The Saturday Six

One.

I met Katie Reid at the Speak Up conference this summer, and she proved to be the most delightful soul. :) She wrote this article about Type A people and what they need you to know. Isn't it so Type A of me to share that with you so you can be well-informed?

Two.

Found this (quick!!) video on HGTV about 5 homes that used to be barns. They're all amazing, but all have to say is this: THE BEAMS IN THE FIRST ONE!!!! There aren't enough heart emojis in the world.

Three.

Ummmmm, just a quick PSA! Hallmark Christmas movies started YESTERDAY. So if you need me from now until New Year's or whenever it is that they end, you can find me working from the couch!

Four.

If you're a lover of the road trip, here are ten that are supposedly amazing! I've done exactly none of them, so I can't give you my opinion, but I sure think at least most of them look fun!

Five.

My story-loving, documentation-loving soul shouts a thousand amens to this post from Callie's blog. This is why story matters. To remember His faithfulness from days gone by and look ahead for more of the same.

Six.

Source

They say you should write the books you want to want to read. And I do try. My goal as a writer is to only write the things I would truly want to read - things that spark a passion within me. But sometimes I want to read what I would say...and let someone else do the saying.

Enter Fiercehearted by Holley Gerth. I will start by saying I have come to really appreciate Holley. I love her other books, her cards, her little flip calendars, her blogs, her tweets; basically any words she writes are worth reading in my opinion. So I was excited about a new book from her. And while her unmistakable storytelling was present, it felt like a new piece of Holley in this book. Up a notch, I'd say. A new level of vulnerability and raw emotion.

Fiercehearted is more like a collection of essays, so while you certainly can read the whole book straight through like a story, you can also break it up a chapter at a time and read little pieces of her heart and soul. This book is packed with practical life advice from a dear friend (or older sister, depending on your age) that will be far more helpful to your every day than any list of facts you memorized in school.

In this book, Holley talks about the really hard stuff of life: the disappointments, the failures, the flaws, and she also talks about the mundane and why we were meant for more of that and less of the limelight. She bravely shares her own journey, filled with the hurts of infertility and battles with depression alongside her beautiful writing career that has been such a blessing to so many.

I think one of my favorite goose-bump inducing chapters came at the very end, when she shared a letter of advice to someone of college graduation age. Oh, how I wished I had received that very letter when I graduated from college! Among other things, within that letter, Holley says, "Moving forward is not really about getting a job. You already  have a job. It is to become all God created you to be. You've had it since you drew in your first breath and you'll have it until you release your last. Everything in between is just about assignments, different experiences that will help with the becoming." YES! Oh, yes.

Holley speaks with the (deserved) authority of someone who has walked the road and genuinely wants to help those who come behind her. But she also speaks with the vulnerability of a friend who isn't afraid to tell you she hasn't lived perfectly and made all the right decisions.

This book was such a boost to me in the right-now of my life. As I make decisions in my own life for the future of not only myself, but also my work, her advice is timely. I soaked in every word eagerly. Underlining, starring, agreeing with passage after passage.

Fiercehearted is a great choice for anyone struggling to find their footing, anyone facing a new season of life, and anyone who just needs to know someone else understands.

* Revell sent me a copy of this book at no charge. All opinions are my own! *