Book Report.

Amazon, man.  It's trouble.  It has everything you need and a million things you don't need ... that is until you see them.  

I have a lucky tendency to not know I need a book until it falls in my lap.  I recently ordered the book Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full by Gloria Furman.  It's short and sweet, with little pearls of encouragement.  I really love a directed bible study, which this is not at all.  But without time for a long study right now, this is limping me along until the next one.  

A couple favorite lines:

"Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace.  And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace."

"Glorify God by enjoying Him -- he is a truer and better award than the adulations of our children, of other women, and even of our self-approval."

I constantly need the reminder to place my trust and strength and joy in Him.

I've seen a lot of people celebrate November with 30 days of gratitude.  I think this year I will attempt it.  Although there are a million ways to do it -- one being simply to write a list on a piece of paper or in a journal -- I think we'll try to do something along the lines of this with the kids.

And though I'm not usually one to attribute inherent wisdom to celebrities, I am a Kate Hudson fan and agree with her here:

Research shows practicing GRATITUDE is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. 

So start yourself a list and have a Happy November! 

xoxo