April was a good month, so grab a cup of coffee or tea and I’ll share my good things with you!

New Habits

I’m a little ashamed to say that I have struggled with being distracted by the news (and social media in general) for a long time. A few weeks ago, I sensed that God was urging me stop checking the news. It was causing my anxiety to spike and making me more irritable, unfocused, and distracted.

So I stopped listening to any news commentary, checking news websites, and am staying off Twitter. I still read the news via a daily newsletter that comes to my email inbox each morning, but, my goodness, has this made a difference for me! Maybe this isn’t your struggle, but what I noticed is that news websites and TV networks both feed on and feed our fears, angsts, and anxieties. They cater to our sense of in-group (my people!) self-righteousness and don’t actually contribute to slow and thoughtful reasoning.

Another little change I’m going for is to connect better with my youngest, my nine-year-old son. I often fuss at him about his screen/gaming time, but I’ve realized that if I set limits for him and then engage him with something he’s interested in, like a game of basketball before school or a walk to school, I can connect with him.

This morning he picked a bouquet of flowers from our garden for his teacher, and then walked them to school with me. I love these chances to hear his thoughts!

Thrift Finds

It’s yard-sale season and I love it. I found this beautiful refinished steamer trunk at a yard sale a few weeks ago. I think it’s likely from the early 1900s.

Last weekend was rainy, but I still managed to find a few things, including this beautiful solid wood lamp for $3 that I cleaned up with an olive oil/vinegar/water mix.

Good Books

I didn’t read a lot, but I did enjoy these:

• Louise Penny The Madness of Crowds
• Louise Penny A World of Curiosities (probably the creepiest one of hers I’ve read, #17 in the series, I believe)
• Kate Morton Homecoming
• E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. This one is about “removing cultural blinders to better understand the Bible.” The authors share many examples of how other Christians around the world see the Bible differently. For example, Western Christians tend to interpret the “you’s” in the Bible as singular. For example, where 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,” we Western Christians think of this as the Holy Spirit indwelling may little temples (inside us individually), whereas the original Greek actually speaks of the “you” as PLURAL and the “temple” as single, as in, “all of you together are a singular temple for the Holy Spirit.” 🤯

New Art

I’ve started preparing to paint my 2024 Hymn Print Collection! I have a list of hymns you all have suggested over the last year.

I was able to find some great old hymnals from the thrift store last week. I spent an afternoon scanning and then editing the files in Photoshop so I can print them on watercolor paper. I also bought a few printable files from this shop and this shop on Etsy.

Now, I am building a Pinterest board of reference photos and drafting compositions on smaller versions of the hymns on paper. Usually I dive right in and figure these things out as I go, but I’m trying to be a little more focused and thoughtful this time.

This collection probably won’t be ready until the Fall, but I’m excited to get started!

One more big change

July will be a year since I started going to group classes three times a week at six am! After having three babies, three surgeries, seasonal depression, and many other struggles in-between, my body was weak and sore. The strengthening I’ve been able to do at the gym has helped me in every area, and I know I couldn’t have done it on my own. I tell people that my three hours at the gym affect every other hour of my week!

I work out with many ladies who are much older and much stronger that me, so this feels like a habit that I can sustain long-term.

Lastly, the high schools around here have the most beautiful views of the valley! This was last week at a track meet in Broadway, Virginia:

Have a good thing you want to share with me? Leave a comment and let me know!

COPYRIGHT/USAGE: All writing, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. Please do not repost or resell on another website. I’m happy for you to use my coloring pages and other printables for home, school, and ministry. If you share content, please link back to the original post. Thank you!

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