Hello, my friend!
I hope you’re having a wonderful week and that, if you’re a fellow American, your Independence Day was amazing!
I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon because we’ll be leaving town again in a few days and I have too many good things to share to hold off another week!
If you didn’t know, we’re still fairly new to Corpus Christi and are experiencing our very first hurricane, Mr. Beryl! He’s been frustratingly hard to predict, but for the moment, it’s looking like he’s going to be going easy on us (we live 20 miles inland), though many who live on and near the beach have evacuated (smart move, IMO!).
My proactive husband went ahead and boarded up our windows yesterday and we’ve hunkered down after enjoying the day out in the sun while the ominous clouds gathered and swelled to the size of castles in the distance.
A short while ago, it began raining, and I’m currently seeing lightning flash through the windows, so it’s shaping up to be quite a night…not unlike the night we had up in Lincoln, NE last Monday when my son and husband were camping during the thunderstorm of the century (at least in my estimation!) and a tornado touched down not far from where my daughter and I were staying! Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much that night…
Please keep all those in Beryl’s path in your prayers!
Okay, moving onto this week’s Top 4. I hope you enjoy!
DEALING WITH CHALLENGES
“In every challenge or even tragedy, there is an opportunity. And if you train yourself to look for the opportunity, you will be able to take control of the situation and even turn it into a positive, or if it can’t be turned into something good, at least something good could come out of it.” – Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
SUNSCREEN SAFETY (info via Dr. Craig Downs)
Did you know that 14 chemicals used in sunscreens are no longer recognized as safe and effective? Many sunscreen products are marketed to kids and contain a number of petroleum-based ingredients, such as oxybenzane, octinoxate, octocrylene, avobenzone, and octisalate. Over-exposing children to such products that contain endocrine disruptors, because of fears they’ll get cancer, can put a child at risk of hormone suppression and may impact their ability to reproduce later in life.
I found this via Lyndi Kennedy (@lyndikennedy) on Instagram and think it’s super helpful. I personally opt for mineral sunscreens for my family and me:
FUNNY THING ABOUT VIRTUES…
“The funny thing about virtues, like patience, is that you only acquire them when they’re required of you. That’s the only way that you grow patience, is to be tried.” – Sarah Mackenzie (Read Aloud Revival)
The next time you feel yourself being tested, take a moment to breathe and acknowledge that, in that exact moment, you’re being presented with an opportunity to grow into a more virtuous human being. You can choose to either flex your patience muscle – however large or small it is – and grow it, or huff, puff, pout, or protest, weakening said muscle. Do the former!
MORE MUSCLE, PLEASE
This interview between Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and Dr. Andrew Huberman was incredibly eye-opening, and motivating! And that’s coming from someone who’s been weight training for over half my life. Every single person on the planet could benefit by tuning in. But if all you have time for right now is a quote from the interview, here’s a good one I snagged:
“The higher the amount of healthy skeletal muscle mass you have, the greater your survivability against nearly any kind of disease.”
– Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
Thank you as always for your support of my writing!
Fiction:
NEW: Where I Go Night-Night (children’s picture book)
NEW!: The God Next Door (comedic fantasy)
Medusa’s Wish (fantasy)
Moonbow: Prequel to The Petros Chronicles (fantasy)
Age of the Ashers (fantasy)
War of the Ashers (fantasy)
Fate of the Ashers (fantasy)
The Petros Chronicles Boxset
Armor for Orchids (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unshaken (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unbound (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unfading (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Non-Fiction:
Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness
Perfect Fit Couples Edition: Workouts and Reflections for a Rock-Solid Relationship
Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness
Perfect Fit No Excuses: 15-Minute Workouts for Life’s Busiest Days
Immeasurable Fitness Challenge: 18 Days of Total Health for Spirit, Soul, and Body
Immeasurable: Diving in the Depths of God’s Love (a memoir)
Pour Me Out: 30 Days to a More Selfless Life