{"id":7775,"date":"2016-02-05T09:55:12","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T14:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=7775"},"modified":"2016-02-05T12:15:22","modified_gmt":"2016-02-05T17:15:22","slug":"5-friday-faves-on-studying-your-spouse-aging-taking-criticism-daily-routines-black-history-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=7775","title":{"rendered":"5 Friday Faves – On Studying Your Spouse, Aging, Taking Criticism, Daily Routines, & Black History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Hello, Friday. I don’t know about you but this has been a week of highs and lows in this world of mine. Hard news in\u00a0some situations washed over by exquisite answers to prayer in other situations. As happens often with God,\u00a0in the quiet of this morning, a favorite, heart-lifting\u00a0passage in the Bible came up in my reading.<\/p>\n

“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”<\/em><\/strong> – Isaiah 26:3-4<\/a><\/p>\n

Even the Bible verses atop my facing journal pages this morning were like an anthem from God that all will be well. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.”<\/em> – John 14:27<\/a>\u00a0and “My times are in Your hands, Lord.”<\/em> – Psalm 31:15<\/a><\/p>\n

With that intro to welcoming Friday this week, here are five of my favorite finds – all from the internet this week, although I did have a lot of sweetness in the real, as well.<\/p>\n

1) Studying Your Spouse – <\/strong>Michael Hyatt <\/a>welcomed Jackie Bledsoe<\/a> as guest blogger on his website this week. Bledsoe writes very winsomely about how he learned to study his wife. He talks about how we, too often, think we know enough (relating to any field of study and work, ministry, marriage and family). Regarding his marriage, he observed: “We were both growing, just not together. My interests were changing and my wife, Stephana, didn\u2019t always notice. Stephana\u2019s needs were changing, but I was oblivious to them. Finally, we reached a point where we felt we didn\u2019t really know each other. That was a scary discovery, one that you may be able to relate to. You may know the ins and outs of your business or ministry like nobody else. But maybe you don\u2019t know the ins and outs of your spouse like nobody else. It may be time for you to enroll in the continuing education about your spouse.” <\/em>Bledsoe lists 3 ways to get an advanced degree in your spouse: 1) Do new things together; 2) Take notes: and 3) Use your calendar.<\/strong> Read more here<\/a>.\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Daddy’s Hangout<\/a><\/p>\n

2) Aging – a Video\u00a0–<\/strong> I came across a video this week that really got me thinking about how I view aging. It is entitled The Wall<\/a>. It is the work of Aroha Philanthropies<\/a>, an organization “devoted to the transformative power of the arts and\u00a0creativity, inspiring vitality in those over\u00a055, joy in children and\u00a0youth, and humanity in adults with mental\u00a0illness”. \"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: IoAging.org<\/a><\/p>\n

The video begins with two elderly persons looking at the imposing face of a wall filled with the words that terrify most of us about getting older. Then as the video progresses, the images change to\u00a0 more engaging and lovely words that depict what can be part of our experience moving from youth to mid-life to older life. Through creativity and the arts from childhood throughout our years, we might see a very different future, with growing older being our “encore years”.<\/strong> Something to think about for all of us…and especially for our young creatives –\u00a0to see\u00a0these “old ones” as valuable peers…just a bit farther down the same road.<\/p>\n