This made me laugh:

MANSFIELD, OH—Having proposed that they spend a night out together, the boyfriend of local woman Cassandra Stephenson is said to have planned a magical evening for the two of them down to the very first detail, sources reported Tuesday. “We should do something on Friday,” said boyfriend Bryan Vogel, specifying the day of the week on which they will go out, the sole confirmed aspect of their romantic evening that has actually been planned in advance.

This dinner has been planned to more than the first detail.

My sister sent me this. Inspiration, condensed, on steroids. Made me laugh. Enjoy

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=d6wRkzCW5qI&app=desktop]

This looks interesting to me.

The former family doctor turned environmentalist turned filmmaker spent most of a year off the grid as an experiment and filmed the whole thing.

Her documentary All the Time in the World has received much praise from critics and has won several awards.

Lent is a season of fasting for many Christians–not to deprive ourselves of something but rather to engage with God more by stripping away unnecessary things, to be unencumbered by the busy-ness of life. It occurs to me that in fasting we can become rich in other areas and this woman appears to have achieved this wealth for her family. Not possible for everyone, of course. But perhaps there are elements from which we can learn.

Suzanne Crocker: doctor, turned environmentalist, turned documentary maker

A friend sent me this link to a “welcome to the world” coin, new from the Canadian Mint, and pointed out it looks a lot like the little feet lapel pin many people who are against abortion wear.  This is not, of course, what the Canadian Mint intends. I take it as a sign of how those who are pro-choice are fighting a losing battle, because at the end of the day, the feet you celebrate and the feet whose life ends look very, very similar.

It’s a question I’m asking myself since my friend and fellow blogger Faye sent me a link to this blog. I didn’t read too much but I gather a beautiful young woman who is also a mother has terminal cancer. This may not appear to be the best Happy New Year! link but I think it just could be.

She made me think about whether I am really, really living while I am alive. As I drove home tonight, was I thankful for the fact that I was able to drive? That I could listen to the news? That it wasn’t hard for me to drive, and that I got home safely? Simple questions, raised by her blog:

And now, now I’m learning what it is to die by degrees. Parts of my body failing, parts of my abilities vanishing, and what then? Yesterday, I kept thinking- I drove for the last time and didn’t realize it was the last time. I don’t remember the last time in the drivers seat or the music we played.  I just realized I will likely never again drive. It’s this weird event that marks the fading of a life, and I have no feeling other than wonder over the fact that it’s over. That chapter. All the driving my body can no longer do will now be captured by my community, my loves, my people. And there will be other strengths that will languish, and my people will press into love and provide us the needed strength and support to manage that new edge.

Read to the end. It’s sad but not depressing. She puts her faith in Jesus. You might not do so, but there is something in her blog posts even for non-Christians. The question is how to press into living, how to make the most of each moment. It is hard to write about these things without sounding trite. But the questions are worth asking.

I am pro-life. So am I really living?

I don’t watch Dancing with the Stars, but someone showed me this clip of Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty performing, and it was captivating. Oh, how I wish I could dance.

Happy Monday!