☀️It Dawned on Me… (#8)
A wedding & a new family photo; my latest (in)courage article; currently reading, watching, & listening; subscriber giveaways
Wedding Bells & a Family Photo . . . 📷
My daughter Felicity got married last weekend and we got the first photo of Bryan and I and all eight children in YEARS! She made a beautiful bride and we have a wonderful new son-in-law. We’re so happy for them.♥️
For years, I’ve sold October as the perfect wedding month and my daughter bought it! You get married once, but you celebrate year after year, so pick a good time. We celebrate our own anniversary this week.
I love October’s cooler temperatures, wearing jeans and socks, and fall leaves, but I don’t look forward to standing in the cold for puppy potty breaks (we need a fence). I read a Facebook thread where people were trying not to get depressed about autumn, and I was so confused. I LOVE fall. It’s scorching summer temps I dislike.
What about you?
Overcoming Our Natural Instinct to Resist Correction at (in)courage
I realized lately that when it comes to critiquing my writing, I respond less favorably to my husband’s criticisms than my friends’. In Overcoming Our Natural Instinct to Resist Correction at (in)courage, I ponder what the Bible says about accepting correction and what might happen if we ignore uncomfortable feedback.
While we’re talking about accepting criticism, I want to share something I’ve learned: sometimes when someone gives you hard feedback, it resonates and helps you see something you didn’t see before. Maybe you’ve behaved badly or haven’t been the best parent/friend/spouse you could be.
But then again, sometimes we’re criticized and we know deep in our gut that what we’re hearing just isn’t true (even if the other person insists upon it). In that case, you don’t have to own it. Don’t carry guilt for things you haven’t done. 😁
Currently Reading, Watching, & Listening 📖
There’s a lot of Southern fiction on my reading list as I look for comparable titles to the one I’m writing. I’m currently reading The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey. It’s about three best friends working together to save the summer camp where they met as children.
Kristy co-hosts the Friends & Fiction podcast, which I discovered fairly recently and enjoy. They also have a Facebook group for readers and stream live shows on Wednesday nights.
My writing group will study Donald Maass’s The Emotional Craft of Fiction for some time since we’re taking the 34 exercises one at a time. I’m loving this book!
{FYI: I earn a small commission if you purchase through my Amazon affiliate links. This doesn’t affect your price. Find my Amazon Influencer page here.}
Since the Braves season ended much earlier than anticipated, we’ve finished Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building and started watching The Newsroom again.
I’d rather be watching post-season baseball, but them’s the breaks. 😜
What I’m listening to lately is influenced by what I’m writing. For one scene, I built a jazz playlist. For another, I listened to Zach Bryan’s eponymous album released in August. He’s new to me, but I have children who talked about the release and it fits the mood of a subplot.
We saw Watchouse in concert back when they were called Mandolin Orange (which is a better name, IMHO). Their album This Jubilee is haunting and lovely and I’ve listened to it a lot lately. I’m a fan of The Weepies and I’m listening to them too.
Subscriber Giveaways! 🎉
DaySpring released two new editions of the CSB (in)courage Devotional Bible this week in Sage and Bordeaux (fancy, eh?) and I’m giving one away to a new subscriber to this newsletter!
Not to exclude existing readers, I’ll send one of you a signed copy of The Heart of Marriage, which feels appropriate since my family and friends are firmly in wedding season now.
