book to?” Without one second of hesitation I said, “Absolutely.” That’s all he needed to hear.

I have indeed given the book to five people. Well, I can actually think of twelve people I’ve already given the book to—before it was even released. (There are some perks to being married to the CEO of the publishing company.)

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Hope, It’s Next Best To Excitement

I love collecting quotes. Most are from famous people like Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller or Leo Tolstoy.

Occasionally I’m able to capture a priceless quote from someone I know. Such is the case with the following quote by an 8 year old boy, Austin Andrews. Austin is the son of my friends, author and speaker Andy Andrews, and his wife Polly. 

The Andrews live on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing is one of their favorite pastimes. One day, while fishing with his dad, Austin said: 
 

“The reason I like to fish is because when everything is calm and quiet, your whole self is full of hoping. And whether you catch anything or not, you still get to hope. It’s a great feeling isn’t it? Hope, I mean. It’s next best to excitement.”  

Is your “whole self full of hoping?” What would have to happen in order to make this kind of hope possible for you?

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A Super-Human Husband?

It started about 3:00pm yesterday with the ring of the doorbell. Peering through the glass front door, stood a man holding a glass container, protecting a stunning, twelve-blossomed, golden orchid; the base of which relaxed among a nest of submerged river rock. The card simply said, “Will you be my Valentine? Mike.”

After 30 years of marriage we’ve come a long way from the box of chocolate covered cherries, purchased at the eleventh hour from the Walgreens down the street.

The second installment of my Valentine’s Day gift surprised me this morning right before Mike and I left to meet up with our running group. I knew Mike was getting ready to post a blog. I just didn’t know that it would be about me. A blog post? About me? Wow! For all the world to see. I know I’m blessed. It’s very humbling.

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