Links and Other Stuff I Love {Because I Ran Out of Time to Write About Love}

{Valentines Day 2 years ago...when the littles were littler. Sweet times.} 

I've been thinking a lot of love lately. The truest kind of love. The only love that can really make me love others in ways that matter. The only love that can break me open to receive love and how that changes everything. Everything.

But. You'll just have to wait for that post because I've run out of time to write it. I've been busy loving and living and that has looked like time at the kitchen table helping my littlest guy make Valentines for everyone on God's green earth {he's a fan of holidays} and helping my girl write descriptive essays and doing math stuff {Math!?!} in my bigger guy's class and helping my sweet friend who's battling cancer {Please pray for Susan?} and talking with my Wednesday friends about grace.

I realize that list of loving may sound a little braggy, a little "look at what servant I am." No. Believe me, I'm not very sacrificial by nature, not the type of person who needs {or even wants} to be needed. I shy away from volunteerism. I fear commitment. I actually kind of suck at being a friend. But those I love have needed me and it has felt good and right to help. Because I can. And I actually, sincerely want to. And all because of love. 


Look at this! I'm writing about love after all. My point in that much-too-long disclaimer is this: living and loving have precluded writing and that's just fine and just as it should be for me right now. I'm craving some rest but I'm going to have to crank out something lovey and yummy for dinner first. 

So in lieu of a deeper post on love, I bring you some links and other stuff...that I love.

........................................

First, the links:

In which you are loved and you are free by Sarah Bessey.

This video by Brene Brown {who I triple love} has gotten over 7 million views. 

Girlfriend has obviously struck a chord. It's about 20 minutes long and well worth every minute. I bought one of her books two years ago, never having heard of her. I was buying another book on amazon and this book was in the sidebar and I had to have it. Turns out she's kind of a big deal. And for good reason.

So this next link isn't very Valentines-y, but I read it several months ago and I can't stop thinking about it. It's an article called Going to Hell With Ted Haggard. And though it's not all flowers and chocolate hearts and sentimental, it is about love. How we love "sinners." Or rather, how we don't. This is such a good article. I really can't recommend it enough.


And now for the stuff:

Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in Hibiscus.

I had some CVS extra care bucks so I treated myself to this sheery, pinky lip balm. It's perfect for dry wintry lips that are longing for spring. 

Text Plus. 

Lily told me about this free, awesome app. She's one of those girls who always has the low-down on everything. {And you totally need to click over to her link. She created the Padalily...best baby gift ever.} 

Anyway, this is an app for any Apple device {and a few others} that provides free unlimited texting and it even turns an iPod Touch or iPad into a phone. Crazy! Our older two kids each have an iPod Touch {which are actually old iPhone 3G's that we converted.} Now they can text or call us from home or anyplace with WiFi for FREE. Our 6th grade daughter, the only 6th grader on the planet without a cell phone, now gets to text us and like...two other people. This means we're now slightly less horrible parents than we were before this app.


Nail polish. 

Once again, Wet N' Wild has given me another polish to love. Heatwave. It's corally-reddish-hot pink. Perfect for Valentine's Day. Or when your feet are tan. Or when you are bored in pick-up line. And it's less than $2.

So there you go. A little post on love that will make you more loving, vulnerable, texty, and pretty. 

Happy Valentine's Day friends! What are you loving?