Another month is wrapping up and — I hope — taking winter with it. Ciao, March. Adios, winter. Bye, snow. See you in six months.
March has been a whirlwind month of laughter, celebrations, and new sources of worry. It was a long winter for Dan and I, and March very much felt like the ushering in of spring — new life, new hope, new promises.
Despite disappointments and setbacks, the Lord has showed me over and over again that He never fails, He is always good, and He is unceasingly faithful. Not in a “this is what we say to each other during hard times” kind of way, or even in a “I’m happy right now so God must be good” kind of way, but in a “this is the unchanging truth and I’ve seen it for myself” kind of way. His character is pure grace, pure love, and pure faithfulness. He can’t help but be these things because He is utterly unchanging. March was a month of experiencing the depths of His faithfulness in new ways. So before I share the links I’m loving this month, I want to share a little bit of the overwhelming gratitude that’s been welling up in my heart.
Our current home: This apartment has been good to us. Our experience has been almost problem-free, which is way more than I can say for any other apartment I’ve lived in. We have everything we need right here.
Our new home: That said, we’re under contract on a house! A few weeks ago, I shared what we were looking for and the challenges we faced while house hunting. After God clearly shut the doors on some houses we tried to pursue, a house we had written off at the very beginning of our search popped back into our minds. We went to see it one Friday night, fell in love, and had the offer settled by Saturday evening. I’ll share more about this place as we get closer to closing (May 15), but here’s the short version: it’s exactly, exactly what we were looking for and it was under our budget.
This blogging space: I love to write, and having this space to experiment, be creative, share, and grow is a huge source of joy. Also, reading comments from you all and connecting with other writers and bloggers warms my heart and renews my inspiration every day. Thank you times 1,000 for reading and doing this with me.
Our small group: We actually haven’t met as a small group for most of March, and our time apart has made me even more grateful for each member. There’s something so beautiful about meeting, laughing, and talking with your people every week, same time, consistently. I’m anxious (in a good way) to start up again.
And now, here are some fabulous posts that I’ve been loving this month.
Travel: If I could head out for a European vacation tomorrow, I think I’d backpack through Spain. I’m most eager to make my way through southern Spain, but this post on Barcelona from Laura of Laughter is Catching left me intrigued and wanting to see more. I’m a sucker for unique architecture, and Barcelona certainly delivers.
Simple Living: Minimalism sometimes get a bad rap for being to rules-y and inflexible. Daisy of Simplicity Relished clears up some myths about what minimalism is and isn’t, and what that means for her life. My favorite line: “As I myself explore minimalism, I realize that it is more like a tool for reaching something great rather than an end in itself.”
Family: I just can’t say enough good things about this post. It is quite possibly the best and most honest piece I’ve read on the importance of limiting kids’ stuff (toys, space, activities) — not in an effort to create little minimalists, but as an active approach to limiting greed and cultivating gratitude. I’m determined to parent my future kids with a similar mindset, and more importantly, I plan to live this out and model it for my kids. Thank you so much to Anna from House to Home for this assessment on the real expense of having kids.
Faith: Emily Freeman is one of my favorite writers — she has such an easygoing, relatable voice. Her piece on when your heartbeat feels like a drumbeat crossed my computer screen on just the right day. I have to admit that I’m pretty good at embracing my limits and terrible at acknowledging my longings. I’m letting this one soak into my bones as I reread it a few times each week.
Food: Biscoff spread + vanilla sandwich cookies + Easter candy. I don’t think I need to say anything else about this. Thanks to Christie from Sparkles of Sunshine for this mouth-watering Easter bark recipe.
Relationships: Anna from Rich as Kings kicked off a lovely new series of letters to her husband. In the first installment, she reflects on his patience, grace, and kindness, which he demonstrated on a cold and fateful morning.
Blogging: Do you have a question about blogging? Whatever your question, I guarantee you there is an answer here. This ultimate blog resources roundup from Shane at Sea Salt Secrets has everything you could ever need to know about blogging, and it’s all organized so nicely by category.
Wild Card: Our new house comes complete with a tacky, white-tile, brass-door fireplace, and I can’t wait to remodel it. I wasn’t sure of the look I wanted to achieve and if it was even possible for us to remodel it ourselves, until I saw this post from Havalah at Sisters, What!
Happy last day of March to you all! What are you grateful for this month? What are you looking forward to about spring? I’d love to connect with you and share some warm fuzzies.
