Week 2 (2022)
existing in public & market logic, the compelling nature of beauty, disability & dependence
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reading: books
Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr — audio — Beautiful writing — but early on I lost the thread holding all the plot lines together..... so I spent most of the book confused!
reading: essays, articles, newsletters
Made Perfect — Peter Mommsen, Plough — “To be human as Christ was human involves pain. It requires vulnerability, an emptying of one’s own power, and dependence instead of autonomy.”
The Art Of Disability Parenting — Maureen Swinger, Plough (audio version available) — “Robert takes us to the place where there are no answers. He allows those he touches to feel love.”
The Vital Pleasure Of Existing In Public — Daniel Herriges, Strong Towns — “There's a class dimension here. Public life is a leveler, but it's also a divider between those who can choose to opt out of it and those who cannot. It's no coincidence to me that on a sunny Saturday afternoon in my city's poorest neighborhood, you will see dozens of people hanging out on streets and sidewalks, front porches and patios and stoops. In my city's richest neighborhood on a similar day, you'll be lucky to run into five people.”
The Bad Old Days: How Scientism and Market Logic Corroded the Family Long Before the Sexual Revolution — Philip Jeffery, The Public Discourse — “Emerging systems of mass production took the division of labor to its furthest extreme.”
How Hospitality Shapes Us — Grace Olmstead, Granola — “I’ve spent most of my life in places where I’ve been relatively independent… Here, in a very limited and privileged fashion, I’ve seen a bit more how it feels to be a needy guest, dependent on the welcome and the kindness of strangers.”
Beauty Can Be Unbearable — Erinma E. Kalu, Ekstasis — “His wounded body longed for beauty. This moment in the beggar’s life suggests that, to truly contain beauty, we need to already be broken. Beauty repairs. We cannot keep it within our woundlessness. It is consolation and rest.”
watching/listening
The Thin Red Line — Jakob and I wanted to watch one of the Terrence Malick films we hadn’t yet seen. A brutal and gorgeous look into humanity.
On Ability and Disability, Personhood and Motherhood — The PloughCast — A conversation around the theme of the latest edition of Plough.
Beth Moore & Prayer — She discusses her system, as well as encouragement for interacting with & interceding to God. This was spiritually challenging & practically helpful in the best ways. One example of what a persistent, disciplined, joyful life with Christ looks like — and can be for us.
using: product, tip, resource
The Common Rule: Habits At A Glance — From the book’s website.
remembering
A Year Ago:
Visiting one of our favorite parks on Long Island, being heavily pregnant, and guy time when mom’s away.
This Week:
Staying entertained with snow, diaper packages, bubble wrap, hot wheel tracks, and so many snacks. Jakob introducing the boys to Justin Bieber bangers. The toddler yelling “uh oh” during a battle scene, because he knows impending danger when he sees it.