Winter, she whispers, “lighten your load, rest, and prepare.”
When I consider winter’s invitation to lighten my load, rest, and prepare, I do not think that lightening my load means I stop living my ordinary everyday life. Rather it asks that I take time to discern what this particular season of life needs and when to say “no” so I can say “yes” to what matters most without overextending myself.
Rest is not a passive or lazy activity but rather an intentional practice to restore weary bodies and souls. And I do not believe preparation requires us to make lists to be checked off (although it can), but rather a time for dreaming dreams and determining the next right steps to help us move forward.
When I think of winter, I think of home-cooked meals, a house warmed by a fire, glowing candles, warm cozy blankets, and a stack of books.
Let’s start and cozy up with a good Fiction Book:
- The Memory of Lavender and Sage by Aimie K Runyan
- The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
- Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams
Non-fiction books that feel like the perfect
Winter Reads:
Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren
Wintering by Katherine May
A Writers Refudge by Sue Fulmore and Katie Kibbe
The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurest
A Must Read Book:
Culture often tells us that we belong by fitting in, that sameness equals oneness, and that we must always agree to remain friends. But what if culture is sending us an incorrect or, at the very least, incomplete message?
In her book The Way of Belonging, Sarah E Westfall takes us on a beautiful journey of reimagining who we are and how we relate. She helps us to discover that “belonging is not something to attain, but someone to become.”
Instead of always searching for the right place or the right people, what might it look like for us to shift our perspective on belonging?
What if we could begin to see that our worth already comes from God and that we do not need to strive to find it?
Could we shift our posture from me to we and begin to ask? “How can I be a place of welcome?”
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone because belonging is something we all long for, whether we admit it or not.
Books that will help your taste buds grow.
Fiction Books That Inspire Your Creativity in the Kitchen
A Few of My Favorite Things in my Etsy Store.
Random Reflection Throughout The Seasons
Winter Enthusiast Sweatshirt
I’ve discovered amazing companies I love to support from friends, so I thought I would share a few of my Favorite Places to Shop to help our environment, support fair trade or help a good cause.
We love shopping at Grove for all our home cleaning essentials.
Thrive Market is a favorite for organic and environmentally friendly food and kitchen supplies.
As a non-shopper ThredUp has become my favorite way to shop consignment. Good for my pocketbook and our earth.
Sela Designs is my favorite place to shop for jewelry and gift twice. I can purchase a gift for a friend, knowing my purchase is helping support amazing causes around the world.
Missio Hair Products are my new favorite. I have loved the products I’ve purchased so far, and love even more that they support restoring hope and fighting against human trafficking.
Thrive Cosmetics is a newer company to me, but I have fallen in love with their cosmetics and their mission to make a difference in communities around the world.
Mercy House Global is a great place to find fair trade products empowering women all over the world. And if you are a non-shopper and love beautiful handcrafted items, Ann Voskamp partners with Mercy House Global to send out a quarterly Grace Case.
Podcasts I have on my playlist.
Food Blogs I Love
This page is designed to share books and other products and services that I love. While this page is intended as a resource, and I am not affiliated with the companies I share, there are some amazon affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase through amazon links, it will help cover the cost of maintaining this site.
