My Morning Basket: What I'm Reading in February
Full disclosure: I read multiple books at a time, which yes, seems a bit crazy, but they're all a variety of genres, so it balances out (that's how I rationalize it, anyhow, just nod with me).
What is a Morning Basket?
I first learned of the Morning Basket idea from the homeschooling world. The basic thought is that you have a basket of books you begin your day with (read alouds, living books, memory work, etc). This thought hasn't clicked with my boys for homeschooling, but I have taken it upon myself to curate my own Morning Basket, and it's one of my favorite parts of the day.
I am not spending hefty amounts of time on each of these books, generally 10 minutes or so per book, depending on the morning, and I don't get to each every day. It's just the right amount of time to soak in something from each of them, and feel I'm giving myself a bit of pampering!
1. STREAMS IN THE DESERT
Growing up, I have such fond memories of waking early to find my mom in the corner of our couch, beside the yellow of a lamp, reading Streams in the Desert. Hers was an old and worn copy, brown, with the edges bent. I'm not sure why I never thought to read it myself until I came upon THIS version at my local Barnes & Noble. I soon grabbed it on Amazon and it has been a life changer. It's the greatest of both worlds, combining both devotions Cowman wrote, and it has been like a warm hug from Heaven, reading it each morning (and some evenings). This is what I start my day with no matter what else in the basket I get to, and I'm so grateful to have found it.
2. TEACHING FROM REST
Oh this book. I've now read it, three times? It never fails to hug me in just the right ways. Sarah Mackenzie has put her heart to words, and in doing so, brings so much encouragement to the brand new AND seasoned homeschoolers. A part of my morning quiet time includes a few pages of this book. And without fail, it seems to be just the words I need to hear on that particular day.
3. WHEN YOU EAT AT THE REFRIGERATOR PULL UP A CHAIR
This is one of my all-time favorite coffee table books. It has 50 small snippets from the brilliant Geneen Roth on self love and her amazing anti-diet mantra. I've read this book countless times, and each time, I pull something from it. I read one each morning (again note, most mornings), as a little boost for my day. Love me some Geneen, and again, these "chapters" are so small and easy to digest, just perfect for a Morning Basket.
4. One thousand gifts devotional
I read the original book a few years ago, and was gifted this devotional after my mom passed away. The pieces aren't as small as some others, so I read just 1-2 per week. Again, like most, I find myself getting new things out of Ann's poetic words every time I open the book. I love the way she story-tells, and appreciate the movement of her words so.
5. THE MEMOIR PROJECT
I am only about half way through this easy and insightful read, and I keep wishing I had found it AGES ago. So far, I feel I've been given just all the permission in the world to write my own story. I've pulled out the highlighter and sticky tabs for this one, and would highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in writing their own story.
6. ALL THE PRETTY THINGS
This is the current memoir I'm reading, well, starting to read. I saw an interview with Edie in the Hope*Writers library and was so drawn to her, I immediately grabbed it. I think there may be a lot of similarities in our stories, and I'm really excited to dive into it!
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