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Simple Living Works! Monthly Digest
This complete digest, formerly posted weekly, is now updated at least weekly. It contains posts from both SLW! and other simple living sources.
The SLW! Weekly Nudge (focus on SLW!) comes as a free subscription to SLW! Blog (When you arrive, click +Follow in lower right, add your email address, then confirm when email arrives.)
The free Daily Nudges is available by email -- send SUBSCRIBE to SimpleLivingWorks@yahoo.com -- or by Twitter @GeraldIversen.
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Month 12
Simple Living Works! Monthly Digest
Updated Weekly
Month 12, 2020
In This Issue:
- What's NOW with SLW!
- What Others Are Doing
- What's Happened
- More!
What's NOW with SLW!
What Others Are Doing - So Much Help!
I gladly pass along links from simple living bloggers, podcasters, coaches and others. Some faith-based, some not. You needn't read them all. Choose FIVE links -- including SLW! -- to investigate.
For links to earlier entries, check the previous months' digests.
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) is committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and is the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children.
Center for a New American Dream
Community Solutions: Founded in 1940, this non-profit organization advocates for small communities and the benefits of face-to-face relationships. Since 2003, the focus has been to provide resources for low-carbon living and to inspire collective, cooperative solutions in the face of peak energy and climate change.
Creation Justice CAPSULES: News and Opportunities for Christians Doing Creation Justice
EarthTalk/E-The Environmental Magazine
Earth Island Journal (Earth Island Institute): Latest News // Current Issue
Earth Mama (Joyce Rouse) NEW -- Made for These Times song for Ladies Sewing and Resistance Society
- Lead sheet with melody line (downloadable PDF @ http://www.earthmama.org/)
- Full lyrics (downloadable PDF @ http://www.earthmama.org/)
- video (1 minute) of singing and sewing
https://youtu.be/NQjZ4eeVTWs
- video (6 minute) including wonderful short interviews with sewers explaining WHY they will be marching, some for the first time ever in this kind of activism. Song plays the last minute. https://youtu.be/IJiNZcYc428
Blessings, Joyce (Earth Mama) //
Website, Songbooks, YouTube videos; Whole Enchi-Mama on a USB Thumb drive, Standing on the Shoulders music video, sheet music offerings // SLW! Podcast
Eco-Justice Ministries (Peter Sawtell) // Voluntary Simplicity archive // SLW! Podcast #18 // SLW! Podcast #66
Frugal Rules: Freedom Through Frugality
Frugalwoods: Financial independence and simple living featured on PBS NewsHour, Sun., 3/11/19
GodSpace (Christine Sine) // SLW! Podcast
The Good Stuff your dose of what's working in the world from The Story of Stuff Project!
Green Child eMagazine: Simplify for Happier, Calmer Kids
GrowthBusters and GrowthBusters Podcast
The Homesteading Guide Daily: Exploring life off the grid.
OneEarth Jubilee (Jubilee Economics Ministries (Lee Van Ham & John Michno)
A Living Earth Economy (David Korten - Yes! Magazine): How we can make peace with nature, realize the value of living wealth, and return to local, self-organized rule.
Living Lightly (Susan Vogt on living more simply but abundantly): 365+ Days of Give-Aways - Finding good homes for no longer needed items rather than just putting them in the trash //SLW! Podcast // SLW! Podcast: Lent
What's been happening on my Living Lightly blog lately.
Leaks & Dust Discoveries - Covid-19 induced extra time taught me 3 lessons One was prompted by a basement leak which required me to review old papers and another by noticing dust that I had ignored.
Weeding out Covid-19 - Staying sane during Covid-19 has been a challenge to all of us. Here are 5 insights I learned about life from gardening.
Trying / Failing / Luck - OK, we're all trying to be good ecological citizens, but sometimes it's not easy - and sometimes it is.
How Much is Enough? Part 1 - Living Lightly is all about figuring out how much is enough. Have you taken the challenge? Cam you guess the riddle
4 Kinds of Clutter: Part 2 - In order to answer "How much is enough?" I needed to break it down into Workspace, Time, Money, and Time clutter. Bonus: answer to riddle
Lessons from Parts 1 & 2 - Living Lightly is more than just getting rid of extra stuff. Discerning life priorities can be complicated.
MARRIAGE MOMENTS*
915. Dec. 7: "Comfort, give comfort to my people." (Is 40:1) Elections are over, mostly. This is a comfort to many in the USA. But Dec. 7 is also the commemoration of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Life is often a mixture of comfort, pain, and waiting. Comfort each other when necessary.
916. Dec. 14: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks." (I Thessalonians 5:16) Impossible you say! OK, how about choosing one thing that gives you joy, say one prayer, and be thankful for one thing today. Share.
917. Dec. 21: Dec. 21 is the Winter Solstice. In the northern hemisphere, this is the longest night of the year. Dark nights can be cozy when warmed by love and candlelight, but they can also refer to times our love was challenged or a time of personal depression. If this week finds you blessed with pleasant experiences of darkness, pray for those who aren't. If you are currently struggling in your marriage, check out Retrouvaille or The Third Option.
918. Dec. 28: What a year 2020 has been! The Pandemic, racial strife, a divided nation… Talk with each other about what helps you heal your relationship and bring you back together after a disagreement. Are there any lessons for our country?
*Marriage Moments go out to individuals on Mondays. For Sunday bulletins use the Sunday immediately before the above date.
PARENTING POINTERS*
914. Dec. 4: As St. Nick's feast day approaches on Dec. 6, this may bring joy to children as they anticipate a treat in their shoe. Still Advent is a time of waiting and life is often a mixture of joy and waiting. Let Advent teach your child to wait for good things.
915. Dec. 11: Dec. 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Even if you're not Hispanic, this Marian feast has a message for all humanity. Mary appeared to Juan Diego in the clothing and look of a Mexican woman. It reminds us that God often comes through people we can identify with. Having trouble getting a message across to your kids? Try tuning into their world, their needs.
916. Dec. 18: Christmas is 1 week away. It's hard to keep waiting. How do you teach a child to wait for something good, to delay gratification? Model it yourself. Find a subtle way to show your child you are waiting for something -- a food, a purchase, an experience.
917. Dec. 25: Most people know that Christmas is Dec. 25. Some of you may also know that Dec. 26 starts the 7 day African American celebration of Kwanzaa. No matter what your ethnic heritage -- family, community, and culture are universal values. Check it out.
*Parenting Pointers go out to individuals on Fridays. For Sunday bulletins, use the closest Friday.
Live Simply (Third Way Cafe)
Lutheran Peace Fellowship: Simple Living Resources // SLW! Podcast
The Minimalists podcast (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus). Getting us past the things so we can make room for life's most important things -- which actually aren't things at all.
New Changemakers: Join the Changemaking Celebration! (Tom Sine)
NorthWest Earth Institute's latest discussion course ebook, Sustainability Works: Rethinking Business As Usual // Change Is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions // Voluntary Simplicity // SLW! Podcast
One Planet/One Child Project
The OneEarth Project (Lee Van Ham) // SLW! Podcast
The Pastoral Center/Gospel Living (Paul Canavese) // SLW! Podcast
- They Will Inherit the Earth: Peace and Nonviolence in a Time of Climate Change by Fr. John Dear
- Teaching Kids to Care for God's Creation: Reflections, Activities & Prayers for Catechists & Families by Sr. Mary Elizabeth Clark, SSJ
Available at: https://pastoral.center/on-care
- Other Simple Living and Ecology resources
- CatholicCreationCare.com - General resources
- CreationCareKids.com - Children's resources
PostConsumers: Find the Satisfaction of Enough / Full Article Library
Prayer & Politiks (Ken Sehested): At the intersection of spiritual formation and prophetic action (weekly)
Share Spend Save: Money+Meaning (Nathan Dungan)
Simple Enough (Bob Sitze) // SLW! Podcast
Simple Living: the Good Life (Janet Luhrs) - Time, Finances, Home-Work, Health
Simple Times (Debi Taylor-Hough): Saving Your Time, Money & Sanity
Simplicity Collective - Let us be pioneers once more (Samuel Alexander)
Simplicity Parenting (Kim John Payne): because it is a beautiful world
Smart and Simple Matters podcast (Joel Zaslofsky of Value of Simple: Liberate Your Time, Money and Talent) // SLW! Podcast
Teach Peace Now
TransitionNetwork.org: Transition Towns--A movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world // TransitionUS.org
TreeHugger: Finding a Greener Future
World Population Balance and OverPopulation Podcast
Upcoming Non-Conform-Freely Celebrations:
Jan.-April //
May-Aug. //
Sept.-Dec. //
What's Happened
- Review of Lee Van Ham's new "From Egos to Eden: Our Heroic Journey to Keep Earth Livable," vol. 2 of the "Eden for the 21st Century" Trilogy. Available on Amazon in print and ebook and other locations where you can get the ebook (Nook, iBooks, Kobo). He says, "Hope the book stirs you to write a review, to converse with others, and to help me tell better than I currently do a story for OneEarth living. Wanting to show Earth more love!"
- Banishing "Fake News" // Simpler Living SANITY // I Buy Blue // Healthy Political Practices / Spiritual Disciplines // Post-Election Emergency/Disaster Preparedness and Survival Guide //
- Jerry's Guide: Where to Get Books
- Previews of Simple Living Blogs, Podcasts and Sites // Collaborators & Champions
- Recent Responses to all SLW! media, including links
- New Year's Resolution: I will focus on what I CAN change. I will focus on voluntary simplicity, my choices to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly.
- Activities of the Chief Activist
Podcast Reminder
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Peace, Gerald 'Jerry' Iversen, Chief SLW! Activist
For hard copies of Alternatives' resources at nominal cost, contact ELCA Archives, 321 Bonnie Lane, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 // (847) 690-9410 // archives@elca.org
We do not solicit or accept donations, nor do we sell anything. All our resources and services are free of charge. We're an all-volunteer organization. Instead, we urge Alternative Giving. Give away at least 25% of what you spent last year on all celebrations -- Christmas, birthdays, etc. -- to local, national and international causes.
Copyright: Creative Commons non-commercial attribution share-alike license.
*Treasury of Celebrations: published by Northstone, a division of Wood Lake Publications, BC, Canada, best known for its Seasons of the Spirit curriculum.
Through social media, we extend the mission and resources of the non-profit organization Alternatives, 1973-2011. Simple Living Works! web site home page | Theme/Seasons Index. To learn more about SLW! MISSION, for example -- please listen to our getting-acquainted episodes, especially #1 and #2 We produce a half-hour podcast twice a month, hopefully educational and inspiring for you, your family and your congregation or group .We blog each week.
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Page updated 12/19/20