"Watch for the light: Readings for Advent and Christmas" book cover against a Christmas tree background

Why I’m Not Doing Advent Photos This Year and What I’m Doing Instead

“What will you be doing for Advent this year?” a friend asked me. She knew that for the past three years, I have engaged in an Advent Photo-a-Day practice, reflecting on a prompt word each day and capturing it in a picture.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “It hurts too much. My heart is still tender from the grief of my dad’s passing.”

In previous years, the season of Advent had been a source of joy and consolation for me. I looked forward to the anticipation and the gentle, dark time of waiting. Advent had always been a time of finding hidden beauty. This year, however. This year was different. I couldn’t even think about Advent without tears welling up and my chest feeling like it had exploded. Or maybe imploded. Oh, what a raw place.

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a million miles

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life [book review]

Olive’s rating:  4 stars out of 5

I was skeptical about this book when I first picked it up because I’d thought Miller’s previous work had been a little fluffy. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. In my humble opinion, I think this book is more mature than his other work – but with the same laugh-out-loud humour that is so enjoyable to read. This book looks at what makes up a good story and asks us whether our lives are reading as good stories.
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Free Baby Resources

In the course of preparing for baby’s arrival, I’ve come across some great resources for new moms and dads that I thought I would share – especially for people who live in the Vancouver area (although I think that most, if not all, of these resources are available Canada-wide).  Most of them were either recommended to me, or I found them myself.  [Note: I am not affiliated with any of these companies, nor am I being compensated for mentioning them here.  I’m simply passing along the good stuff I’ve found.  I must also mention that we are part of the Amazon Affiliates program.  That means if you choose to buy a book through our links, we will receive a bit of commission – so we promise to be honest about our reviews and let you know what we found helpful.]

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