The Simple List for February

This is your Simple List.

The Internet is overwhelming.
It's full of the best, and the also the worst, of the world. Because I love simple things and I love to share the best stuff with my friends, I've condensed the clutter that is the Internet and curated my favorites from around the web -- the things that are True and Good and Beautiful -- and I'm sharing them here with you.  I hope you enjoy. I hope you savor the articles and links. I hope you find something you wouldn't have otherwise seen and then share the best stuff with your friends.

T R U T H ::

I've been reading through Genesis again and am simultaneously disgusted and comforted by the humanity in this history: rape, murder, greed, lies, treachery, and idolatry, as well as forgiveness, new starts, second chances, and family blessings, not to mention creation, itself. Genesis covers a whole range of human emotions, and so does the current news cycle. 
Here are some links for a healthy news diet:

• The World and Everything in it - your source for news and views presented from a biblical worldview perspective. 

• The Briefing - daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.

• And a great story of forgiveness: The Incredible Testimony as a Former Gymnast Confronts Her Sexual Abuser in Court

G O O D N E S S ::

• Weekly emails and near-daily WhatsApp communications from our daughter, who's in India for two months, has been evidence of the goodness of the Lord through modern technology. I love that we can connect, yet I also appreciate that she is mostly removed from "life back home" and can immerse herself in her time there. She's doing well.

• Simply Convivial. Mystie has a wealth of home organization and productivity tips on her site. Seriously. If you are looking for ideas to organize your papers, your notes, your chores, your mind...check her site.

• Crockpot yogurt. I am making this again and saving big bucks - it takes maybe $5 to make a whole gallon of yogurt that my family likes. The only change I make to the recipe is that I add 1 cup sugar (because let's be real - my family won't eat it plain) and 1 T. vanilla after the milk is heated. I'd love to try it with honey instead, but I'm waiting on my husband to rob our beehives ; )

• Moleskine notebooks. I'm working on a post about keeping notebooks and my love of pen and paper, not just for lists and to-dos, but for record keeping, for memories, and for learning. The kraft paper Moleskine notebooks are among my very favorite.

B E A U T Y ::

• Encouraging a love of reading in a culture of assessment. A father, a son, a book. "Or maybe he recognized that the silence between us wasn’t silence at all, but the sound of two minds humming their own tunes in tandem, a vibration felt more than heard. We were a duet that required no words to pass between us, just the presence of our imaginations in close proximity. That’s not something taught in school or able to be measured, but it’s a wonderful part of being human—creatures made as much of imagination as of skin and bone."

• Speaking with Joy. I'm enjoying this podcast by Joy Clarkson. It's quiet and beautiful and thoughtful.

• Bandersnatch. I finished this book about the Inklings (Tolkein, Lewis, Barfield, etc.) in January and loved all the author had to say about collaboration. Well...loved it and also felt convicted by it, because I tend to be a loner. Great read.

  

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ::

Recent essays on the blog: 

Beginning, Middle, End
The Great Story of Parenting
Going Through Changes
Something New
Beginning Again

Press on, friends. Keep searching for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the world and share it with someone.

XOXO, 
Tresta
 

Thanks for joining me. If you ever have a question, suggestion, or something you'd like to share with me, please hit "reply" and send your thoughts my way.