The Weekly (Joy)Cap
Week of May 31st - June 7th (24') | Summer Reading Updates & Growing Your Relationship with God In the Throes of Motherhood
This is the (Joy)Cap where I share a weekly reflection or lesson and a roundup of links, recommendations, and everything that’s bringing me joy, inviting you to do the same. Think of this as a weekly coffee date with my close friends. ☕️💕🫶🏾 Join me on a weekly joy hunt and start receiving the (Joy)Cap by subscribing today! ✨
Happy Sunday, friends!
This week was a busy one of decision-making and praying through a potential move, so I don’t have much to share. However, I did post a reflection and recap of May this past Wednesday.
A New Era
Happy June, friends! As always, I can’t believe we are here in another month. May flew by, just as every month does. It was a very touch-and-go month for me. My family and I spent most of the month adjusting to my husband’s new route and schedule, leaving my normal schedule and routines in disarray. With that, the kids have required more of my time, ene…
As I shared in my May recap, rather than striving to make things happen, I am going with the ebb and flow of the season. With that said, I’m short on words today but still wanted to share a few things that brought me joy this week. ✨
What Brought Me Joy ✨
Summer reading. I am fully immersed in summer reading. I’ve already made it through three books that are on my summer reading list, and I look forward to reading as many as possible over the next few months.
Convincing one of my best friends to buy a Kindle. I absolutely love sharing my love for reading and sparking that love in others. I was sharing my recent Kindle makeover with one of my best friends, which sparked her to ask questions about my reading experience on Kindle. She has always been very open about her disdain for e-books over the years, but after sharing with her the ins and outs of my reading habits and Kindle practices along with my recent favorite reads, I convinced her in one conversation to buy her first Kindle, to which she devoured her first book on it the next day 😂.
Currently Reading 📚
I’m still making my way through Kennedy Ryan’s Before I Let Go. If I weren’t doing this as a buddy read with my sister, I would already be finished because it is that good. Kennedy Ryan has a gift of making the heaviest life experiences feel light. You feel the hope that is brimming and longing for the restoration that is coming, but the devastation that these characters are wading through is very poignant and palpable. I’m looking forward to finishing this sooner rather than later.
While I wait for my sister to catch up on Before I Let Go, I decided to start Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenz. I picked this up during Amazon’s book sale a few weeks ago, and it has been waiting for me on my nightstand. The dialogue and banter in Abby Jimenz’s books are unmatched, and her writing is always so fresh, real, and relatable. I was only five chapters in and already giggling, kicking, my feet, and ready to throw the book across the room.
Mary Kay Andrews’ books are always comfort reads for me. I listened to the Santa Suit on audio last year while I was sick a few days before Christmas and enjoyed it, and I listened to Spring Fever back in March. Some books, I feel, do better on audio, and her books are that for me. The Homewreckers gives HGTV meets a dating reality show with a side of murder mystery. I’ve been enjoying listening to this while cleaning, doing dishes, and occasionally drowning out a tantrum or two 🫠.
I’m always sharing my thoughts in real-time on Fable and Instagram. For ratings and reviews, check out my Goodreads.
Currently Listening 🎧
I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say that motherhood hasn’t influenced the amount of time I spend in the Word. While motherhood is filled with constant change and transition, there are still opportunities to learn and grow deeper in your walk with the Lord, even if it looks different than before. In this episode, Jenna shares practical ways you can grow your relationship with God throughout the various seasons and stages of motherhood.
Fave Substack Read of the Week 💻
Kendra (at The Lazy Genius) talks about seasonal “Opening Ceremonies.” Just like the opening ceremonies at the Olympics, these are the things we do that signal the beginning of a season. For me, a baseball game is an essential part of my summer opening ceremonies– along with sprucing up my front stoop for my daily front stoop lunch and the first Saturday farmers market of the season with a big bouquet of flowers -
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Admittedly, I haven’t done a ton of reading on Substack lately, but I really enjoyed this post from
. I love this idea of having an “opening ceremony” to kick off a new season — like a ritual or a rite of passage that ushers in the new season. I currently don’t have any opening ceremonies for summer, but I would love to get more ideas!Do you have any opening ceremonies that you partake in to kick off the summer season?
I would love to hear from you! What brought you joy this week? Leave a comment or send me a direct message!
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Thanks so much for sharing! A few more of my summer opening ceremonies: Putting away the sweaters and bringing out the shorts! Making that first big batch of iced tea. Bookmarking “cold dish” recipes for hot summer days. Going to that first “summer blockbuster” at the movie theater. Making a summer reading list.
Oh wait! I meant to also add I love the idea of having opening ceremonies. I feel like mine is to reflect on the prior month and to set intentions for the next.
Whew and the review on Before I Let Go couldn’t be more true.