For Your Weekend: Podcasts & Series

Good morning from our little home in Virginia.  We’re due to get heavy rain today, our portion of Hurricane Matthew, and the sun’s later appearance in the sky has the kids sleeping later than normal, a gift for sure.  With the busyness that comes from the beginning of a new school year, weekends are a nice break.  Not always restful, because my regular responsibilities as Mom to five never change.  But I’m learning to find moments of rest, planning a bit more carefully so that there are spaces of time for enjoying my family instead of bustling around to meet their needs.  Both are necessary, but I tend toward the bustling.

One of my favorite ways to spend slower moments during the weekend is by reading.  That’s perhaps why I share these Saturday posts with you, because you might be looking for some of the same kinds of retreat.  I don’t listen to many Podcasts, but there are several I enjoy, mostly when I’m driving in the car by myself and occasionally when I exercise.  So, today’s weekend shares are a mixture of these two.

Podcasts:

By Design Podcast — design chats for your soul and your home.  A podcast that always inspires and encourages me, and makes me feel like I’m sitting in a coffee shop chatting with Lyn and Dannette.

Hope Writers Podcast — this keeps me company when I have chores around the house or while I’m driving around town by myself.  Emily, Myquillin, Gary and Brian offer inspiration and practical advice for writers who long to bring hope to their readers.  This week’s podcast “You Might Be A Hope Writer If” was especially good, and if you’ve been considering joining their community of writers, it’s now open again for enrollment.

Series:

31 Days of Real Life , Becky L McCoy — a series about a young widow with two children and what that life looks like.  I read one post yesterday and was in tears, moved by Becky’s story and the way she shares the changes in their family since the death of her husband, not quite two years ago.

Today You Are Here: a 31 Day Series on Practicing Presence, Greer Oharah — I stumbled upon Greer several months ago and have since thoroughly enjoyed both her writing and her Instagram feed.  I love the way she captures life and think you will too.

Inspiring Reads:

In Your Dreams:  When Creative Work Seems Impossible, Amber Salhus — as someone who enjoys expressing words in a creative way, this post was helpful and affirming.

Book Club for Kids, Julie Gentino — this sounds like such a fun way to get kids together, encourage reading aloud as a family, and entertain kids.  I’m thinking of how to convince some of my friends to do this with our kids.