Category: lessons

October brings vibrant colors, weather changes, and a harvest Here in West Texas, the cooler temperatures take a while to stay. On the Caprock, we start our mornings around 50 degrees but we may still reach the 90s during the day. A dryer climate often means less dramatic color...

Comparison is the thief of Joy. When I get in a “My kids are behind” mindset, I shift my focus to the ways they exceed. My job is not to raise people who think like everyone else, regurgitating the popular answer of the day. My job is to give...

If you “grew up in the church,” some of the events in the book of Daniel are very familiar, like the Lions’ Den and the Fiery Furnace. You may even remember how Daniel and his friends refused the king’s food or the disembodied handwriting on the wall. In those...

This book by Frances Hodgson Burnett was slower in some ways but the suspense of “who is the lost prince?” keeps the reader engaged. I will not be divulging many details of this book, as that would give away the ending. I will only say, this story is a...

Madilynn chose The Railway Children as our next listen. She also read along, at least when there was light to do so, since we were listening during the time she had evening rehearsal for the performance. Having never read it, I didn’t know what to expect. As we listened,...

In some ways, 2021 was an extension of the strange happening in 2020. In other ways, it was filled with greater abundance and possibility than we could imagine. In January, my friends and I took a road trip to Fredericksburg, a German town in the Hill Country of Central...

We listened to this book because it was on the “recommened because you read…” section. In some ways, it was a much slower paced book and harder to listen to. In other ways, it was just as enjoyable as Anne or Pollyanna. I did enjoy the consistent focus on...

In 2021, I listened to 29 books on Audible. Most of these listens were with my children and a few were on my own. In addition to Audible listens, I also read through the Bible in a Year. We also read many physical books and articles on a daily...

Not to be left out of this year’s reading (listening to) books while traveling, Dietrich chose the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. We listened to these books on our longer trips, to and from visits with family, often finishing them while driving around town or sitting in the...

In addition to listening to books with Madilynn, I also enjoy listening to books on my way to and from my vendor events. I typically pick a self-development-type book or something completely frivolous and entertaining (my music playlist is equally eclectic). Occasionally, I pick a novel or narrative. Most...