Read-Only

I've been reading some great stuff on other blogs these last few weeks but haven't been able to summon the emotional energy to write honestly about the things whirling around in my mind and weighing on my heart. So, like the kid who realizes he can't win a race and quits before he has a chance to finish, I haven't written at all. To use a different analogy, sitting down at the computer has felt kind of like looking at one of those documents where you have the ability to read the text but can't add to or alter it in any way.

I do intend to get back into the swing of things, so I'm going to write a little something every day or so for the next little while, even if it's not heart-level and doesn't require the time/space I usually need in order to write coherently. But in the meantime, I want to share the links to specific posts on other blogs that have encouraged and challenged me during this time:

• My friend Lissa at Here in the Bonny Glenn is an author, mother of five and unschooler extraordinaire. In this post, among other things, she talks about two of the aspects of parenting that I find most challenging: exercising the right kind of patience and dealing with the need/desire to be in control. (Edited to add: There's an intriguing, extended conversation going on in the comments.)
  

• Months and months ago, through Lissa's blog, I came across Testosterhome, a mother's blog about life with five sons. I've never met Rachel, and to be honest I don't think I've ever left so much as a comment on her blog, but hers is one I check regularly. She expresses herself effortlessly, it seems, and often she writes things I've thought and felt but can't find the words for myself. I love this post about coming to terms with finding satisfaction in some of those less-than-glamorous tasks that mothering involves.

• Ever since I wrote about watching the CNN special called God's Warriors, I've been hooked on the Random Reflections of Greg Boyd. I'm in the middle of his book called The Myth of a Christian Nation, and what I've read so far is hitting home scripturally, philosophically and politically, in that order. I'm going through it slowly, with a highlighter in hand -- I'm finding it that profound. Recent posts on his blog that have been particularly challenging for me (since recognizing this summer my deep-felt belief in pacifism) are his series on why he's a vegetarian and the current one, reconciling the violence of God in the OT with the self-sacrifice of Jesus in the NT. (I don't think I've ever heard anyone deal quite so honestly with this topic, and it's going to be interesting to find out where he's going with this. These links are to the first post in each series, but hopefully -- if you're interested -- you can find the remaining posts from there.)
  

• On a less provocative note, here's Lopez Living, the blog a friend we knew in Cyprus. She and her husband now live in the Arabian Peninsula. This post beautifully describes the potential impact that American women can have on international women without ever leaving home. (I couldn't agree more.)

Happy reading! I'll try to write again soon.