I have spent a lot of time in the mountains this month, which has been wonderful.
First, a couple of days at a conference full of inspiring women early in August. Then, yesterday, my husband and I spent the day remembering James and enjoying a little quality time with just the two of us.
In the middle of these two short trips was a week-long stay in a cabin at a retreat center in the mountains of Tennessee. This time our whole family was together and we were anticipating a week of quiet pursuits and refreshed relationships.
There was no connecting with the outside world in the cabin, only minimal housework to be done, and two days before our trip I had cooked or prepped all of our food for the entire week. Furthermore, our cabin was atop the steepest driveway I’ve had the pleasure struggle to walk up, so leaving the cabin by foot wasn’t something I wanted to do more than once a day.
All this time without responsibilities and distractions left us with a lot of time to read. My husband and I read MANY books out loud to our kids. We also read many books early in the morning before our kids woke, during the day while they played, and in the evening after bedtime routines and chatting with each other. (No television, no cell service, no wi-fi, remember?).
The week turned out to be as restorative as we had hoped it would be. So much quiet and so many good books were balm to our grieving hearts and minds.
I’m sharing the books I have found to be encouraging and truth-giving today on Day 2 Day Joys. Some make good books to gift a grieving loved one, some are good to read whether you are in a season of grief or not, and all of them have been a source of comfort and rest to me.
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