Week 44 (2021)
social security & valuing care work, fashion & images of fire, burdening loved ones & the subtleties that combat loneliness
(Open in your browser — emails cut off at the end!)
to read: essays, articles
Alone In The U.S.A. — Eric Miller, Current — “How do we get to that level of perception - we who are so convinced, at least tacitly, of our enhanced high-def capacity for subtle tonality?”
I Want To Burden My Loved Ones — Gilbert Meilaender, First Things — “Is this not in large measure what it means to belong to a family: to burden each other—and to find, almost miraculously, that others are willing, even happy, to carry such burdens? Families would not have the significance they do for us if they did not, in fact, give us a claim upon each other.”
Cormac McCarthy, Cultural Memory, And The Mythopoesis of Fire — Jessica Hooten Wilson, Church Life Journal — “When we consider the formational power of literature, we are seeing this renewing power of fire, one that will sear us as it changes us.”
Perfect Garments In New York — Sarah Finley Purdy, Ekstasis — “Craftsmanship and beauty matters to God, Scripture is explicitly clear, but it is not merely superficial.”
(And a trifecta of Stephanie Murray pieces:)
The Social Security Trap — Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic — “The program rewards work and ignores parenting, but needs both to function. If we all worked and no one had kids, our elder-care system would collapse under us as we aged—and not just Social Security. Medicare, the broader economy, and financial markets depend on people having babies too.”
(Leah’s talking about it!)
The Danger Of Shortchanging Parents — Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic — “Parenting is not a hobby—it’s an indispensable part of a properly functioning economy, and our present system works only if people continue to do it.”
The Other Parenting Problem The Government Can't Fix — Stephanie H. Murray, The Week — “Giving parents the space to do their job requires all of us to tolerate inconvenient childish behavior, something an ever-smaller portion of our society is willing to do. The only alternative is for parents to avoid public life altogether.”
to read: books
You Are Not Your Own: Belonging To God In An Inhuman World, Alan Noble — audio — He is so perceptive (of society, of ourselves) that I recently explained how listening to the audio version felt like someone giving voice to & narrating subconscious thoughts back to myself.
(Here’s a talk with Upper House, and reviews from Front Porch Republic &Christianity Today.)
to watch
Theology Of Time And Home Q&A — Phylicia Masonheimer — Many of these things I have already considered & implemented. Others were great points, great motivators. Going to be thinking about this little talk for a while.
You Are Not Your Own: Belonging To God In An Inhuman World — Upper House — Alan’s the professor we all need. This is basically an overview of the ideas in the book. An incredibly helpful framework for many of the angsts we feel about modern life.
to listen: music
Sufjan — A lot of it. What’s new in the past 10 years? Autumn needs the man of whispers, the man of mystery.
to listen: audio
Good Rich People: What We Learn About The Middle Class By Studying The Rich — Vox Conversations — [apple podcast link]
Marriage Series — Verity, Phylicia Masonheimer
to cook
Zuppa Toscana (Sausage, Bacon, Potato, and Kale Soup) — Forgot a picture, but it’s quite good. Use straight broth for the liquid instead of part water.
Pear Crisp — Get comfortable with any crisp recipe you like, and you’ll be able to make any type of fruit crisp, depending on what you have! I usually double the oatmeal crisp mixture for the top.
to remember, reflect
A Year Ago...
Ezra approaching peak cuteness, and his first Halloween with pals. (Which consisted of eating a meal, hanging out inside together, and dressing up the tiny children for a photo op.)
This Week...
An evening with a group of women & a call with my incarcerated uncle. Doing my nails for the first time since Lukas (wanna keep that up). My husband sending me fun stuff on why old home are objectively better and why dishwashers are overrated. Thanks, babe.
“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did’
…And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”
John 4:39-42
Okay, I really need to catch up. I can't wait to read Alan Noble's latest. Also, just did my nails for the first time since Silas so I get that. Also, you are so cute with your fruit crisps.