Here it is the end of September (a few days later, as of this posting) and ALL things Fall and Pumpkin flavored have arrived. I'm joining Jennifer and other writers for my retrospective of the past month. 

Something Loved: Time off from work to be with our daughter after ankle surgery! It was very meaningful to be able to spend several days with her, serving her and helping out around her apartment. It was hard to leave, but knew she was in good hands with dear friends; now her sister is there to help. 

I also loved hearing our favorite band, The Moonlighters, at a local church. Not many were dancing, but we loved dancing in the parking lot and enjoying the beautiful fall evening. 

Something Read:

The Zoom book study that I've been in the past few years is reading, Raised to Stay (see picture below). It's really good. It's good for anyone involved in church, for we are all in ministry in some form. Natalie Runion shares much of her personal story and how she chose to stick with Jesus, even when church people may have disappointed her. Here are a few quotes that spoke to me in recent weeks.

"Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we are deeply loved and to stop being so hard on ourselves. God is for us and He is with us." 

"We are all at different points in our wandering with Jesus. We each have different experiences, unique passions, and personalities that impact our journey, and nobody can do this hard and holy work for us. We walk through wrong doors, sometimes by accident and other times by choice, and every single time He meets us on the other side." 

Even if you have not experienced church hurt, this book is helpful to more fully understand what others have endured.

Something Learned: I did it! I learned to crochet a cardigan and am so pleased that it fits! It's not the easiest of patterns, but once I got the hang of it, I enjoyed the experience.  Maybe I'll even make another one soon. 

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Something Eaten: Well, this was a drink...but I'll include it here. As you may remember, I love all things pumpkin-y and a few years ago I may have over-indulged at Trader Joe's. Well, here is my first pumpkin cold brew of the season.  Who knows...maybe I'll find my way back to Trader Joe's this week.