A Prayer for a College Student at Winter Break:
Breathe on our winter break mornings with late alarms and warm hands around mugs, that we might be quietly shaped by gratitude.
We surrender our desire to prove, and our tendency to hide.
We lay down our propensity to fix our families.
Our certainty is in you and of this we are sure, you hold our families even closer than we do, so we partner with you in prayer and we surrender what’s left to mend.
Let us be moved to speak words that matter among family and friends, and be slow to aggravation and quick to understand.
Grace be on our days to receive new callings.
Mercy be on our minds to form new rhythms.
Courage be in our souls to listen for what you’re inviting us into.
Lay your hand on our winter break evenings that we would find ourselves lingering around tables with people who love you or love us and sometimes both.
May we be called your disciples, regardless of time or place, working, weeping, or worshiping this Christmas, for Father you are not bound by time or place.
May the way we move through the world this next month spark in others the hope of coming glory.
Help us carve out space to be,
to be with you,
to be together,
to find our way back to your loving embrace. Walking with you now, walking with you all the way home.
//
Here’s the prayer in image form for easy saving and sharing:
Best Gifts for a Pregnant Friend 2021
I am 4 weeks away from the end of my pregnancy, and this season seems to be unlike any other.
Pregnancy has been very different from, well, not being pregnant, and I’m assuming that becoming an actual Mom will not be anything like pregnancy! Therefore…I’m guessing products I’m swearing by at the moment might be somewhat season-specific.
I’ve had this to-do on my list for a while to share the absolute hero products of my pregnancy so far. Things I found by trial and error, things that were recommended or given to me, things that make me more comfortable, and things that are just generally nice to have on hand.
Note: most of the things I choose are fragrance-free, non-toxic, and extensively researched for ingredients. Feel free to fact check me on that. I use the app ThinkDirty to make sure I’m not using beauty products with carcinogens or other scary things. And I use Labdoor as a 3rd party resource to check out the purity and bioavailability of any supplements or OTC medicines.
Happy shopping, for yourself or a friend!
Details: Maternity Bike Shorts
Cost: +- $15
Pros: I haven’t used anything MORE during my pregnancy than these. My only clothing item that is completely comfortable AND versatile.
Cons: This is the exact link I bought from, says no longer available, but get as close as you can. They’re amazing.
Details: Large Yoga Ball
Cost: $15
Pros: Helps relax pelvic floor, helps with range of motion, great for exercising or stretching. I use mine daily. Honestly, the only comfortable seat currently.
Cons: None!
Details: Any BIG Water Bottle
Cost: $20
Pros: I recommend GLASS for trimester 1 (metal taste in mouth can be brutal and won’t make you want to drink out of stainless). Drinking 20-30oz of water pre-breakfast can set you up for the BEST day.
Cons: Glass is fragile, so go with a stainless tumbler if that’s more her speed.
Details: Burts Bees Mama - Especially the Foot & Leg Cream!
Cost: $21
Pros: Peppermint oil + coconut oil make the perfect bed time ingredients for swelling legs and feet.
Cons: It gets hard to reach your feet. Might need help. Ha!
Details: GAS PILLS, LADIES.
Cost: $3
Pros: Far more powerful than Tums. Almost instant relief. Almost impossible to overdose because they’re just Simethicone which is what you can give newborns.
Cons: Wish I’d known sooner that 90% of the pain and discomfort I was feeling could have been solved with THESE. Put in every care package.
Details: Pillow Slides
Cost: $6
Pros: These embody the entire aesthetic of pregnancy. These shoes look the way I feel. My Mom and I got matching ones and we refer to them as our pontoon boats. I will honestly probably walk the hospital halls in them.
Cons: I mean. None.
Details: Lash Blast Clean
Cost: $4.50
Pros: Completely non-toxic, lasts all day!
Cons: There are no cons to having good lashes on the cheap ;)
Details: Wedge Pillow!
Cost: $30
Pros: Elevates your head above your stomach when you sleep. Helps with acid reflux and back pain. Can’t do without.
Cons: May take some getting used to.
Details: Honestly any bralette or t-shirt bra
Cost: Around $10
Pros: The beginning of pregnancy is SO uncomfortable, these will be a lifesaver.
Cons: A lot of comfy bras have a lot of polyester. I like to find ones high in cotton content to cut down on sweat.
Details: Pure Epsom Salt
Cost: $5
Pros: Relaxes muscles, raises the magnesium content in your body, soothes itchy skin.
Cons: Lots of Epsom salt has fragrance in it. Check the ingredients. You don’t need anything by salt for the therapeutic effect + skip the toxic fragraces.
Details: Medical Compression Leggings
Cost: $38
Pros: Reduces swelling, pushes fluid back into the bloodstream, improves circulation, will keep you on your feet longer!
Cons: So many of the leggings on Amazon are trash FOLLOW THIS LINK to get the ones I liked. Also compression leggings are hard to put on. You will roll around like a whale.
Details: Stars Above PJ set
Cost: $22
Pros: Not maternity, but very stretchy. Could wear for at least 80% of my pregnancy.
Cons: None.
Details: Glow 9 Pure Organic Belly Butter
Cost: $25
Pros: Completely non-toxic, absorbs well into skin, no strong smells
Cons: They say stretch marks are genetic so if you get ‘em, you get ‘em, but I have used this product after every shower and have loved it!
Details: Magnesium Supplement
Cost: $25
Pros: Labdoor.com approved, helps with brain function and completely cured my nighttime leg cramps
Cons: Little pricey, but don’t get the Walmart ones. They’re only 4% bioavailable to your body. Do your research & supplement up!
Details: Cheap Statement Earrings
Cost: $10
Pros: Look good/feel good, will draw the eye away from your giant belly later, will help you feel like you’re still allowed to look pretty.
Cons: They are cheap-y but I got this exact set and haven’t had any problems!
Details: Any low-sugar fruit popsicles
Cost: $5
Pros: A snack that typically even a nauseated pregnant friend can stand!
Cons: Watch that sugar content. Don’t want to give your preggo pal a sugar crash.
Details: Kindred Bravely Joggers
Cost: $38
Pros: Butter soft and stretchy.
Cons: None. Mine fit for almost my entire pregnancy.
Details: Dear Mushka (I love this company), Complete: James 1:2-4 Necklace
Cost: $49
Pros: All of their jewelry is beautiful and meaningful.
Cons: None.
// GIFTS OVER $50 //
Details: Birkenstock Myari Women’s Sandal
Cost: $100
Pros: The only sandal with enough support, room to swell, and outfit versatility I’ve found! You’ll want something supportive to slide on for walks!
Cons: They pack a price-tag-punch, but I bought these for myself and they’ve been worth every dollar.
Details: Raven + Lily Weekender Bag
Cost: $295
Pros: The perfect travel (or hospital) bag!
Cons: It’s ridiculously expensive. But it is a real leather heirloom bag. Fair trade and lovely.
I got this beauty (on a sale) as a birthday gift from my family a few years ago. Still love.
Details: Olive & June Manicure System
Cost: $80 (includes a bunch of goodies + 6 polishes)
Pros: Olive & June is “7 free” which means it doesn’t have all the crazy toxins of other nails polishes!
Cons: None. This is the longest lasting polish I’ve ever used. Only con is you don’t get the salon hand massage.
I wrote this in November of 2017
Sharing here so I don’t forget…
11/20/2017
I wish you could have been with me at the Tennessee Aquarium last week.
I don’t even like aquariums. Something about places like that: Zoos, Malls, Museums...make me cranky. Visitors shuffle through in the same pattern and have the same experience as the last 300 people.
Diva behavior. I know.
Well, somehow Zach convinces me that I’ll just love the Chattanooga Aquarium.
Making our way through, I'm having a surprisingly pleasant time. Maybe it’s the lack of people with their smartphones out. What is it with people at aquariums taking scores of pictures of nameless gray fish behind glass? Like, are you planning to frame that or...
We pass stingrays that fly through the water and tanks of tiny tropical Nemos and around a corner to the darkest part of the journey.
You know the room.
People push their strollers right up to the glass and park them because even the littlest people are mesmerized here.
The space glows blue and I slow to a standstill. Hundreds of translucent, bell-shaped creatures ebb and weave to a song that only they can hear. I choose just one to watch.
A warm tear wavering on the edge of my lid surprises me as it drops fast onto my folded arms.
For three, maybe four days leading up to this aquarium trip there’s been a thought echoing in my head that sounds like,
"You’re not trying hard enough.”
Standing in front of the jellyfish tank was like taking off a pair of headphones with that phrase on repeat.
Every sound in my soul is empty-chapel quiet watching the pulse of jellyfish.
I’m a mammals girl. Give me a pet I can hug. Not a slimy sea dweller that inflicts day-ruining injury upon unsuspecting beach-goers. But that hot tear rolls down my forearm and onto my shirt with another one close behind.
Rising and falling in a four foot tank is all this creature who is 90% water will ever do.
And it’s enough.
He can’t deny his symmetrical, gelatinous form. He can’t be anything besides what he was created to be. His movements start right in the center of his being. His umbrella-shape folds and opens and I see the Hand of God.
Detailed.
Thoughtful.
Complete.
This jellyfish doesn’t need to be a graceful stingray to lead me to the feet of the Creator. He doesn’t even need to be the fastest or the biggest. He simply has to be.
With my hands clasped around my coffee mug for warmth this morning, I ask the Father for the desire to ebb through my day with gentle simplicity. And maybe, like a worry-free jellyfish, accepting exactly what I was created to be will somehow cause even just one person to see the Creator.
Praying that for you, too.