š½ Lil Treasures #110: Community Care and Extraterrestrial Life
Plus Galentine's Day and Target mind control
Greetings to you on this very lovely Friday! Iām so glad youāre here.
Itās been a weird week of semi-quarantine in the Moon house, making us feel so stir crazy that my 4 year old decided to jump out of a slow-moving vehicle. Itās fine weāre fine. This week in The Swipe Up+, we talked a bit about hope archaeology and how we can find hope even when we might be witnessing the downfall of society (AGAIN ITāS FINE). Hereās a snippet about community care vs self-care:
I love a Holy ShowerĀ®ļø. You know I love a Stupid Walkā¢ļø. You know I love a music hat and some CBD gummies. And I absolutely think those things have a place. However, I think we put too much pressure on self-care to do a job that community care was always meant to perform. For example, last week on the reggie old Swipe Up, we had a teacher and single mom who ran into a deflating and frustrating experience when she had to take leave from her classroom. She came back to discover a lot of her (personally purchased) things were broken or destroyed. Watching us clear that list was overwhelming, because yes, what a lovely thing to be able to take care of that financial need. BUT really, the secret sauce in here is that every person who purchased a pack of dry erase markers or intoned a little prayer for this woman said:
NOT TODAY. We see you. You are not alone. Weāre with you.
And not only does that whisper to her that sheās got people in her corner, but it also whispers to you and me that we can give a little time or money or kindness and shoot hope into veins. So yes, take a bubble bath, but also beg God to give you someone to love, someone to support, someone who needs whatever small offering you have, and watch the hope parade come marching past your door.
If you are into that (also I will sometimes say a bad word behind the paywall where my grandmother canāt see), come hang out with us!
Letās get down to some treasures, baby!
š I am now unapologetically into dog videos. Here's one now!
š¤ If you read the above Swipe Up+ excerpt and got inspired to help someone, please check out the We Got You Club! Thereās a tab for people who need help in specific ways, and an additional tab of teacher wishlists. Yāall there are SO MANY teacher wishlists. These champion educators have really been through the ringer lately but are still loving the mess out of our kiddos (see this video for reference of care). If you can spare a few coins today, pick a number between 1 and 113 and go bless one of the kind, wonderful teachers today!
š½ If youāre into extraterrestrial life, thereās a new Favored or Forsaken episode that came out today all about aliens and I think you will love it.
š If you are struggling this week (like I am), hereās a blessing for when you realize everyone is struggling.
āļø In a controversial (at least to the Catholic church) gesture, Pope Francis recently sent a thank- you letter to Sister Jeannine Gramick, who has been ministering to the LGTBQ+ Catholic community for the last 50 years. You can read more about this story and the life of Sister Jeannine by clicking on this link.
šÆ Looking at you, Target. My Red Card is on fire these days and I demand answers!!!
š I cried watching this video of an Opera singer and her surprise duet.
š§ February 13th is coming quickly, which means itās time to gear up for Galentineās Day, ladies! What is Galentineās Day, you ask? If youāre unfamiliar, click here and prepare yourself for a whole new world of ladies celebrating ladies, plus breakfast foods. Our Lil Swipes bestie Jillian always puts together this fun gift exchange every year just for the occasion! If youāre into exchanging cool gifts with amazing women, come be a part of the Lil Swipes Galentineās Gift Exchange!
Yāall ready for those good Tweets? I knew you were.
All hail the Stupid Walkā¢
This Tweet feels risky:
Alright pals, thatās all she wrote. Canāt wait to read your treasures in the comments. See you here again next week, same time same place? Xoxo.
I just wanted to pop back in and say a heartfelt thank you to all of you who shared words of encouragement and comfort - so grateful for all of you. Have a lovely long weekend, friends.
Hi Swipes! I have goals of engaging more here, making time to read through the comments and commenting on your comments and possibly posting myself. It is of course Saturday morning now and not Friday and maybe that will work better for me, we'll see. Also, being on my computer instead of my phone seems to be helpful as well.
Anyway, I signed up for the Galentine's Day exchange and am excited about that. Now what to add to my wishlist... :)
That Target TikTok is definitely me. I always feel like I deserve an award when I go in and only get the items I meant to get.
Erin's Hope Archaeology email she sent this week was so good. I have recently had the desire to get back to my gratitude journal, starting the day with 10 things I'm thankful for, usually from the day before. Ever since last summer and the loss of my cousins, I have struggled with engaging in this practice as well as really connecting to God through Scripture and most definitely prayer. I seem to slowly be coming back to Him via gratitude and I know it helps my attitude as well as just helps me recognize the good around me, even when things can feel so hard. Anyway, I have a separate "hope list" going as well which could really just be treasures or things I'm grateful for as well.
So, my current hope list for the week:
My oldest having her license for a year and helping pick up siblings when needed
Snuggles with our dog, Cece, who we've had for almost a year
This awesome egg chair that we ended up getting two of because the first had some minor tears in it and they sent a 2nd free of charge.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/allen-roth-Brennfield-Woven-Metal-Stationary-Conversation-Chair-s-with-Cushioned-Seat/1002647618
I read a book and took a nap in the one on our screened in porch the other day when it was in the 50s here. The 2nd is currently in our LR but will be moved outside at some point.
Putting things together myself (like said egg chairs)
Productive days
Afternoon coffee
Twix
Warm winter days
Sunsets over our tiny lake
A student who used to never speak in small or large groups answered a question in front of the large group the other night in such a thoughtful way.
Dinner out for sushi for my daughter's 17th birthday and everyone being in a good mood and loving it.
Same daughter having a friend over for her birthday when she hasn't been the one to ask friends over much lately.
My kids really liking each other and laughing together
Laughter
First real snow at our new house
Good books - currently reading Under the Whispering Door, though it's good, definitely not as good as The House in the Cerulean Sea - I'm wanting to finish to move on to the next books I have.
That's all, Internet friends. Have a great weekend!