A collection of links I love, sites I like, things to do and interesting reads.

 

Before I get to this week’s links, I’m still hoping you’ll read and comment your thoughts about friendship; I’m working on a project that will (hopefully) lead to resources and products to help encourage, inspire, nurture and maintain friendships and community and I WANT your thoughts and ideas!! (It also helps greatly if you’ll share my post on your social media spaces or email to friends! I’m VERY curious to hear from NON-bloggers in addition to bloggers! <–BIG thanks!)

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I’ve had an emotional week.

From the highest of the high (the glorious homecoming of my baby girl after almost three months in the Philippines) to the lowest of the low (a valiant warrior and friend losing her brutal battle with cancer), my world is rocking like a rowboat lost in a stormy sea.

It’s no wonder The Byrds and Matt Redmond’s music have been looping in my mind.

…there is a time…

…He gives and takes away….

Yeah…those things.

Anyway, levity is good for the soul and there are a few things I’ve seen on the internets lately that bring it big time. These two videos are compliments of my youngest. If they don’t bring a smile to your face, you’re sadder than a stick in mud.

Who knew goats knew how to play, let alone liked it?? Chèvres en équilibre is its French title, which sounds way fancier than “goats balancing”, oui?

 

Then, there’s this shout-out for the weekend; I’m not a fan of the companion music (once I realized what it was bleeping!!), but these boys bring The Merry….

 

Moving on to a link from my fantastic blogging friend, Jill, this one is for all the mamas of young ones returning to school.  Ah…yes…I remember the days when running errands WITHOUT MY CHILDREN was My Very Favorite Thing To Do.  Mercy–when there were two in strollers, that was a luxury AND sanity saver! Thanks to Today’s Mama for creating this little funny–“Back to School, Moms Go Wild!” ain’t nothin’ but genius.

 

Moving on from funny and fun to more serious shares, if you haven’t been living in a cave or under rocks, you’ve seen scads of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos streaming on Facebook.  This is a MUST-WATCH if you haven’t seen it. Heartfelt and raw, it will help you understand WHY supporting this cause is important and worthwhile.  (FYI, if you have littles around, you might want to hold off on playing; there’s a bomb or two dropped early on, but I hope it won’t stop you from watching–Anthony Carbajal’s heart-wrenching testimony will pull big bills from your wallet.)

Donate to ALS research or to Anthony’s personal fundraiser.

 

Finally, on the most serious note of them all…

I hear a lot of online rage about the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black youth, shot by a white officer, but in my real life I’m not hearing those conversations. I guess a large part of that is I’ve been occupied with personal things, and I haven’t been in the spaces where those hard conversations naturally take place.

My dear friend, Deidra, is becoming a (reluctant) voice for matters related to race, and I can’t help but listen carefully and follow her lead.   After the Lord’s prompting, she quietly rallied a group of storytellers to head to Ferguson, MO to listen to what the locals are saying, and to bring their testimonies to light.  Visit her blog, meet those who companion her trek, and then pray that your heart will be open to learning a new perspective.

Oh–also related to that, Dear White Moms, an important post by Keesha on Bonbon Break, rattled me more than just a little bit. I’m a woman born of privilege simply because of where I was born and the color of my skin, which means my children were born of privilege also. It would serve the Kingdom well for me to remember that.

Last, DO share the things you’ve written or seen on the world wide web this week–I’m a fan of smart, funny, relevant and important topics, regardless of what they are.