A Healthy Dose of Henri

I've been receiving "Daily Meditations" from Henri Nouwen for about 6 years now. They arrive daily in my inbox and are still refreshing to me after all this time. They have cycled through a time or two over the years, but this is one of my all time favorites, mostly because it's both challenging and freeing. I remember the very first time I read this, in my little office at the American Heart Association while checking my email one morning. It has meant a lot to me and has helped to shape the way I see the world and the people in it.

"We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people. Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form an opinion about him or her. We hear a lot, see a lot, and know a lot. The feeling that we have to sort it all out in our minds and make judgments about it can be quite oppressive.

The desert fathers said that judging others is a heavy burden, while being judged by others is a light one. Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom. Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy. Let's remember Jesus' words: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1). " - Henri Nouwen

Jack Handy puts it this way..."Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes."

Either way, the message is clear....

The Shape of Mercy

This is the second Susan Meissner book that I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. Her style of writing kept my attention and kept the plot moving along. This is a story that spans two very different time frames and three very similar women. In “The Shape of Mercy,” a wealthy college student named Lauren is commissioned to transcribe the diary of a girl who was accused of being a witch in the famous trials of Salem. Lauren is attempting to gain perspective on life and break free of the mold that has been cast for her. As she transcribes, Lauren learns about the woman who has hired her, Abigail, and a relationship that neither expected is formed. In this story, Lauren learns about love, loss, and how to truly live. Meissner artfully wove themes of societal stigmas, mercy and forgiveness together into a wonderful story.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

Sleep = Joy

If I could communicate my love for sleep, and if I were a hilarious and witty writer, and if I could time travel back to 2009...I would have written this article. This woman gets me. Simply put, I love sleeping. I never feel like it's a waste of time, and I often feel guilty if I sleep in on a Saturday in the springtime when it's gorgeous outside. I've shared a link to the full article, but below are some of the highlights that I couldn't agree more with:

"I have a problem. No, scratch that. It’s not a problem. I do not have a problem. I'm fine. It’s more of a passion, an obsession; some might even argue it’s a talent. For sleeping. Late. And I mean really, really, really late.

If left to my own devices―with all the phone ringers turned off, the doors and windows shut, and the doorbell intercom turned down―I can sleep until one, two, or three in the afternoon and often for stretches of 12 to 15 hours. I will do basically anything to be able to sleep late: lie, cheat, manipulate social plans and travel itineraries. I go through life the way I imagine a smoker in a nonsmoking world does: I’m constantly thinking about the next time I will be able to get my fix...."

She goes on to talk about how she isn't depressed and how she is ambitious and motivated - even "hyper-awake" during normal business hours. I can totally, 100% relate to this next part.

"But in the morning, lying in bed when the alarm goes off, I have no ambitions, no desires, no real reason to live. I am filled with hate and loathing, and the only thing I want is to sleep forever.

Over the years, my sleeping habits never changed, but my awareness of a stigma deepened, and I’m ashamed to admit I started lying to cover it up. For instance, if someone suggested meeting for brunch at 10 or 11 on a weekend, I might say, “Oh, I have to run a bunch of errands beforehand, could we make it later...much later?”

But I soon realized that by covering up my penchant for sleeping late, I was perpetuating the prejudice my people have had to endure for centuries. So these days when someone calls and wakes me up from a deep sleep, I don’t feign a wide-awake “Hello?” I’ve never understood that. Why should the person who has been awakened―victimized, really―assume responsibility? Instead, I answer the phone like this: “Hulllmph...?” dripping with as much outrage as can be conveyed in a single grunt. Invariably, the caller has the audacity to ask, innocently, “Oh, did I wake you?” To that I grunt back, “Yeah! You did!” and hang up. Because if I don’t teach these people, who will?"

....my sentiments exactly.

Book Review of Deadly Ties

I sat down to read this book a few times before really getting into it. I felt that the introduction of characters was very fast, and I was not sure who each of the people working for the NINA and Dark Shadow departments were. I would have liked to see more character development before more characters were introduced. I appreciated the author addressing such weighty issues as human trafficking with discretion and without too much detail. There seemed to be mixed messages in the story line between Annie and Dutch - I understand wanting to stay in a marriage and make it work despite differences, but I think the issue of staying in an abusive relationship/marriage was not addressed as it should have been. I had a hard time staying focused while reading the book, it didn't keep my attention as I hoped it would, but all in all, it was a nice love story woven into a suspenseful story line.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Menu for the Week

This is my tentative menu for the week:

Sunday: Tilapia w/cilantro-lemon butter with baked potato wedges and green beans
Monday: Black Bean Burgers
Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti
Wednesday: Pizza!
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Portabello Mushroom Ravioli (from Trader Joes!)
Saturday: Stuffed Pizza Bites

Yum, yum and double yum!

Crushes

In honor of Valentine's Day (and because I saw this idea on another blog and loved it) I am going to list my current crushes*

Main Crush

Andrew has been my main squeeze for almost 15 years now. He will always be and I love him!

Cookie Crush

Andrew just came home with an entire box of these, just for me!! Yummmm....

TV Crush

Modern Family is the funniest show since Seinfeld, and that's saying something. I love it!

Blog Crush

I looooooooove this girl's blog. It has some of my most favorite recipes in it.

Recipe Crush

This is a cheap and easy way to make a "healthier" version of pizza (healthier in my mind, anyway...) The first pic is what they look like while you make them, the 2nd is the finished, delicious product.

Actor Crush

I don't have an actual crush on him, but I really liked the movie Couples Retreat, and the show he was in called Arrested Development (available for streaming on Netflix).

Author Crush

This book was really great, I liked it a lot and am currently reading my 2nd of his action-packed, page-turner type novels.

Store Crush

I really, really enjoy shopping at Charlotte Russe. The clothes are decently priced and so fun! Their jewelry is about $4 a pop and way cute.

Restaurant Crush

If any of you are my friends on facebook, you're heard me talk about my favorite place on earth, Bottoms Up. The pizza there is the greatest thing on the planet.

Car Crush

My car is 9 years old this year and I've started to think about my next automobile purchase. I love the way these look and have heard nothing but wonderful things about their gas mileage, practicality, etc.

State Crush

I can't wait to move to Florida!

*I work in a middle school and the "crushes" that kids have last approximately 4.5 seconds, so I'm listing the current ones, not all-time-crushes...because those would be different.

A healthy dose of Henri

I love Henri Nouwen. I've been getting his Daily Meditations in my inbox for about 6 years now. They cycle through and I'm starting to recognize my favorites. This is my favorite quote from all of them:

"It wasn't that the Gospel proved useful for my many worries, but that the Gospel proved the uselessness of my worries, and so refocused my whole attention."
- Henri J. Nouwen

Here's another gem that I absolutely love and want to shape my life around:

"Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is a virtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We are encouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But the cost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.

Gentle is the one who does "not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick" (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who is attentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys being together more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle person knows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let's dress ourselves with gentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be a vivid reminder of the presence of God among us."
-Henri Nouwen


In other news, we did week 2 of P90X and I think we've worked out a time to workout. Things are lookin' up! I can do 15 pushups in a row :)