Hello Reader,

We welcomed grandbaby #20 this week, and I had the privilege of keeping her eight siblings for the three days she and her mama spent in the hospital. She was just shy of 37 weeks, but is doing well.

Weighing in at 5 lbs 15 oz, she is tiny, but super sweet. Her safe arrival is another answer to prayer!

That, together with the fact that tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, provided the inspiration for this week's prayer-themed link list:

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Praying for Yourself - a good starting place, this is one of dozens of prayer guides we offer
• ​When It's Hardest to Pray - a good reminder to pray, even (especially) when it's difficult
• ​How to Find Things You've Lost - I used tip #2 just yesterday to find grandson's lost shoes!
• ​Beautiful Bookmarks - God calls us to cast off anxiety and instead pray with grateful hearts
• ​A House of Prayer - may the verse on this coloring page be true of your home and mine

What I'm reading this week:

I read Juli Slattery's bestselling Finding the Hero in Your Husband nearly twenty years ago, but after learning that the author had recently updated the manuscript, I got a copy of the revised version on Audible. It was well worth the listen. Slattery provides biblical encouragement and time-tested tips on a wide range of topics: improving communication, handling conflict, cultivating intimacy, etc.

What we're watching this week:

We streamed the National Bible Bee Competition Junior Finals last night. It was truly inspiring! I've already signed my three youngest kids and five oldest grandkids up for the NBB summer study program, and wanted to give them a taste of what to expect.

Progress on last week's goals:

By God's grace, I accomplished almost everything on my list last week -- I ✅ mailed our son's graduation announcements and also our family reunion invites, ✅ attended the THSC conference (just long enough to ✅ listen to my friend Abbie speak and ✅ give the curriculum hall a once-over), ✅ picked up my daughter's last-minute passport, and ✅ memorized Psalm 33 (though I've yet to quote it to my accountability partner). And while I ✅ added one pot of geraniums to my garden mural, I stopped short of painting a full wall panel (extended babysitting duty stalled my progress).

Personal goals for next week:

• work on mural
• clear out my inbox
• nail down itinerary for upcoming roadtrip

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