Week 15 (2021)
reading out loud & the image of God in movies, wendell berry & adoptees, fertility trends & cash allowances
(Open in your browser — emails cut off at the end!)
to read: essays, articles
In Praise of Reading Aloud — Ali Kjergaard, Mere Orthodoxy — “Some of the greatest intimacies I’ve felt in relationships have been in moments of us reading aloud to one another, either our own words or an author we both love; full concentration on the words between us.
How does something so small let you feel so cared for? Perhaps because it takes me back to the simplicity of childhood, my parents reading to me and the only thing expected of me was to take in the story.”
The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like a Movie— Joe George, Plough — “In truth, my eyes and ears are growing weaker with age, but Jesus suggests the key to using them is something quite simple: that his stories can only be interpreted by those who pay attention to his larger teachings, to the kingdom described in the Sermon on the Mount.”
Nick Offerman on the Essential Wisdom of Wendell Berry— Gary Lovey, Lit Hub — Finally got around to reading this interview that was going around a while back.
History Unknown— Katie Walker, Fathom — “If history is meant to inform our present for the benefit of our future, what does it look like to acknowledge an unknown history and origin? To live with the influence of the “I don’t knows”?”
A Conservative Case for Pro-Family Policy — Serena Sigillito, The Public Discourse — “COVID has made it clearer than ever that parents are the only ones with the knowledge to make the best decisions for their children and for their families, whether that means moving closer to grandparents who can help out, paying for daycare, hiring a babysitter, or having one parent stay at home.”
The Rise of Childless America— Lyman Stone, Institute for Family Studies — “American women born in the 1990s will probably be as likely to be childless as Japanese women who were born in the 1970s, the women whose low birth rates gave rise to the advent of modern concerns about “ultra-low fertility” of demographic trends.”
(At the end, Lyman links to research he brought before Congress. That 18 page document is for the nerds, like me.)
to read: books
Talking Back to Purity Culture, Rachel Joy Welcher — audio — Read my brief review here.
to watch
What We Eat in a Week — Farmhouse on Boone — Can’t stop won’t stop watching every one of these videos she posts.
to listen: music
Her (Original Score) — Arcade Fire
A Good Time — DaVido
listen: audio
Dr. Robert Tyminski on Male Alienation — The Anthony Bradley Show — Have loved following Dr. Bradley as he researches the sociological and psychological factors affecting boys in our society. (Here’s the audio-only podcast version.)
to cook
Sorry to not include recipes but I’d be lying if I said we used any (even the blueberry muffins were inspired by a couple recipes.) Our cooking (and especially my baking) is like jazz. We roast a lot of things in olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Jakob loves grilling on the Webber Kettle (but in this case it was oven ribs because of the rain.) Haven’t been meal prepping very well recently… but things tend to work out.
Chicken Breast with Green Beans & Crispy Potatoes
Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Rice
Oven Ribs with Asparagus & Baked Potatoes
Blueberry Muffins
to celebrate
Modern medicine is quite amazing. We get to see a specialist for Lukas this week, and are grateful for the interventions available to us.
to remember, reflect
A Year Ago…
Those yellow bushes were blooming in our neighborhood, and I noticed them again this past week.
This Week…
Surviving with two under a year and a half, sometimes with tears all around. (Leaning into scruffy spaces, as well: “In short, this is a child’s room, not an adult’s photo op.”)
My very first cookbook purchase has me inspired.
Rollin’ into & out of a sunshiney play date for the boys (and myself) with Bieber as the soundtrack. Jakob asks me periodically if I’m living my best life, and in that moment, absolutely.
Gitell and Jakob both buying me too many gluten-free Oreos (they exist now).
Outings to the thrift store and Home Depot, in which Ezra brings his stuffed moose.
Sarah generously gifting a new-baby-dinner gift card, which we quickly used on burgers.
Sunny days checking out flowers & rainy days making oven ribs.
Still watching Walter White ruin lives in Breaking Bad.
Saving, printing out, and pondering these helpful 10 Digital Commandments from Jen Pollock Michel.
“What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden,
and it grew and became a tree,
and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
Luke 13:18-19