Monday, April 16, 2012

Inspiration: My Weekend


From time to time, I like to write about what's inspiring me. Here are my thoughts from this last week.

My Girls on Easter Sunday….


Favorite words…

For some reason, I’m having a great time saying and writing two words: indeed and clever. The “clever” term started after I watched Season 1 of Downton Abbey where Mary declares that Cousin Matthew “is rather clever.” It’s just so fun to say, and I feel rather clever when I use it now.

(Speaking of Downton Abbey, did you catch Jimmy Fallon's hilarious spoof called Downton Sixbey?)

With "indeed," I like breaking up sentences with this word instead of putting at the beginning. I’m a word nerd and, indeed, I don’t care.

Reading…

After several years of wanting to read Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue, I am finally getting to it. So, so good. I am in Chapter Three, and I feel like I’ve underlined about half of what I’ve read so far. A few favorite quotes:

Sometimes it is easy to be generous outward, to give and give and give and yet remain ungenerous to yourself. You lose the balance of your soul if you do not learn to take care of yourself. You need to be generous to yourself in order to receive the love that surrounds you.

Technology and media are not uniting the world. They pretend to provide a world that is internetted, but in reality all they deliver is a simulated world of shadows.

A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.

Watching…

Confession: I had this major thing for George Clooney when he was on ER many years ago. For my senior year poster about things I like, I put a giant picture of him on it. Swoon. Who didn’t love his salt and pepper hair and his deep voice that assured kids who came into the ER with broken limbs and whatnot?

Ahem. Anyway. Given that I am a sucker for a good independent movie, I was pretty excited to watch The Descendants. I didn’t love it but I did like seeing Clooney in this particular role of a husband and father. His character had to work through a lot of regret, and he played the part well. This movie centers on the theme of legacy. It takes place within a span of about a week, and most of the characters make a major change as a result of a difficult situation. Worth a watch if you’re looking for something different.

Domestics…

I have had the same dishes for seven years. I like them. Mostly because they are practical—white dishes match anything. But, the other day, I happened to spot a cute set of dishes on the clearance rack at Target for 50% off. (As Sarah Bessey says, “Dear Jesus, save us from it all but especially those of us that keep buying more picture frames. Merona clothes, Mossimo flip flops, coffee mugs and placemats.”)

I couldn’t resist the dishes, though, mainly because they are so cheerful. Each of us needs some beauty from time to time. So, here they are:


Motherhood…

We moms all get tired, compare our skills to one another, beat ourselves up for not being present to every moment with our kids, and face the danger of making that role our entire life.

I spotted several motherhood posts back to back that I found helpful and full of grace. I hope they encourage you as well.


What's inspiring you these days? Please share.

2 comments:

Mutterguse said...

Love the bright and cheerful dishes, Becca! LOVE the picture of the girls, especially! Please tell them hello from me!

Heather said...

Oh my goodness! Those girls are so cute. I love calling everything "brilliant." Very English, too. Picked that up along with calling my brother a "Git" when we lived there. That's always inspiring. Words are grand, yes?