Along with so much else in 2020, travel has been cancelled. Good thing my coffee mugs remind me where I’ve been--exactly what Starbucks intended, right? This week, I’ll let my warm cuppa whisk me away to share a few highlights from my life. Today is my birthday. It’s also an ordinary Monday in an exceptionally … Continue reading 2020 Armchair Traveling: My Life in Coffee Mugs
Author: Siv Ricketts
Hi, I'm Siv (pronounced "See-v") Ricketts, & I'm so glad you're here. In this space & on Instagram, I write to encourage you to have hope, seek beauty, and live joyfully. I have BA’s in English and Communication from Westmont College and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. I have focused my career working in and writing for the Church as a youth director, a communication director, and a freelance writer/editor. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband, two sons, and a menagerie of pets. You can also find me on Instagram (@sivricketts).
Following the Words: Scattered
One evening I heard myself say to my husband, “I feel scattered.” I went on to explain just a few of the dizzying directions in which my brain was spinning: the books I’m reading--to study the author’s writing style, to challenge myself to learn about life from a different perspective, to unwind before bed; my … Continue reading Following the Words: Scattered
All Saints’ Day
Still trembling with fear, I grabbed Mom’s arm in wobbly desperation. “Do Not Ever let me ride that again!" I gasped. "Even when I’m a teenager and I come here with my friends, tell them I Am Not allowed to ride that ride!” My mom took me and my sister to Disneyland, an hour-and-a-half drive … Continue reading All Saints’ Day
Noticing the Glorious Ordinary
Most days of the week I walk by this ordinary bush tucked in among other ordinary bushes along the roadside. So why on that particular day did this one particular ordinary bush attract my eye? The dog must have yanked her leash and stopped to sniff at its roots, allowing my eye to rest a … Continue reading Noticing the Glorious Ordinary
Choose Joy
I have a full day in progress, some work and mostly mundane chores that still need to get done. I also received hard, sad news yesterday, had strange dreams that shocked me awake with my heart fluttering, and had a pressing headache--from the tip of my nose down to my aching shoulders--before I even opened … Continue reading Choose Joy
These Miraculous Days
Some days are picture perfect--big and bright, colorfully nuanced, blooming like a show-offy prize-winning rose. Those are the days when you wake three minutes before the alarm, energetic and enthusiastic to take on whatever-may-come. The days when the sunlight glints on every surface and the temperature is just right, not too warm or too chill. … Continue reading These Miraculous Days
How are you? No, really…
How are you? she asks, a simple question requiring an easy answer. But do we really have a simple answer? I could tell her I’m tired, weary in my bones and soul. So weary that sleep plays hide and seek through the dark hours, slipping through my grasp each time I think I’ve caught it. … Continue reading How are you? No, really…
Quirky and Wonder-full, YOU are the Main Character in Your Story
Think about some of your favorite TV or movie characters. What idiosyncrasies do they possess? How are they uniquely quirky? Like Moira Rose’s voice (Schitt’s Creek). Or Barney Stinson’s suits (How I Met Your Mother). Or Sheldon’s bathroom schedule (The Big Bang Theory). Or Phoebe’s off-key singing voice wailing: “Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are … Continue reading Quirky and Wonder-full, YOU are the Main Character in Your Story
Reading: September 2020
I anticipated that my reading would slow down as we progressed into fall. Helping my kiddo manage his school load, plus adding a grad-level writing class of my own, has meant less time devoted to whatever strikes my fancy. However, there were also a couple of hits-and-misses that went back to the library, one forever … Continue reading Reading: September 2020
30 Day Gospels: An Invitation
If [the things Jesus did] were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can’t imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books. --John 21:25, The Message Which book has been most influential in your life? I'm a BIG reader and I can recommend any number of books, classic … Continue reading 30 Day Gospels: An Invitation