It may be time to Feel Your Boobies

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I wondered what more I could add to the panoply of pink in this, the month of Breast Cancer Awareness. I imagine we all have too many friends and family members who were diagnosed either far too young or far too late in the game to fight the good fight. Other than education, what more can we do so that the day may come when we no longer have to organize walks and races for the cure, where we don’t need to hawk pink merch to remind women (and men!) to feel their boobies? Here are a few ways that may help to move the needle…

Podcast re: Breast Health + Imaging

Recently, I have helped to promote the book of an author, Heather Frimmer, who is also a radiologist specializing in breast health. Heather was featured on a podcast interview recently where she talked about something I was not as familiar with: the notion of “dense breasts.” The interview mentions the words “dense breasts” roughly 29348029384 times and that sort of grosses me out to think about, but now that I know about breast density, I’m a little more empowered. (Basically, you won’t know you have this tissue unless you have a mammogram.)

Bracelet for a Cause

In principle, I’m a little meh about the commodification of causes, especially if they’re only offering a small portion of the revenue toward a cause and are merely an excuse to sell more goodies. However, I thought this bracelet by Stella + Dot was quite fetching. The Tribute Bracelet is attractive and fairly minimalist, but also, what a perfect accessory to remind one to do a quick breast check. See pretty bracelet. See pink beads. Check boobies. No lumpies. Rinse and repeat.

Another reason I liked the Tribute Bracelet is because it benefits an organization, Bright Pink, that is clearly making Breast Cancer Awareness education as accessible as possible.

Check out Bright Pink
Here are just a few features on the site:

We may not be able to see the end of breast cancer as we know it in our lifetime, but I truly believe with more education, we will advance progress toward a cure.

Review: The Ministry of Ordinary Places

If you read FALLING FREE, Shannan Martin returns with an even more lyrical and soulful memoir of her life as a radical neighbor lover. As a member of her launch team, I received an advance copy.

I was blessed so much by THE MINISTRY OF ORDINARY PLACES and I especially appreciated the very tactical ideas Martin offers for loving our neighbors. The author also takes a necessary and admirable stance against a lot of what I can only refer to as ministry "gimmicks" that churches in the First World have adopted as de rigueur. Examples of this included "pop-up" ministry events, short-term missions that do more harm than good, or just ill-advised donation drives. The love the author has for her neighbors and her neighborhood is so palpable, and the book is an inspiring look at how one family can be a beacon simply by choosing to stay. 

Pairing my own fave coffee mug with this book’s darling cover.

Pairing my own fave coffee mug with this book’s darling cover.

The only aspect of the book with which I really struggled was the lack of discussion of boundaries. Much of the ministry of being embedded in a community was familiar to me, since I have lived at the schools where my husband and/or I worked. It can be very overwhelming at times to field requests at all hours of the day and night from those one has been called to serve. As a mother, I believe my first order of ministry is to my family. Sometimes living in an insular community, one has to set hedges around one's family in order that the family not get exploited. The author makes mention of how her husband sought counseling for anxiety, and I was grateful for that. As a Christian, we can see from Jesus' example that there were times he reserved only for his prayer time, that he disappointed people by being unavailable because of his priorities. I wanted to hear more about that -- that giving freely of ourselves is still something we need to have discretion about so that we're not placing our family as a sacrificial lamb on the altar. The Martins are fully committed to their ministry of being present, and there are certainly instances mentioned where simply being present is hard. Still, I was left to wonder what they did when and if their children just sort of wanted their parents to themselves (?) Projecting here, but my kids help alongside me in ministry but sometimes they have bad attitudes about it and it's usually because I'm not devoting enough time to them. I think this begs the question: Can you live in the upside-down kingdom while still keeping your priorities in order? I don’t have the answer and I think anyone living in close community is looking for guidance about how to do it well.

I think my favorite chapter was about the Jail Ministry house. Martin explains the real disparity for families with an incarcerated person reentering society and the high cost of housing, job hunting that befalls individuals/families because of time served. I was so moved by the story of the Jail Ministry house and feel inspired to explore opportunities to serve inventively in this vein in my own sphere of influence.

I highly recommend this book if you are impressed to live and experience the Gospel in a less abstract and more practiced way, to have your eyes wide open to the biddings and beckonings of Divinity that hasn’t given up on our spinning planet yet.

Women-owned businesses to support this season

Fall 2018 is a sweet season for women. Michelle Obama’s book is dropping (::hopes there is a whole chapter on how to get dem arms::). “This is Us” is coming back so we can get our ugly cry on. And in the vein of being Truly Basic, the return of the #PSL does surely stir a soul anew. You can have your pigskin and your fantasy football league, but this gal is winning the decorative + edible gourd season, players.

In this, the season of women and harvest, I raise a grande PSL to these women-owned businesses:


Stella + Dot - Chances are you’ve been invited to a Stella + Dot party and left with some beads or baubles that you totally meant to give to your child’s teacher for Teacher Appreciation Day but the more time you stared at the Deco Drop Earrings, you realized maybe she wouldn’t want to wear something that was likely to catch on a notebook or would prove an occupational hazard and because you’re not a monster, you did the right and noble thing. You kept them and you wore them and you j’adored them. But did you know that Stella + Dot is women-owned? And that the company is named after the foundresses’ grandmothers? Cheers to founders Jessica Herrin + Blythe Harris. Y’all fab.

For Mini-Me

I took my mini-me to a Stella + Dot party recently and although you see in Exhibit A, there was a piece I was fancying, but strangely enough, Mini-Me ended up getting a shipment with a camo zip pullover from Stella + Dot. Weird.


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HEart by CC - I am so enamored of Candice’s work that I’m basically outfitting my whole house in her aesthetic. And my laptop. And my daughter’s guitar stand. And basically anything standing still. My friend Pam told me that I should follow her on Instagram because she’s such a witty creative, and now I just basically am a bona fide fangirl waiting for her to ask me to for a road trip in her VW bus. A girl can dream.


ABLE - Founder Barrett Ward, while living in Ethiopia, realized an opportunity for women to support other women in their artisanry. ABLE now sells bags, shoes, jewelry, and apparel that are designed and crafted by women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, Mexico, Peru and even in Nashville, TN. And I covet their stuff, girl. Like the tortoise shell earrings? They’re a problem.

Pharaoh Earrings
The Jacket - Mina WashTwo-Tone Contempo Necklace

And you? What are some of your favorite women-run businesses/companies to support? I’d love to learn more about them!

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