Mid-Week Pick-Me-Ups

              Happy Wednesday! Guess what, you are halfway through the week! Is that not something that will brighten your day? On this beautiful, sunny day, I thought I would share a few of my favorite pick-me-ups.

Books! Books are the best pick-me-ups for rainy days, bad days, or any day. I may be a little biased, but no one needs to know that. I typically like to stick to Christian fiction or classics, so I do not really have something for everyone, but the books I like are good, I can tell you that. A few books I have been crazy about lately are Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay- a book about a troubled graduate school student who is infatuated by Jane Austen, Persuasion by Jane Austen- a classic young love lost because one wasn’t as rich as the other tale, Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott- a continuation of her beloved Little Women, Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones- a wonderful fake-engagement story that will certainly keep you laughing, and She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell- a historical novel about a girl pressured to marry up, and The Headmistress of Rosemere by Sarah E. Ladd, a book about the headmistress of a girls school. I practically devoured these books, as I do most any book I read, so they come highly recommended.

I have found in my daily walk of trying to be closer to my Savior, that the verse that helps me the most is 2 Timothy 4:17- “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” It never fails to remind me that God is always right there to pick me up when I fall and to strengthen me when I fail.

And last but not least, two songs that I constantly have on repeat are Scandal of Grace by Hillsong United and Something in the Water by Carrie Underwood. Scandal of Grace has been one of my favorite songs since I first heard it sometime around the beginning of the year, and I have had it as the song for my alarm since it is the best way to wake up in the morning. Singing the words about how Jesus willingly died for us even though he did nothing wrong, and how much we want to be like him always picks me up as I go about starting my day. I had heard how amazing Something in the Water was before I actually heard the song, but I was not fully expecting how great it really was. I tear up nearly every time I hear the song, because it is true. I am changed, thanks to God meeting me where I am, and thanks to the ‘something in the water’.

               My last pick me up, which is not a regular pick me up but rather one fitting for the day, is the fact that there are only 49 days until Christmas! I cannot wait! So here is a picture of snow!

Mackenzie Carol