Bekah's Best Finds (#1)

July 2024

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

Hello friends! I know that I usually post on the weekends, but I wanted to initiate something new for my page that I needed to post today.

In a world where there are a lot of negative opinions about negative situations and circumstances, I want to bring a little bit of light to whoever would like it! I appreciate it when people make recommendations that make my life better (even by just a little bit), so maybe something here will be a help to you! At the beginning of the month, I will write about a few things that added something special to my life the month before. These will follow specific categories that are general enough to each of our lives to make sharing easy.

Please let me know if there is something here that helps you!

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Entertainment

• I don’t want much TV at the moment, but I love to watch travel videos, specifically videos about Japan! Experience Japan is a great channel to watch if you just want to put something on in the background. Each video has a quiet city ambiance, and the creator only uses subtitles to communicate with the audience. It’s great if you just want to see a fun little video about Japanese living.

• I’ve learned that Japanese vending machines are nothing like those in America. This video is a fun view to see how different the machines can be.

Books and Reading

• I read a bunch of different books this month, with each one of them being different from the last. Here are two books I read this month that were a real highlight:

• Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

  • This historical fiction novel follows the journey of a young boy living in the Dutch East Indies during the Japanese Occupation of WWII. There’s a touch of romance that balances out the darker moments, and it’s overall very amazing. Once I got through about 45% of the book, I was hooked and finished reading it in one evening. It's a really fantastic find.

• The Path of Loneliness by Elisabeth Elliot

  • Everyone will encounter seasons of loneliness. These seasons can “bring [us] face-to-face with [Christ] and to teach [us] about His ways with us” (Chapter 13). I’m actually still reading this book, but I wanted to share it because it’s already been such an amazing resource. I’m definitely going to collect more of Elliot’s writing. She communicates essential truths in profound yet easy-to-understand ways.

Hobbies

• I’ve been crocheting since I was ten years old. It’s been a hobby that’s never really left me (though I think that’s more because of the fact that I bought enough yarn to start my own craft store when I was in high school and even at the beginning of my freshman year of college). As mentioned before in a previous post on enjoying the little things in life, I’ve been working on crocheting some traditional household items that I would need for my house in the future.

• I found this gorgeous waffle-stitch tea towel pattern on Pinterest and remembered that I have equally gorgeous worsted cotton yarn that I could use. I actually found these skeins at Goodwill years ago and was saving them for a special occasion. It washes very well, which is a must for a tea towel. This is a simple enough pattern that you don’t have to worry about constantly counting your stitches, but still looks so lovely.

Bible Verses

• I have been working through a study on the book of Ephesians and have adored reading through the first few chapters. So many verses have stood out to me, and I adore the way that Paul writes the epistles. Ephesians 1:19 has been beautiful to me, though:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”

• In Christ, the Jews and Gentiles were made one. In Christ, enemies can become friends. In Christ, the lonely are placed into families. In Christ, we are known and loved, citizens and household members. Wow, I really love my God.

Something a Little Random

• I listen to a lot of music. I have tons of playlists, most of which are quite large because I can listen for hours. Here’s a link to one of the shorter playlists below. It’s a mix of quiet, calming soundtracks from anime with a few other movies and TV shows sprinkled in. It’s a lovely, quiet playlist I’ve used while writing, reading, working, and doing my hobbies. I hope you enjoy it, too! In case the embed doesn’t work, here is the link!

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Thanks for taking the time to read this post of my favorites from July of 2024! I’m looking forward to seeing what August brings!