A Mish-Mash of Stuff Worth Reading

I have a completely random collection of links absolutely worth checking out for you tonight.

My friends Ang and Kevin are in Angola.  Ang works as a labor and delivery nurse when she's in Canada, but in Angola her nursing duties become so much broader still.  Recently she wrote about an experience she had while scrubbing in on a c-section with an Angolan doctor (she often works with a Canadian doc who runs the clinic there).  Her words about the attitude of the doctor and Angolan men about their wives struck me deeply as I paused to consider that last week I was receiving emails about the meeting of the G20 in Toronto, and the goal of gaining more dollars in aid for maternal health care.  I think it's hard for that aid to be effective until we can also change the mindset that women are property.  You can read Ang's story "The Ugliness of Inequality" here.  I also loved this quote that they have on the sidebar of their blog, "If you've come here to help me, you're wasting your time. But if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." -- Australian Aboriginal Elder Lilla Watson

Kirsten wrote about sacred space, and creating that in her home.  As someone with "altars" scattered all around my bedroom, and even spilling over in a small way to the study space I'm occupying at mom and dad's house these days, I loved her thoughts.  Actually, these days I'm just rather enjoying following her blog in general, and have been quietly for quite some time.

I liked some of the thoughts that Kris Vallotton shared here.  Particularly this bit: "Pray unceasingly. Give sacrificially. Dream unreasonably. Serve wholeheartedly. Love unashamedly. Walk innocently. Believe undoubtingly. Live powerfully.

Per usual, I loved Kelle's latest post, found here.  Particularly the way they celebrated her husband's birthday by letting their older daughter wander a dollar store, picking out the things she was certain her daddy would love.  Check out, especially, the birthday card she picked out!  A friend and I who both read Kelle's blog were talking tonight about how reading makes us just want to head on down to Florida and spend a day with Kelle and her family, cuddling her daughters and laughing.

Your turn.  What have you been reading lately (around the web, in book form, magazines, whatever!) that's inspiring you, challenging you, making you laugh?