Here is a collection of some of my favorite things in my house right now. These are things that help my soul breathe, some in more obvious ways than others. But I wanted to share them with you incase you have someone in your life who might enjoy one of these simple gifts. Or maybe that someone is you!
Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr – My spiritual director reads aloud from this book nearly every time we meet. Macrina’s words have been a kind companion for my soul during this season, including this simple prayer, “O God, help us to believe the truth about ourselves no matter how beautiful it is.”
A bowl from the Goodwill – The easiest gift to find and give, a fifty-cent bow from your favorite thrift shop makes a lovely gift for someone who needs to remember their soul is made to receive from God rather than achieve for God. Hold it with both hands in prayer and remember to ask for daily bread.
Mortar & Stone by Jill Philips – Thoughtful music for anyone who needs to remember hope.
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue – This book of blessings makes a great gift for a new friend or family member, especially if they are in a time of transition.
Woodwick Candle, Medium, Evening Bonfire
Monogram Mugs – I have a weakness for mugs, I do. This one is from Target but I haven’t seen the gold initials there in a month or so. The closest thing I could find are the ones I’ve linked to here from Anthropologie. They are a little fancier than my simple “e” but serve the same purpose.
Soft-bound black journal – Full disclosure, I haven’t used this one yet. But I have 2 of them because I know I’m going to love the soft-bound cover and the graph paper lines. My friend Kendra recommends these and I always love what she recommends.
Uni-ball Signo Impact 207 Pen – These are my favorite pens right now, perfect for morning pages. Make sure they say “impact” or they won’t have the same, er, impact. Trust me on this.
You may also want to check out this list from a few years ago: 10 Free Gifts to Give and Receive. And for the book lovers, here is an on-going list of some of my favorite recommended reads. Happy gifting!
*some affiliate links are included in this post
Becky Kopitzke says
December 10, 2014 at 12:10 PMThank you for this list, Emily! I’m so happy to hear you have a Nikon… I’ve always loved your photos, and I also have a Nikon, so this gives me hope that maybe I can eventually learn how to wield mine in a way that generates such beauty. 🙂 Blessings!
Tracie West says
December 10, 2014 at 12:40 PMhow sweet these things are. So funny I just ordered that book by John O’Donohue and received in the mail yesterday! A friend of mine suggested it a few years ago and I just got to ordering it. It’s filled with such lovely and wonderful words!
Danielle says
December 10, 2014 at 12:48 PMI love woodwick candles too!
Brian says
December 10, 2014 at 1:01 PMHow cool. I have the D80 with this exact lens. It does indeed do great in low light and is worth every penny.
Emily says
December 10, 2014 at 4:05 PMThe d80 has been a good camera for me. And yes – the 50 performs so well in low light!
melony says
December 11, 2014 at 11:57 PMtaking photos helps me see too. my camera’s a Cannon, and i’ve got a 28-90mm lens on it-which i do like, but i like to take pictures of the sky-especially the moon during those dusky hours-but i’m never happy with how they turn out-when to my eye the moon is so big, but in the photo it is so small, or the low light reads really dark. this made me wonder if a different lens would help? i’m really quite the amateur, high-school photo class was (ahem) quite a while ago!
Sarah Caldwell says
December 10, 2014 at 1:57 PMLOVE your list! I’ve added the book of blessings to my Amazon Christmas wish list, as well as the wood wick candles–what a genius idea! 🙂 I’m making a list of my favorite things for Christmas gifts for my blog…and your book is already on it. 🙂 (A Million Little Ways). Seriously, one of my favorite books. My favorite book in the world is ‘Walking On Water’, and I feel like it is the closest book to that I have ever read. So grateful for you and your words – blessings!
Emily says
December 10, 2014 at 4:05 PMYou have completely made my day. Thank you!!
Amy Rogers Hays says
December 10, 2014 at 9:27 PMI love these. I am so excited about Jill Phillip’s new CD, but I am pretty sure that my husband knows that and I’ll get it for Christmas or my birthday two days later from him. I’m trying to be patient 🙂
Elizabeth Marshall says
December 11, 2014 at 12:11 PMIm grateful for simplicity, crave it, yearn for it.
thank you for feeding the hungry place with these.
grateful for your words ? always
e
Samantha Livingston says
December 11, 2014 at 12:19 PMLove this practical post. I have about 8 tabs open on my browser now of stuff to investigate further. I’m a sucker for mugs and candles too. 🙂
Preslaysa says
December 11, 2014 at 12:33 PMThanks for these suggestions! I am definitely going to stock up on that journal and the pens. I have been looking for a long time for the right ones (I’ve gone through many!) This may be it!
Elizabeth Marshall says
December 11, 2014 at 1:40 PMIm grateful for simplicity, crave it, yearn for it.
thank you for feeding the hungry place with these.
grateful for your words ? always
e
Amy says
December 11, 2014 at 10:35 PMI love wood wicked candles!
Southern Gal says
December 12, 2014 at 10:46 AMI’m always looking for great gifts. The bowl idea? Yes. Thanks for sharing.