Week 8 (2021)
habits of friendship and community, facing mortality, our food choices, restorative rest
(feel free to open in your browser, if receiving via email.)
to read: essays, articles
What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It — Julie Beck, The Atlantic — “But also, even in the hospital, in the midst of something I’ve never felt before where my brain is swirling, there was some kind of routine. It brought a little less chaos into what was a pretty chaotic time for me.”
The Front Porch and the American Dream — Paul Krause, Front Porch Republic — “Familiar faces are seen. Conversations are struck. Friendships formed. A smiling presence on the front porch is an invitation to a relationship. The vacant front porch, or no front porch at all, is a lonely sight—uninviting and even frightening… The front porch is the pillar of our communal presence and a doorway into the joys of filial love and comfort.”
On Not Burying the Dead: How the Valley of the Shadow of Death Changes You – and Doesn’t— Jeff Reimer, Plough — “We have been chastened. Though we are optimistic we move forward cautiously. A new, permanent heightened awareness of life’s fragility has been established, our ignorance of this taken away. My idle moments are more regularly invaded by dark thoughts that keep me awake at night, make me hate driving by the hospital. But Jess is healthy, and we no longer take for granted our unexceptional, quotidian, small-town lives.
The Hidden Costs of How We Eat: A conversation about food and covid with Gracy Olmstead — Leah Libresco Sargeant, Tiny Book Club — “We more often see ourselves as detached and autonomous, free from obligation. Yet farmer-essayist Wendell Berry suggests in several of his writings that the earth is like a body, of which we are part—and that we must always be seeking the wellbeing of the other parts of this body.” (Here is part two of the conversation, which moves from the personal to the systemic.)
The 7 types of rest that every person needs — Saundra Dalton-Smith, TED — A helpful reminder for all of us. Rest is on my mind now in this immediate postpartum phase, and these are helpful categories to think about.
to read: books
The Fishermen, Chigozie Obioma — audio — A companion in labor and delivery, with a compelling storyline.
to watch
Coming to America — A ridiculous movie, but laughter is cathartic.
A Habit Called Faith — Jen Pollock Michel & friends — She’s written some beautifully insightful books, and she celebrates her newest one here… with insight from other wise, gifted authors. (Her monthly newsletter, Post Script, is one of my favorites. Subscribe for good stuff!)
Panelists in this discussion include Tish Harrison Warren (Prayer in the Night), Esau McCaulley (Reading While Black), Dan Darling (A Way with Words), Lore Wilbert (Handle with Care), Emily P. Freeman (The Next Right Thing and The Next Right Thing Journal), Trillia Newbell (Sacred Endurance), and Mika Edmondson (The Power of Unearned Suffering).
to listen: music
Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — Lovely and soulful. (Same composer as last week’s If Beale Street Could Talk soundtrack.)
to listen: audio
The Longest Lent — A Drink With a Friend (Tsh Oxenreider & Seth Haines) — I listened to this one while laboring at the hospital…. before getting that sweet, sweet epidural. (I really enjoyed Tsh’s book At Home in the World, and Seth’s books Coming Clean and The Book of Waking Up.)
to cook
No real recipes this time, since we’ve just been making easy and nourishing postpartum goodness since returning home from the hospital in a daze: Chicken and Rice Soup, Thai Green Curry and Indian Korma Curry (with those handy pre-made sauces), Burgers and Fries, Brownies, Mexican food and treats from friends.
to celebrate
to remember, reflect
A Year Ago…
We were dressing two-month-old Ezra up like a panda, and channeling his inner model.
This Week…
We celebrated Valentine’s Day with friends, had a baby, and have been easing into our life as a family of four. Jakob is home on parental leave. I’m feeling well. Ezra continues to be obsessed with sparkling water and drinking out of real glassware.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-7