
Last Week’s Theme: Wonder
A Tale of Two Skies by Stephanie Prater-Clarke—”Because there? Well, in that place, there was no hue of blue—just dark clouds that served to remind me of the storms looming amidst all that is placid. Dark clouds that were menacing the same peace I’d just inhaled.”
Finding Safe Harbor {Book Club} by Sarah Hilkemann—”The waves flow in over the sand and rocks and back out again, a familiar and comforting rhythm. In many ways our lives flow through seasons in a similar way. New babies are born, those we love take their last breath, and all of the ordinary beauty of life happens in between.”
Wondering at Beautiful Skies and Suffering by Joy Smalley—”So it took me by surprise when I was wonderstruck. I wasn’t looking for it, in fact, I was being quite the critic while listening to a sermon but I walked away with a niggling truth that brought me peace and awe at the same time.”
Learning Their Names by Laura Cerbus—”New as I am to this place, the landscape, creatures, and climate continually give me pause. Something about how different they are from what I’m used to provokes a sense of wonder, an amazement at a world that is far more diverse and beautiful than I could imagine. “
From Around the Web
How to Cook for a Group without Making a Mess
The Question You Might be Asking
Grieving the Impact of a Global Pandemic
How Well Do You Know Your Host Nation?
Finally, Go Ahead and Light the Candles
And Now For Next Week
The theme is…

Let’s take a minute to step back from cancel culture, comment wars and splintered relationships. Let’s allow our hearts to rest and our scrolling cease as we remind ourselves about the “first-things-first” important perspectives we can all hold on to.
Have you had to look across a table or a computer screen into the eyes of someone you care about to say, “Even though we disagree, our relationship is worth so much more?” How do we hold on to unity in the midst of a world so focused on our divisions?
We love that we have a sisterhood in this community that values the fun and light conversations just as much as the real talk, the hard talk. Let’s continue to respect each other and focus our hearts this week on putting first things first.
Join us? You can share your thoughts on the blog posts as we listen to women share how they are putting first things first. Be a source of light in your social media feeds this week with your #VelvetAshesFirstThingsFirst encouragement.
