Ah, so this is what it feels like to live through (an) apocalyptic event(s).
I mean, I kid but also I do not? I told some friends last night that I’ve stopped making declarative statements? Just doesn’t feel appropriate? Anyway, my soul feels as though it’s been curb-stomped, so I don’t even have it in me to chit-chat this morning.
Let’s do some treasures and then let’s do a few Q + As and then let’s welcome the weekend with open arms, shall we?
🔥 We’ve entered the time of year when offices around the world feel the need to turn their ACs down to 68 degrees and I have to wear layers and conjure up a fire to survive. I can’t live like this! So I bought a tiny space heater and I love it?
🎙 I got to chat with my cousin (third cousin, once removed?) for her podcast this week, and it was such a delight. A weird thing about me is that my family has a massive, weekend-long reunion every year for the descendants of my great-great grandfather, so I’m actually fairly close with people like my third cousin, once removed, which is fun! When everyone in my age group started marrying, they brought in some real winners, and Lauren is definitely one of them.
🎾 As we know, Alexia Ohanian is Dad Goals, and I am very much into his half-up, half-down hair situation and Olympia is precious and Serena is a queen and we get all of that in this brief clip:
🇺🇸 As we remember 9/11 today here in the States, I always go back to this fascinating oral history of Air Force One on the day of the attacks. It’s a good long read for you.
🐦 Twitter Hall of Fame is sparse this week because everything I liked is, in retrospect, darker in tone than the general vibe here, but good ones are good, they can’t help it:
Alright a few q + a and then let’s blow this popsicle stand.
Q: Do you have a hobby you do purely for pleasure? No financial gain/work component? - @melissasloveslists
A: Do people do this? LOLZ JK. When the pandemic started, I bought Hayley Morgan’s painting course and I’m slowly going through it. I absolutely adore it: it’s peaceful and relaxing and I wouldn’t show these paintings to anyone. So maybe painting is now? Again, no declarative statements. Those are canceled.
Q: I’ve started cross-referencing in my Bible. I love it! What else can I do? - @viecelovesjohnny
A: I love a study Bible like the NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: it’s got a wealth of information and provides so much excellent context in an easy to understand format. Another great option that I regularly bang the drum for is the BibleGateway.com subscription. It’s super affordable and gives you access to dozens of commentaries and study Bibles and dictionaries and resources from theologians and experts across the spectrum.
Q: How do we have good, healthy relationships with relatives who have differing politics? - @jessmichelle98
A: Read I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) from Sarah and Beth at Pantsuit Politics and The Liturgy of Politics by Kaitlyn Schiess. Do those things, as they contain a wealth of knowledge I can’t begin to access.
Q: Your takeaways from Back to School in a Pandemic so far? - @jodydianna
A: Kids are resilient but I’m not as tough as I thought. Teachers are incredible but I’m tired of the way we spew hero rhetoric to make ourselves feel better about the ways we’ve failed our fellow citizens. A teacher shouldn’t have to be the kind of hero that throws themselves in front of bullets or risks exposure. They should be the heroes that inspire kids to read or empower them to leadership. This is exactly what we did to workers in meat-processing plants and grocery stores and food delivery at the beginnings of the pandemic: please carry us on your backs for the minimum wage. We can’t live without you, but you’re expendable.
Q: Why did Jamie think I was Amish?! - @sarahbessey
A: For context, Sarah was supposed to be the special guest at The Popcast Live Show in Seattle this May. Guess what didn’t happen? That or pretty much anything. Can I tell you that one of my biggest heartbreaks of 2020 was not getting to smell Sarah Bessey’s hair or bask in the warmth of her wise mother spirit IRL? It was. As a long-time SB stan, I was gutted. But anyway, we made a promo video for the event (you can watch it here, I’m really proud of it) wherein Jamie admitted she, at some point, thought Sarah was Amish. I asked Jamie if she cared to make a statement and received this press release: “I thought everyone on the left side of Canada was Amish. Except Ryan Reynolds.” There’s your answer, Sarah. I’m hopeful one day to smell your hair in Canada if the world ever accepts Americans again.
Q: Do you think the church will have a split after the year due to all the division in politics? - @annatamar
A: If I’ve learned anything about church history, it’s that the church is constantly splitting. It’s how we got Eastern Orthodoxy, it’s how we got Protestants, it’s how we got denominations within Protestantism, and it’s how we got several versions of each denomination. We’ve split over slavery, over priests, over texts, over rituals, over Gentiles, over women, over LGTBQ inclusion, over pretty much everything at this point. I think to some degree, it’s possible we’re already pretty divided down political lines within our congregations. And mainly, I think a lot of the splits boiled down to a very simple, but highly effective “I’m right, you’re wrong and my rightness validates my holiness and your wrongness invalidates yours.” That’s constantly what is at stake in these conversations because they center around something that people have dedicated their lives to, and to be wrong is to be in everlasting trouble (historically). I think what the division HAS done is to make it extremely clear where people stand on what they say they believe, and what they are willing to overlook. I say that for everyone on the political spectrum, not just one side or another. For me, it’s revealed a lot of my own sin: I’m so quick to judge, I’m so quick to dismiss, I’m so prideful that my way is the correct interpretation of loving Jesus, of voting my faith. Sometimes, I feel like the anger people express about the BLM protests, about kneeling during the anthem, about how science is a hoax or climate change isn’t real feeds my own sense of self-righteousness. Or my own feelings of superiority at how enlightened I am, when really, a more appropriate response is mourning or patience or just love, which is harder and less pleasant than just raging at someone or harboring spite in my heart. Even though spite in my heart is truly fulfilling for me, THE HOLY SPIRIT BEGS TO DIFFER.
Okay a light-hearted one to close us out. I’ll draw from the same group of Qs next week, because there were lots of good ones!
Q: What’s your CFA order? - @melissamoore88
A: If it’s a tough morning, I’m getting the 10 count minis and only God can judge me. But mostly it’s 4 count minis and I get a chicken biscuit to eat later for lunch, but with American cheese because then it’s like a sandwich! Always with a large DDP with light ice. For lunch, we’re going spicy chicken sandwich meal with Cheddar cheese, fries, large DDP with light ice. We go two Polynesian sauces and two CFA sauces. Also someone asked if I work for CFA, and the answer is no, but also HMU for that #sponcon.
OH! Something I’ve been thinking about lately is potentially doing a group go-thru of The Comfortable Words (there’s a better phrase than group go-thru but what is it?) this fall. I think we could get a private substack and depending on how many people decided to join, maybe some group calls? If you’re interested in something like that, let me know. I mean I know the last thing 2020 needs is another online obligation, but so many of you have mentioned how you’re not ready to do small groups or your church isn’t offering anything online or you just need a little community, and I figure maybe it might appeal to a group of people. So email me or comment below and we’ll see if there’s any interest. If there’s not, completely ignore that I brought it up.
Okay. I GENUINELY need your treasures this week (CAN YOU TELL) so bring on the TikToks and the best pants on the internet and whatever else you’ve got. You guys are buoy and I can’t wait for COVID to be over so we can have Lil Swipes Camp IRL.
The next time you need to hack your crying, watch videos of colorblind people seeing color for the first time. You're welcome. https://youtu.be/Fbaouj5EsXs
I'm late but as a teacher THANK YOU for de-heroizing me!!! Here is a link to my own tweet from 4 years ago, not to self-promote, but to let you know how much I don't want to be called a hero.
I am a little late to the game because TBH checking my email this weekend was just not something I wanted to emotionally conquer. But Erin, whatever you’re doing this fall, please please please include me. I live in a weird area to be a Christian (I mean, yeah, every area is a weird area to be a Christian but I live in Salt Lake City so I am ~3 miles from the first Mormon temple and every Christian church around me is either terrible with theology or way too conservative for my liking) and I feel like I have been walking in a desert, alone, since January. The pandemic hasn’t helped and neither has seeing certain peoples’ opinions on whether Black or LGBTQ people are worth loving???? I am so tired, y’all, but this little corner of the internet lifts me up a little when it’s hard to breathe (not only from poor air quality because of fires on the west coast) and creates a light spot. I am running out of light spots and I feel like my community that I had built up so well before the pandemic has been withering way because they’re either at GIANT PARTIES in Utah County (where BYU is so arguably the worst county in Utah) or they’re refusing to see people in person, still, even if I bring my own camping chair and sit outside their house 15 feet away. Please help. I am on the verge of a mental break.
Several days late, and only one thing to comment because I too am in a darker place this week. (Both of our cars had to have work done, and mine stopped in the middle of the road on the way home from the shop!) Anyway.....light ice always!!!! It comes out cold...you don't need a ton of ice, and you get MORE!!!
Hello Lil Swipe pals! It has taken me 2 days to give each of your thoughts, tiktoks, and posts adequate breathing room to be the balm to my soul. And friends, they have been. I think I've watched every single thing recommended and sent something on to at least a handful of girlfriends. Thanks for being treasures friends!
Treasures:
+I survived my work week + extra virtual church-related things this week.
+I have all of my laundry clean and folded, including matching socks. (This is not something that happens often in my life, so I must be congratulated on my adulty-ness. haha)
+I finished Netflix's The English Game (not sure why I was sleeping on it, ooops? Julian Fellows is a brilliant gem and I need him to make more things that infiltrate America) & Nadiya's Time to Eat (I loved her on her season of the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show AND when she hosted The Big Family Cooking Showdown. I just love British shows where people seem to be rooting for each other. <3
+I worked through the church ministry thing with the team leader. We had a great chat on the phone and all things should be set-up to move smoother this week, including making me a co-host so I can help with the controls and deal with pop-up issues so she can focus on getting the video to work more smoothly.
+A few of the above-mentioned virtual church-related things were especially moving and created space for some very personal breakthrough.
Turds:
-My sister's due date was on Friday. She is not in labor. She is miserable. She hates everything. Her normally precious almost 2-year old decided to be a monster today. She. is. done. and I can't do anything to help besides to be a person she can vent to. This big sister is not okay with that being my only "help".
-There was some crazy drama with both my supervisor and manager's marriages this week. From their versions, their husbands just done lost their dang minds. For some reason it just really impacted me, even though I don't especially look up to either of their marriages as "ideal". It's a weird place to be as a single lady. The empath in me does not know how to deal.
Love you friends and so beyond thankful for this space. For the treasures gladly shared and for the vulnerability in sharing the turds. It's so fun to celebrate with you, genuinely. It is also so much easier to deal with the dumpster fires of life when we're sharing the load. Thank you!
hi lil swipes!! for the past however long i was so confused as to how people shared their own treasures b/c i legit didn't know the email linked to substack *facepalm*
my treasure for the week is seeing my dog's face when i put on her bandana in the morning. she feels like she's ready for the day and wiggles her lil doberman butt in the cutest way. i've also been exclusively using CFA curbside for awhile now and felt hella validated that queen erin moon also abides by this.
i'm an accountant (working toward becoming a CPA) and the 9/15 deadline for taxes is fast approaching which means a bunch of us are working 10-12 hour days every day until then so reading these comments (and re-listening to bachelor/ette recaps from "before") are kinda saving me this "weekend." BUT i have a job, unlike a lot of people i know, so i'm grateful. :)
ALSO i'm so in on a group hang re: the comfortable words. :) :) :)
I'm late in commenting, so just going to try to keep it short and sweet this week.
🏈 Friday Night Light Update: Finished S1 and onto S2- shocked about the pregnancy and that coach still went to TMU. I was really rooting for Julie & Matt and then disappointed as S2 starts up. Up to #6 in S2 and Tyra's hair gets shorter and shorter with every episode. The drama with her and Landry has been shook to my very core and it's quite a shocking storyline. Well that and the shark stem cells that Jason wanted to inject into his spine down in Mexico. 🎧 I also found an old podcast called "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, and Booze" that I'm listening to along with the watch!
🧀 Spicy Nacho Doritos have been my go-to snack, they are perfection.
Well, survey says: Comfortable Words group!!! I’ll add my yes to that!
Here’s my list of things to tell the lil swipes:
1. I only have one Internet treasure this week, and I feel pretty confident someone else has already brought it up in the past week: Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. There is something about his sheer and utter delight with good food and connection with humanity that is just what my heart has needed this week!
2. The reason I don’t have more Internet treasures is because I have been blissfully off-line for the two weeks prior to this one. I was able to spend two weeks at the beach with my best friend and her family. I had to work for most of the second week, but there was something about doing that from a different location with people that are like family that made it less… Work? This time was a gift, and I do not possess the words to describe the good it did my mental and emotional health to be. with. people! People I love! God bless the sacredness of beloved faces around a table playing simple games in this season.
3. Transition back to solo life has been - woof. I’ve tried to mini-quarantine after being with those nine other folks, one of whom works at a children’s hospital. It’s felt like the socially responsible thing to do, but has been a stark contrast to the gift of togetherness.
4. The ocean. Staring and staring. Beach walks. More staring. Reading. Then the staring.
5. I’m really thankful for this group. I do deeply enjoy reading through and hearing about the lives of others out there in the ether!
Just reserved The Pantsuit Politics and The Liturgy of Politics books from the libe. A recommendation perfectly fit for this week after a family member sent me a YouTube full of conspiracy theories including, but not limited to, the government putting 3D barcodes in our arms via a Covid vaccine. Sheesh, it's been a week! But my kids also started school in a real live classroom, so I'm calling that a win!
I work at a christian school teaching 4th grade and I started in January worked for 8 weeks and then online for 8 weeks with the hardest class in the school! We started back this week in person because our class sizes are small enough to fit the guidelines and I have a unicorn class. Some samples from the first day of school: can we read more than 20 minutes a night? Will we normally have more homework than this? When do we start science it’s my favorite subject? They are a rare delight and It has made this major shift so much easier!
I’m not a believer of the prosperity gospel, but lil swipe camp is something I’m going to go ahead and “name and claim”
But speaking of Sarah Bessey, is anyone else signed up for the Evolving Faith conference? I wish we could gather in person, but I’m very excited joining online for the first year. The podcast with recordings from previous years have truly been a treasure of mine this month.
I’ve got one culinary treasure for you, and one puppy related. We’ll see if anything else pops to mind - it’s an adventure!
1. This salted caramel sauce saved me the other day. I was sad and anxious and needed something sweet in my life and it came to the rescue and I’ll have a jar of it in my fridge forevermore.
2. There’s a beach near me that lets you have your dog off leash. It’s pretty rare here in Australia because we’re pretty particular about things in nature not being destroyed (sorry, Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. We suck.) but this one is great and lovely. If I ever need a pick me up we take the dog there and she runs in circles and digs holes in the sand in a wild attempt to find the rocks we’ve thrown for her to fetch. Yesterday a wave came and hit her harder than she thought they could and she immediately wagged her tail and ran on. What resilience.
3. (Told you I’d think of more.) Facebook marketplace is full of treasure lately. I got a mattress for our spare bed for free - it was three days old and had been laid on once but the person didn’t love it and couldn’t return it. And so, we now have a $1000 mattress in our spare room. Bless that place. I also got a pair of roller blades super cheap because I’m embracing that coastal life and going to skate by the harbour. Feel free to follow my failures over on Instagram (Tamara.robson).
When your husband texts you to say one of your dearest friends dropped off HOMEMADE JAM on our doorstep. I love that my people know some of my love languages. I was jealous when she was texting me photos of her process and then telling me how her neighbors were getting some of them. I was like "oh my gosh her neighbors are so so lucky!"
She drove some over and left them on our doorstep!
I have thoughts about splittiness in the church, particularly after joining an Episcopalian church a few years ago. As far as the mainliners are concerned, splitting is almost entirely an Anabaptist thing - for centuries, the only Church of England denomination in the US was Episcopalian, up until the ordination of gay bishops caused the split in 2000ish. Catholics have a lot of variation, but to one degree or another they fall under the same umbrella of leadership. But man, Baptists and Pentecostals will split over whether the pew bibles are covered in blue or black cloth, seems like (I grew up in very lovely Baptist and C&MA churches, fwiw). Since "becoming" Episcopal, my husband and I have been really interested in the diversity of opinion in our congregation and in the diocese as a whole, and how incredibly hurt our church was when the "no gay bishops" people left twenty years ago. The idea that you would abandon your denomination is almost foreign to them - our guess is that it has to do with having a formalized, involved leadership structure that goes beyond the local congregation. \church history
The kids and I discovered Diamond Dotz this week, and all my extra time had been spent using a slightly sticky stylus to transfer faceted, tinted chips of plastic onto a rather more sticky design. It's like cross stitch and Litebrite had a baby. It's v restful. And cheap.
Treasures: This week brought much cooler temps & much-needed rain to us in western CO. I’m going to really lean in to enjoying our bit of fall before winter swoops in! Also, our 3-legged cat didn’t bring any critters into the house this week! So far he has carried in several mice, dead and live ones, a lizard, grasshoppers, and he chased in a baby bunny. It’s totally our fault because we leave a back door open for the two cats to go outside for their morning constitutional and forget to shut it!
Turd (but it’s a small one): night sweats from menopause. I will likely be trying out some of the sheets and pjs recommended by fellow Lil Swipers.
Erin, YES AND PLEASE to the Comfortable Words group. I have been wanting to do it in a group setting and this would make my heart's desires come true and I need a treasure for the week so pretty please with a chicken mini on top!
Also, I totes order a chicken mini 10 count yesterday after my hip injections. A girl has to do what a girl has to do. And Also, I sometimes order a 30 count nugget to have for lunch for the next day. And umm my dog gets nugs too so yeah. Since they changed their mileage and we can no longer door dash them I have to get creative. Sigh.
Listen. It has been a disaster cake of an Alexander week. I wanted to come here with a list of treasure but I have jank.
My Aunt was diagnosed with brain cancer Wednesday. My other aunt is on hospice with COPD and is not expected to last the week. My sweet friend lost her precious 10-week old baby, Charlotte, Monday. It's 9/11. I am on week 3 of a new anxiety/depression medication so it's been basically an ugly cry for days because I want to crawl under my covers and not crawl out but I have to work because well I am going to keep my mouth shut about my boss. Also, my heart breaks for dear Jen Hatmaker being outed for her divorce before she had time to tell her story herself.
So I will be reading all of your treasures and watching all the TikToks you link and laugh-crying because I am still holding on to hope because Sarah Bessey taught me about that a few years ago and she is one of my Sheroes. Thanks for being awesome Lil Swipes. You all make my Friday's so much more beautiful with your shine.<3
Very little social activity for me this week, but there was a lot more offline activity than usual. It’s the Cooling of Texas, thank the precious Jesus, and my energies begin to be restored. Starting with the Trash (remember, my dad is still in my brain about words “ladies” don’t use 🤪):
* My mom toppled over while cooking taco meat and I found her lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood amongst a heap of ground beef. She takes blood thinners, so you can imagine the scene. It took 45 minutes to move her from one room to another – it’s just me and her – after which she sat in the bathtub to shower off and access the damage. We ended up in the ER at 9pm, bless it. She has a giant hematoma on her skull but zero internal injury and not even a stitch needed. 🙌🏻 The trauma of it has her fully numb and me questioning my ability to be her caregiver, as well as wondering if this THIRD fall is a result of her stroke last December or a new set of issues. Whatever it is, I now know that (a) she’s not allowed to lean over for anything ever again, and (b) I’m now in charge of all meals. [I’m grumbly about that last part. I’ve always been single so cooking was never my thing, but Mom was a homemaker and cooked every meal from scratch. There have been (ahem) *adjustments* since we began living together.] Suffice to say, we’re both hurting in various ways, and it was another entry into the Annals of 2020 — henceforth to be known as the Anals of 2020.
There were a few Joys, though:
* Cool(ish) weather came to North Texas mid-week and I got to live an entire day with the windows open and the a/c off. It gave me the energy to tackle a *pile* of built-up paper that I’d been avoiding and to rearrange a bit of furniture. Praise it!
* I read a lot of pop-out links from newsletters, and this article about Joseph McCarthy was truly fascinating. There’s an eerie resemblance to a certain current president, but it was also a reminder that politicians are very much bluster without a lot of true power. They use scare tactics, and I have little to be afraid of from them. It’s a helpful reminder that a single person in American government really can’t do much without a host of support around him. Checks and balances are effective.
* Also on politics, I finally received a heartfelt response to my question of what good has the president done for America, and it was enlightening. It won’t likely change my vote, but it was helpful to understand how those supporters view his 4 years outside of “left is evil” rhetoric. It was a great example of what people like the Pantsuits Politics ladies always say: you should be in relationship with people to have intimate conversations on hard topics. I can’t paste the lengthy response here, but if anyone is interested to read her thoughts on “why Trump” just email me. jules(at)phrenetical.com
* I finished the fantastic book FALL AND RISE: THE STORY OF 9/11, which led to a host of other reading from the bibliographic notes in the appendices. It’s equal parts history and touching memorial to the victims, survivors, and helpers of that day. I ended up on the same article you mentioned, Erin, about Air Force One, and just have such a deeper knowledge of those events and their impact up to today. 10/10 on the book.
* Lastly, my grandnephew is finally gaining weight after his hospital stay last week, and his mom is feeling her strength again. Nothing came of making her feel like a terrible mother, thank God.
Hello!! I’m a new poster. Apparently it took me 6 months to figure out how to use this. 🤦🏼♀️ But here I am!
My week has been good and bad almost all related to the fact that we are stuck in the US right now. We are usually missionaries in France, but France wants nothing to do with Americans (kinda don’t blame them, I mean things are a little crazy). So we are just waiting for the visa options to include our visa category. In the meantime we are trying to coordinate with my kids’ schools in France to send us schoolwork. My daughter’s teacher has been wonderfully sending links and lesson plans (I’m having to decode this french school thing and it’s hard! I’m tired). My son in middle school tough has nothing so far, so I’m just finding french stuff online for him to do. So anyway that’s a turd but it’s kind of a treasure to finally have a bit of a routine again. To feel useful again since we haven’t been able to do the stuff we love doing... Also this sweet teacher is emailing school stuff for this little girl across the ocean that she doesn’t know and tbh she doesn’t have to even though she has a classroom full of kids she’s trying to help navigate a pandemic. It’s just so sweet 😭
Also I have a kinda funny story. I got my gmail account pretty early so I was able to snag a pretty basic one: rjharr. Well guess what happens? I get all sorts of wrong emails! Turns out there are lots of Richards, Roberts or Rebeccas with the last name Harris or Harrison. Today I got a very vaguely worded email from a Tax consultant who was writing her client pertaining to a disinterment!!! 😬 I just have so many questions!
Omigosh how you made my mopey Friday!! The synopsis of the church divisions and political divide is SPOT ON. And here's my take - it ALL comes down to humility. The "need to be right" is RUNNING RAMPANT in this country and isn't Jesus in his sandals like the most HUMBLE person EVER?? I can not agree with someone I love dearly and smile and know that God has this whole Shebang. I'v found that a lot of folks can't do that and if they raise their voice and post more on Twitter or FB, they'll think I'm gonna hear them. Wrong. And don't even get me started on the fear mongering of the media and how that is dividing us all. Headlines & soundbites can fuel that anxiety like crazy. I would be ELATED to do a group thing with "the Comfortable Words" and yes I signed up for 2 bible studies this Fall to keep me grounded during the election craziness. And now I MUST have chick fil a minis tomorrow. My Happy for this week is signing up for Vuori emails and ordering a pair of joggers at 20% of the kinda high price but climbing on the band wagon w/Bri McKoy, Lazy Genius & others whose need & appreciate for comfy clothes I respect. The other tip is to keep burning good soy candles. Try Linnea's Lights and Gleam Living - small women-owned businesses. Pretty vessels and great throws. And light the candles with a REAL match - that smell is GOLD and Gleam Living sells pretty matches in a glass container. Each time you light a candle, think about the light of God and remember HE HAS GOT THIS!!! Thanks for all you do! I would send all of my Chick Fit A rewards points to you if I could.
I'm in for The Comfortable Words! I loved that study.
Some treasures first:
* A little backstory first, I've been interning at a predominantly Asian church for the last almost year (I just counted up those months and it equaled 12 in October which is next month, when did that happen!?!?). By the way, I am not Asian. I am literally one of 2-3 other white people and those white people are dudes. It is part of an intentional plan to prepare me for cross cultural ministry in Ireland, whenever God opens those visa doors for me to serve in Ireland. In the meantime, I go to grad school, intern, do discipleship training and go to therapy as well as check in with half a dozen coaches. I digress. Last month, our pastor referenced a Korean drama in his sermon. So after the service, I asked him if it's time for me to start watching K-drama as a part of my "cultural immersion." We agreed it was. I started watching Crash Landing Into You and I can't get enough!! Where has K-drama been my whole life. It's VERY emotional, VERY chaste, full of longing looks and tender hand holds but very very little kissing and absolutely no sexy times. The trade off with that is the deep emotional connection you get to see grow between the leads. It also has pretty ridiculous characters like all soap operas do. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry!
* I got to see my church parents (from my home church, not the intern church) last week socially distanced on their beautiful patio which is a sacred space for me. We chatted about books, vaccines, NT Wright and Signed Sealed Delivered (Hallmark show that you should not sleep on). We roasted marshmallows over a tiny little oven that Dennis made in a terracotta pot with charcoal. We made S'mores with almond Hershey bars. I gave Cathi her birthday present. There were twinkly lights and a slight chill in the air finally. It was so ...normal and lovely and needed.
* I discovered a series of YouTube videos about Amber Marshall's (Amy from Heartland) wedding preparations. They are so pure and perfect, she talks about not planning much of anything just asking all of her people to show up at her ranch one day. It's what I need during these weird times.
*Also Brett Eldredge (who is absolutely on my list) is making new music which is more personal than ever before, the top of that personal list is this song:
*My sister in law was potentially exposed to the virus so we have been modified quarantining the last almost two weeks. My niece still comes over to be nanny-ed by my sister, but we can't touch her, hug her or kiss her or snuggle her while we watch Anastasia. I know it's for the best and I'm trying not to doubt the validity of what were doing. But it's hard and it includes extra decision making that our lives didn't require six months ago, like do I need to tell everyone at church even though we wear masks and distanced for service, do I tell the one or two people I made socially distanced lunch plans with for this week?!? All that extra decision making is draining.
*California is on fire, like the whole thing. As a native Southern Californian, this is a normal season to us. But this year is different. I've experienced the barrage of fires in the past, but never so many all at one time. The sky is a apocalyptic grey-ish beige all the time. Ash covers my car constantly. My family and I are fine but the whole state is affected and it weighs heavy on my heart.
Here's to the weekend where I will finish my K-drama but start my final paper for grad school.
Treasure - I just ordered two more pairs of $84 Vuori joggers because the $15 ones I got on Amazon cut across my stomach at a strange place and make me angry. Didn't think I'd be spending over $300 in the year for joggers to work from home in, but here we are.
My purest treasure was last night: I went out with my group of dear dear friends and we had dinner outside together - at a RESTAURANT! without OUR KIDS or SPOUSES! The five of us! Someone made the food! We had MARGARITAS!
A few of us rented those electric bikes and we zoomed down to the restaurant, and it was one of the freest moments I've had in awhile. (Picture three 30-something moms on electric bikes waving at cars and ringing the attached bell. Obnoxious.)
We had not been together since March and I realized how much I need in-person friendship and community. We've been friends since right after college and it was funny to reflect on where we are now (mid 30s) and what our conversations are about (couches, pregnancies, car INSURANCE lolz) I am tired because we stayed out wayyyy too late but it was worth it. And I am hoping it can carry me through for awhile.
I am admittedly getting very nervous for winter. I know it's not here yet but the summer has made it possible for us to see friends and the long dark days ahead seem very daunting.
I wish I had several treasures to share with you this week, but it’s pretty much been one giant turd here this week. I live in Oregon, and my beautiful state is literally burning up around me. I’ve been sitting in my apartment every day since Monday night watching as the light shifts outside from Mars red to deep orange to orange-yellow to one giant blue-light filter for the world. We’ve been at as hazardous of an air quality level as you can get since Tuesday due to all the smoke settling here in the valley and ash raining from the sky as the fires rage as close as 20 miles away from my home and multiple towns in my county have been evacuated. Wildfire season is always bad in Oregon, but I’ve never experienced anything like this and it’s already going down as the most destructive wildfire season in Oregon’s history. Over 500,000 acres of our land are on fire right now collectively. And I know California and Washington are doing just as bad. Prayers for everyone else affected right now.
Evacuation orders were getting extremely close to The Boy’s home on Wednesday night, so he packed his evac bag in his car that night to come up to my place in case they got orders in the middle of the night. They didn’t, but he went outside to go to work yesterday morning to find his car had been stolen. Like, are you for real right now?
Also, as it turns out, I do have mono. 😑😑 None of us (including my doctor) thought that was going to be the case since I haven’t been exhausted (like, still getting up at 6:30 the last two weeks while off from work, no naps, etc.), but alas it is. Thankfully I’m already feeling much better and imagine I’ll be back to normal by Monday, and my boss has been extremely understanding and let me work from home this week so I don’t keep eating up sick time. Also, Michael definitely has it now too, but it’s unclear who gave it to whom.🤣
Since I’m feeling better, the one treasure of the week is that as of yesterday, I’m able to eat real food again! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 I’ve been living off of bone broth, applesauce, and ice cold water since this all started almost two weeks ago, so I’ve never been happier to chew food and swallow it without horrible pain. Amen.
I am 100% on board for The Comfortable Words group, FYI. I’m looking forward to reading through the comments for some treasures. Hoping it’ll distract me from the world literally burning around me.
I literally have no treasures this week because remote school started and it is dang hard! My kid is in 3rd grade so he’s not needing me to read to him or anything, but there’s still a lot of hand holding because it’s all so new. And there’s so much work! Because the state of KS decided that kids at home need 6.5 hours of work a day to make it count even though we all know they don’t get that in the building with lunch and recess and p.e. and standing around in hallways and whatever. He’s doing fine, but I was crying yesterday and having a total breakdown. I guess the mini-treasure is that he got a fantastic teacher and she talked on the phone with me for 45 minutes yesterday and she is exactly who we need for this hard year.
But sorry I don’t have any shiny fun things to share. I am however, totally down for a Comfortable Words go through together thing. I haven’t been “missing” church per say. I’ve struggled with the church we’re at for several years and being away (and not even listening to the sermon replays, cause yes they’re meeting) has made me think that maybe my struggle isn’t with Jesus but is with the church. But I do miss community. (The repercussions of this time and realizations will be very hard post-Covid as all of our friends are at this church since we made a move several years ago and this was where we met people and built relationships.) And exploring faith with others, not in this church that has wounded me and also made me very angry could be just what I need. (Also, I’m signed up for the Evolving Faith Conference. Any other Swipes doing that?)
Anyway, may your weekend be long and your turds be small! ❤️
If you were to do a group go-thru of The Comfortable Words, I am so In!! I love what you did, and I listen to an "episode" every morning, according the the day, I.e., Day 1 on the 1st, 11th, 21st, etc. and the Intro and Closing on odd days, like the 31st. Or whenever. I've also written up each day in my Commonplace book. I do other things for my spiritual life, of course. But I find each time I listen that something different stands out for me. And I land in a different place with the meditation. So I say, Yes, Do It! And thank you.
My BFF and I are doing a 2 person book club and reading “When People are Big and God is Small” (Which, oof is so good and despite being written in 1997 really spits some prophesy about our current state of social media amplifying fear of man 🤯)
I can’t recommend enough reading through a book with one person that you feel comfortable sharing literally everything with. Being fully known is a phrase thrown around a lot in the church, but I personally feel like there aren’t a lot of truly safe spaces to do that. A two person book club is definitely one of them.
Also pre-gaming a discussion about how you’ve struggled with fear of man your entire life with 2 glasses of wine from a box? Can’t recommend enough!
It is on backorder basically everywhere, but I can’t wait to get it! You can follow her on IG at @nicsigni_writes Maybe some slightly NSFW? Definitely truth and giggles.
Super late this week, but I’m in for Comfortable Words!
YESSSS for the Comfortable Words group. I stan everything you write so...
The next time you need to hack your crying, watch videos of colorblind people seeing color for the first time. You're welcome. https://youtu.be/Fbaouj5EsXs
I'm late but as a teacher THANK YOU for de-heroizing me!!! Here is a link to my own tweet from 4 years ago, not to self-promote, but to let you know how much I don't want to be called a hero.
https://twitter.com/BeccaMKennedy/status/721412113458208768
I am a little late to the game because TBH checking my email this weekend was just not something I wanted to emotionally conquer. But Erin, whatever you’re doing this fall, please please please include me. I live in a weird area to be a Christian (I mean, yeah, every area is a weird area to be a Christian but I live in Salt Lake City so I am ~3 miles from the first Mormon temple and every Christian church around me is either terrible with theology or way too conservative for my liking) and I feel like I have been walking in a desert, alone, since January. The pandemic hasn’t helped and neither has seeing certain peoples’ opinions on whether Black or LGBTQ people are worth loving???? I am so tired, y’all, but this little corner of the internet lifts me up a little when it’s hard to breathe (not only from poor air quality because of fires on the west coast) and creates a light spot. I am running out of light spots and I feel like my community that I had built up so well before the pandemic has been withering way because they’re either at GIANT PARTIES in Utah County (where BYU is so arguably the worst county in Utah) or they’re refusing to see people in person, still, even if I bring my own camping chair and sit outside their house 15 feet away. Please help. I am on the verge of a mental break.
Several days late, and only one thing to comment because I too am in a darker place this week. (Both of our cars had to have work done, and mine stopped in the middle of the road on the way home from the shop!) Anyway.....light ice always!!!! It comes out cold...you don't need a ton of ice, and you get MORE!!!
I want to officially vote a YES PLEASE for a group go thru!!
Hello Lil Swipe pals! It has taken me 2 days to give each of your thoughts, tiktoks, and posts adequate breathing room to be the balm to my soul. And friends, they have been. I think I've watched every single thing recommended and sent something on to at least a handful of girlfriends. Thanks for being treasures friends!
Treasures:
+I survived my work week + extra virtual church-related things this week.
+I have all of my laundry clean and folded, including matching socks. (This is not something that happens often in my life, so I must be congratulated on my adulty-ness. haha)
+I finished Netflix's The English Game (not sure why I was sleeping on it, ooops? Julian Fellows is a brilliant gem and I need him to make more things that infiltrate America) & Nadiya's Time to Eat (I loved her on her season of the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show AND when she hosted The Big Family Cooking Showdown. I just love British shows where people seem to be rooting for each other. <3
+I worked through the church ministry thing with the team leader. We had a great chat on the phone and all things should be set-up to move smoother this week, including making me a co-host so I can help with the controls and deal with pop-up issues so she can focus on getting the video to work more smoothly.
+A few of the above-mentioned virtual church-related things were especially moving and created space for some very personal breakthrough.
Turds:
-My sister's due date was on Friday. She is not in labor. She is miserable. She hates everything. Her normally precious almost 2-year old decided to be a monster today. She. is. done. and I can't do anything to help besides to be a person she can vent to. This big sister is not okay with that being my only "help".
-There was some crazy drama with both my supervisor and manager's marriages this week. From their versions, their husbands just done lost their dang minds. For some reason it just really impacted me, even though I don't especially look up to either of their marriages as "ideal". It's a weird place to be as a single lady. The empath in me does not know how to deal.
Love you friends and so beyond thankful for this space. For the treasures gladly shared and for the vulnerability in sharing the turds. It's so fun to celebrate with you, genuinely. It is also so much easier to deal with the dumpster fires of life when we're sharing the load. Thank you!
hi lil swipes!! for the past however long i was so confused as to how people shared their own treasures b/c i legit didn't know the email linked to substack *facepalm*
my treasure for the week is seeing my dog's face when i put on her bandana in the morning. she feels like she's ready for the day and wiggles her lil doberman butt in the cutest way. i've also been exclusively using CFA curbside for awhile now and felt hella validated that queen erin moon also abides by this.
i'm an accountant (working toward becoming a CPA) and the 9/15 deadline for taxes is fast approaching which means a bunch of us are working 10-12 hour days every day until then so reading these comments (and re-listening to bachelor/ette recaps from "before") are kinda saving me this "weekend." BUT i have a job, unlike a lot of people i know, so i'm grateful. :)
ALSO i'm so in on a group hang re: the comfortable words. :) :) :)
I am down for The Comfortable Words!
Sign me up for The Comfortable Words. I already have my copy.
My treasure this week on Instagram is @littlechefcade. I died laughing again and again and again.
Also sign me up The Comfortable Words 'group go-thru'.
Please add me to the Comfortable Words group. thanks!
I'm late in commenting, so just going to try to keep it short and sweet this week.
🏈 Friday Night Light Update: Finished S1 and onto S2- shocked about the pregnancy and that coach still went to TMU. I was really rooting for Julie & Matt and then disappointed as S2 starts up. Up to #6 in S2 and Tyra's hair gets shorter and shorter with every episode. The drama with her and Landry has been shook to my very core and it's quite a shocking storyline. Well that and the shark stem cells that Jason wanted to inject into his spine down in Mexico. 🎧 I also found an old podcast called "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, and Booze" that I'm listening to along with the watch!
🧀 Spicy Nacho Doritos have been my go-to snack, they are perfection.
v interested in that comfortable words group
100% YES to Comfortable Words group!!!!!
Yes to Comfortable Words grouppp
I don't have long thoughts and I'm not inherently hilarious, but I'm SO down for a Comfortable Words study.
Well, survey says: Comfortable Words group!!! I’ll add my yes to that!
Here’s my list of things to tell the lil swipes:
1. I only have one Internet treasure this week, and I feel pretty confident someone else has already brought it up in the past week: Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. There is something about his sheer and utter delight with good food and connection with humanity that is just what my heart has needed this week!
2. The reason I don’t have more Internet treasures is because I have been blissfully off-line for the two weeks prior to this one. I was able to spend two weeks at the beach with my best friend and her family. I had to work for most of the second week, but there was something about doing that from a different location with people that are like family that made it less… Work? This time was a gift, and I do not possess the words to describe the good it did my mental and emotional health to be. with. people! People I love! God bless the sacredness of beloved faces around a table playing simple games in this season.
3. Transition back to solo life has been - woof. I’ve tried to mini-quarantine after being with those nine other folks, one of whom works at a children’s hospital. It’s felt like the socially responsible thing to do, but has been a stark contrast to the gift of togetherness.
4. The ocean. Staring and staring. Beach walks. More staring. Reading. Then the staring.
5. I’m really thankful for this group. I do deeply enjoy reading through and hearing about the lives of others out there in the ether!
I'm interested in the comfortable words study
So here for the comfortable words study as well!! Love this newsletter!!
for those of you who need a smile.. absolutely adorable: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFASpSfJMnF/?igshid=bbhfa5labv0
I’d be interested in going through The Comfortable Words with a group!
Pick me for the Comfortable Words group!
Just reserved The Pantsuit Politics and The Liturgy of Politics books from the libe. A recommendation perfectly fit for this week after a family member sent me a YouTube full of conspiracy theories including, but not limited to, the government putting 3D barcodes in our arms via a Covid vaccine. Sheesh, it's been a week! But my kids also started school in a real live classroom, so I'm calling that a win!
Guys, here for the doll hands. https://m.tiktok.com/v/6870915312108244225.html?_d=secCgsIARCbDRgBIAIoARI%2BCjxB2BY0snN5Y%2FjWvXeCOKnBsMVGEB%2Fx%2BaqQIQySeEAiGs3USpuJnJUpPsGw3ZmWrtzexYuSPjjdES9dr%2B8aAA%3D%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA5VoY1WBiAf2erwhwG2Zl0Ha7zw-8k00Gz5rWE7bKVXHbZlm86GQYcHXoOWgwZxZl&share_item_id=6870915312108244225&share_link_id=125BEEDB-3B5E-4461-9ABE-2E99864739E2×tamp=1599852152&tt_from=sms&u_code=d9afbk117if939&user_id=6759875202811724805&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=sms
Yes to a Comfortable Words study! I bought the study after Lent but haven't gotten to dive in like I would like because....well 2020.
I work at a christian school teaching 4th grade and I started in January worked for 8 weeks and then online for 8 weeks with the hardest class in the school! We started back this week in person because our class sizes are small enough to fit the guidelines and I have a unicorn class. Some samples from the first day of school: can we read more than 20 minutes a night? Will we normally have more homework than this? When do we start science it’s my favorite subject? They are a rare delight and It has made this major shift so much easier!
I want in on The Comfortable Words group go-thru!
I’m not a believer of the prosperity gospel, but lil swipe camp is something I’m going to go ahead and “name and claim”
But speaking of Sarah Bessey, is anyone else signed up for the Evolving Faith conference? I wish we could gather in person, but I’m very excited joining online for the first year. The podcast with recordings from previous years have truly been a treasure of mine this month.
I’ve got one culinary treasure for you, and one puppy related. We’ll see if anything else pops to mind - it’s an adventure!
1. This salted caramel sauce saved me the other day. I was sad and anxious and needed something sweet in my life and it came to the rescue and I’ll have a jar of it in my fridge forevermore.
https://www.crazyforcrust.com/5-minute-salted-caramel-sauce/
2. There’s a beach near me that lets you have your dog off leash. It’s pretty rare here in Australia because we’re pretty particular about things in nature not being destroyed (sorry, Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. We suck.) but this one is great and lovely. If I ever need a pick me up we take the dog there and she runs in circles and digs holes in the sand in a wild attempt to find the rocks we’ve thrown for her to fetch. Yesterday a wave came and hit her harder than she thought they could and she immediately wagged her tail and ran on. What resilience.
3. (Told you I’d think of more.) Facebook marketplace is full of treasure lately. I got a mattress for our spare bed for free - it was three days old and had been laid on once but the person didn’t love it and couldn’t return it. And so, we now have a $1000 mattress in our spare room. Bless that place. I also got a pair of roller blades super cheap because I’m embracing that coastal life and going to skate by the harbour. Feel free to follow my failures over on Instagram (Tamara.robson).
If I wasn't already a big fan, you won me over with that back to school response. I couldn't agree more.
When your husband texts you to say one of your dearest friends dropped off HOMEMADE JAM on our doorstep. I love that my people know some of my love languages. I was jealous when she was texting me photos of her process and then telling me how her neighbors were getting some of them. I was like "oh my gosh her neighbors are so so lucky!"
She drove some over and left them on our doorstep!
AAHHH!
I have thoughts about splittiness in the church, particularly after joining an Episcopalian church a few years ago. As far as the mainliners are concerned, splitting is almost entirely an Anabaptist thing - for centuries, the only Church of England denomination in the US was Episcopalian, up until the ordination of gay bishops caused the split in 2000ish. Catholics have a lot of variation, but to one degree or another they fall under the same umbrella of leadership. But man, Baptists and Pentecostals will split over whether the pew bibles are covered in blue or black cloth, seems like (I grew up in very lovely Baptist and C&MA churches, fwiw). Since "becoming" Episcopal, my husband and I have been really interested in the diversity of opinion in our congregation and in the diocese as a whole, and how incredibly hurt our church was when the "no gay bishops" people left twenty years ago. The idea that you would abandon your denomination is almost foreign to them - our guess is that it has to do with having a formalized, involved leadership structure that goes beyond the local congregation. \church history
The kids and I discovered Diamond Dotz this week, and all my extra time had been spent using a slightly sticky stylus to transfer faceted, tinted chips of plastic onto a rather more sticky design. It's like cross stitch and Litebrite had a baby. It's v restful. And cheap.
YES! I'm in for a Comfortable Words go-thru
Yes to the Comfortable Words study-along!
Treasures: This week brought much cooler temps & much-needed rain to us in western CO. I’m going to really lean in to enjoying our bit of fall before winter swoops in! Also, our 3-legged cat didn’t bring any critters into the house this week! So far he has carried in several mice, dead and live ones, a lizard, grasshoppers, and he chased in a baby bunny. It’s totally our fault because we leave a back door open for the two cats to go outside for their morning constitutional and forget to shut it!
Turd (but it’s a small one): night sweats from menopause. I will likely be trying out some of the sheets and pjs recommended by fellow Lil Swipers.
Tik Tok of the greatest online dating profile ever “I’m the Right Swipe For You”
My friend Melissa also beat her record in finding this guy’s actual social media (under 20 min) so we can tell him that our gal Mal is his soul mate.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/6870717318842846470.html?_d=secCgsIARCbDRgBIAIoARI%2BCjwjQ%2FZbrv2odg14QEm3JpPalZ1%2FXTVY3OT6klMzzldm94cbI62q4ZzpujF58cCthtHQE6OZO1a5pRnFV1YaAA%3D%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAk3X4Y0lXReYXJ5qnO0Ew-liVKChT6P0RuaF--g2SiIGDcpzMrd399GAsy-G0kXEl&share_item_id=6870717318842846470&share_link_id=674D36D7-BE48-4B04-B0DE-8F376C682279×tamp=1599764164&tt_from=sms&u_code=dbf0lifaa9ii88&user_id=6807865006718485510&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=sms
Cheese on a CFA sandwich?! Have I been missing out for the past 32 years? [Also, yes Polynesian sauce for life.]
Erin, YES AND PLEASE to the Comfortable Words group. I have been wanting to do it in a group setting and this would make my heart's desires come true and I need a treasure for the week so pretty please with a chicken mini on top!
Also, I totes order a chicken mini 10 count yesterday after my hip injections. A girl has to do what a girl has to do. And Also, I sometimes order a 30 count nugget to have for lunch for the next day. And umm my dog gets nugs too so yeah. Since they changed their mileage and we can no longer door dash them I have to get creative. Sigh.
Listen. It has been a disaster cake of an Alexander week. I wanted to come here with a list of treasure but I have jank.
My Aunt was diagnosed with brain cancer Wednesday. My other aunt is on hospice with COPD and is not expected to last the week. My sweet friend lost her precious 10-week old baby, Charlotte, Monday. It's 9/11. I am on week 3 of a new anxiety/depression medication so it's been basically an ugly cry for days because I want to crawl under my covers and not crawl out but I have to work because well I am going to keep my mouth shut about my boss. Also, my heart breaks for dear Jen Hatmaker being outed for her divorce before she had time to tell her story herself.
So I will be reading all of your treasures and watching all the TikToks you link and laugh-crying because I am still holding on to hope because Sarah Bessey taught me about that a few years ago and she is one of my Sheroes. Thanks for being awesome Lil Swipes. You all make my Friday's so much more beautiful with your shine.<3
Very little social activity for me this week, but there was a lot more offline activity than usual. It’s the Cooling of Texas, thank the precious Jesus, and my energies begin to be restored. Starting with the Trash (remember, my dad is still in my brain about words “ladies” don’t use 🤪):
* My mom toppled over while cooking taco meat and I found her lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood amongst a heap of ground beef. She takes blood thinners, so you can imagine the scene. It took 45 minutes to move her from one room to another – it’s just me and her – after which she sat in the bathtub to shower off and access the damage. We ended up in the ER at 9pm, bless it. She has a giant hematoma on her skull but zero internal injury and not even a stitch needed. 🙌🏻 The trauma of it has her fully numb and me questioning my ability to be her caregiver, as well as wondering if this THIRD fall is a result of her stroke last December or a new set of issues. Whatever it is, I now know that (a) she’s not allowed to lean over for anything ever again, and (b) I’m now in charge of all meals. [I’m grumbly about that last part. I’ve always been single so cooking was never my thing, but Mom was a homemaker and cooked every meal from scratch. There have been (ahem) *adjustments* since we began living together.] Suffice to say, we’re both hurting in various ways, and it was another entry into the Annals of 2020 — henceforth to be known as the Anals of 2020.
There were a few Joys, though:
* Cool(ish) weather came to North Texas mid-week and I got to live an entire day with the windows open and the a/c off. It gave me the energy to tackle a *pile* of built-up paper that I’d been avoiding and to rearrange a bit of furniture. Praise it!
* I read a lot of pop-out links from newsletters, and this article about Joseph McCarthy was truly fascinating. There’s an eerie resemblance to a certain current president, but it was also a reminder that politicians are very much bluster without a lot of true power. They use scare tactics, and I have little to be afraid of from them. It’s a helpful reminder that a single person in American government really can’t do much without a host of support around him. Checks and balances are effective.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/08/03/joseph-mccarthy-and-the-force-of-political-falsehoods
* Also on politics, I finally received a heartfelt response to my question of what good has the president done for America, and it was enlightening. It won’t likely change my vote, but it was helpful to understand how those supporters view his 4 years outside of “left is evil” rhetoric. It was a great example of what people like the Pantsuits Politics ladies always say: you should be in relationship with people to have intimate conversations on hard topics. I can’t paste the lengthy response here, but if anyone is interested to read her thoughts on “why Trump” just email me. jules(at)phrenetical.com
* I finished the fantastic book FALL AND RISE: THE STORY OF 9/11, which led to a host of other reading from the bibliographic notes in the appendices. It’s equal parts history and touching memorial to the victims, survivors, and helpers of that day. I ended up on the same article you mentioned, Erin, about Air Force One, and just have such a deeper knowledge of those events and their impact up to today. 10/10 on the book.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/were-the-only-plane-in-the-sky-214230
* Lastly, my grandnephew is finally gaining weight after his hospital stay last week, and his mom is feeling her strength again. Nothing came of making her feel like a terrible mother, thank God.
Hello!! I’m a new poster. Apparently it took me 6 months to figure out how to use this. 🤦🏼♀️ But here I am!
My week has been good and bad almost all related to the fact that we are stuck in the US right now. We are usually missionaries in France, but France wants nothing to do with Americans (kinda don’t blame them, I mean things are a little crazy). So we are just waiting for the visa options to include our visa category. In the meantime we are trying to coordinate with my kids’ schools in France to send us schoolwork. My daughter’s teacher has been wonderfully sending links and lesson plans (I’m having to decode this french school thing and it’s hard! I’m tired). My son in middle school tough has nothing so far, so I’m just finding french stuff online for him to do. So anyway that’s a turd but it’s kind of a treasure to finally have a bit of a routine again. To feel useful again since we haven’t been able to do the stuff we love doing... Also this sweet teacher is emailing school stuff for this little girl across the ocean that she doesn’t know and tbh she doesn’t have to even though she has a classroom full of kids she’s trying to help navigate a pandemic. It’s just so sweet 😭
Also I have a kinda funny story. I got my gmail account pretty early so I was able to snag a pretty basic one: rjharr. Well guess what happens? I get all sorts of wrong emails! Turns out there are lots of Richards, Roberts or Rebeccas with the last name Harris or Harrison. Today I got a very vaguely worded email from a Tax consultant who was writing her client pertaining to a disinterment!!! 😬 I just have so many questions!
Omigosh how you made my mopey Friday!! The synopsis of the church divisions and political divide is SPOT ON. And here's my take - it ALL comes down to humility. The "need to be right" is RUNNING RAMPANT in this country and isn't Jesus in his sandals like the most HUMBLE person EVER?? I can not agree with someone I love dearly and smile and know that God has this whole Shebang. I'v found that a lot of folks can't do that and if they raise their voice and post more on Twitter or FB, they'll think I'm gonna hear them. Wrong. And don't even get me started on the fear mongering of the media and how that is dividing us all. Headlines & soundbites can fuel that anxiety like crazy. I would be ELATED to do a group thing with "the Comfortable Words" and yes I signed up for 2 bible studies this Fall to keep me grounded during the election craziness. And now I MUST have chick fil a minis tomorrow. My Happy for this week is signing up for Vuori emails and ordering a pair of joggers at 20% of the kinda high price but climbing on the band wagon w/Bri McKoy, Lazy Genius & others whose need & appreciate for comfy clothes I respect. The other tip is to keep burning good soy candles. Try Linnea's Lights and Gleam Living - small women-owned businesses. Pretty vessels and great throws. And light the candles with a REAL match - that smell is GOLD and Gleam Living sells pretty matches in a glass container. Each time you light a candle, think about the light of God and remember HE HAS GOT THIS!!! Thanks for all you do! I would send all of my Chick Fit A rewards points to you if I could.
I'm in for The Comfortable Words! I loved that study.
Some treasures first:
* A little backstory first, I've been interning at a predominantly Asian church for the last almost year (I just counted up those months and it equaled 12 in October which is next month, when did that happen!?!?). By the way, I am not Asian. I am literally one of 2-3 other white people and those white people are dudes. It is part of an intentional plan to prepare me for cross cultural ministry in Ireland, whenever God opens those visa doors for me to serve in Ireland. In the meantime, I go to grad school, intern, do discipleship training and go to therapy as well as check in with half a dozen coaches. I digress. Last month, our pastor referenced a Korean drama in his sermon. So after the service, I asked him if it's time for me to start watching K-drama as a part of my "cultural immersion." We agreed it was. I started watching Crash Landing Into You and I can't get enough!! Where has K-drama been my whole life. It's VERY emotional, VERY chaste, full of longing looks and tender hand holds but very very little kissing and absolutely no sexy times. The trade off with that is the deep emotional connection you get to see grow between the leads. It also has pretty ridiculous characters like all soap operas do. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry!
* I got to see my church parents (from my home church, not the intern church) last week socially distanced on their beautiful patio which is a sacred space for me. We chatted about books, vaccines, NT Wright and Signed Sealed Delivered (Hallmark show that you should not sleep on). We roasted marshmallows over a tiny little oven that Dennis made in a terracotta pot with charcoal. We made S'mores with almond Hershey bars. I gave Cathi her birthday present. There were twinkly lights and a slight chill in the air finally. It was so ...normal and lovely and needed.
* I discovered a series of YouTube videos about Amber Marshall's (Amy from Heartland) wedding preparations. They are so pure and perfect, she talks about not planning much of anything just asking all of her people to show up at her ranch one day. It's what I need during these weird times.
https://youtu.be/LFjj-PmLruo
*Also for all you that were adolescence in the 90's and remember the Aaron Burr Got Milk commercial, here's Leslie Odom Jr. re-enacting it.
https://youtu.be/Z-KoAi3Nl9Q
*Also Brett Eldredge (who is absolutely on my list) is making new music which is more personal than ever before, the top of that personal list is this song:
https://youtu.be/jUJZpPQrA5s
Turds
*My sister in law was potentially exposed to the virus so we have been modified quarantining the last almost two weeks. My niece still comes over to be nanny-ed by my sister, but we can't touch her, hug her or kiss her or snuggle her while we watch Anastasia. I know it's for the best and I'm trying not to doubt the validity of what were doing. But it's hard and it includes extra decision making that our lives didn't require six months ago, like do I need to tell everyone at church even though we wear masks and distanced for service, do I tell the one or two people I made socially distanced lunch plans with for this week?!? All that extra decision making is draining.
*California is on fire, like the whole thing. As a native Southern Californian, this is a normal season to us. But this year is different. I've experienced the barrage of fires in the past, but never so many all at one time. The sky is a apocalyptic grey-ish beige all the time. Ash covers my car constantly. My family and I are fine but the whole state is affected and it weighs heavy on my heart.
Here's to the weekend where I will finish my K-drama but start my final paper for grad school.
Treasure - I just ordered two more pairs of $84 Vuori joggers because the $15 ones I got on Amazon cut across my stomach at a strange place and make me angry. Didn't think I'd be spending over $300 in the year for joggers to work from home in, but here we are.
My purest treasure was last night: I went out with my group of dear dear friends and we had dinner outside together - at a RESTAURANT! without OUR KIDS or SPOUSES! The five of us! Someone made the food! We had MARGARITAS!
A few of us rented those electric bikes and we zoomed down to the restaurant, and it was one of the freest moments I've had in awhile. (Picture three 30-something moms on electric bikes waving at cars and ringing the attached bell. Obnoxious.)
We had not been together since March and I realized how much I need in-person friendship and community. We've been friends since right after college and it was funny to reflect on where we are now (mid 30s) and what our conversations are about (couches, pregnancies, car INSURANCE lolz) I am tired because we stayed out wayyyy too late but it was worth it. And I am hoping it can carry me through for awhile.
I am admittedly getting very nervous for winter. I know it's not here yet but the summer has made it possible for us to see friends and the long dark days ahead seem very daunting.
I wish I had several treasures to share with you this week, but it’s pretty much been one giant turd here this week. I live in Oregon, and my beautiful state is literally burning up around me. I’ve been sitting in my apartment every day since Monday night watching as the light shifts outside from Mars red to deep orange to orange-yellow to one giant blue-light filter for the world. We’ve been at as hazardous of an air quality level as you can get since Tuesday due to all the smoke settling here in the valley and ash raining from the sky as the fires rage as close as 20 miles away from my home and multiple towns in my county have been evacuated. Wildfire season is always bad in Oregon, but I’ve never experienced anything like this and it’s already going down as the most destructive wildfire season in Oregon’s history. Over 500,000 acres of our land are on fire right now collectively. And I know California and Washington are doing just as bad. Prayers for everyone else affected right now.
Evacuation orders were getting extremely close to The Boy’s home on Wednesday night, so he packed his evac bag in his car that night to come up to my place in case they got orders in the middle of the night. They didn’t, but he went outside to go to work yesterday morning to find his car had been stolen. Like, are you for real right now?
Also, as it turns out, I do have mono. 😑😑 None of us (including my doctor) thought that was going to be the case since I haven’t been exhausted (like, still getting up at 6:30 the last two weeks while off from work, no naps, etc.), but alas it is. Thankfully I’m already feeling much better and imagine I’ll be back to normal by Monday, and my boss has been extremely understanding and let me work from home this week so I don’t keep eating up sick time. Also, Michael definitely has it now too, but it’s unclear who gave it to whom.🤣
Since I’m feeling better, the one treasure of the week is that as of yesterday, I’m able to eat real food again! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 I’ve been living off of bone broth, applesauce, and ice cold water since this all started almost two weeks ago, so I’ve never been happier to chew food and swallow it without horrible pain. Amen.
I am 100% on board for The Comfortable Words group, FYI. I’m looking forward to reading through the comments for some treasures. Hoping it’ll distract me from the world literally burning around me.
I literally have no treasures this week because remote school started and it is dang hard! My kid is in 3rd grade so he’s not needing me to read to him or anything, but there’s still a lot of hand holding because it’s all so new. And there’s so much work! Because the state of KS decided that kids at home need 6.5 hours of work a day to make it count even though we all know they don’t get that in the building with lunch and recess and p.e. and standing around in hallways and whatever. He’s doing fine, but I was crying yesterday and having a total breakdown. I guess the mini-treasure is that he got a fantastic teacher and she talked on the phone with me for 45 minutes yesterday and she is exactly who we need for this hard year.
But sorry I don’t have any shiny fun things to share. I am however, totally down for a Comfortable Words go through together thing. I haven’t been “missing” church per say. I’ve struggled with the church we’re at for several years and being away (and not even listening to the sermon replays, cause yes they’re meeting) has made me think that maybe my struggle isn’t with Jesus but is with the church. But I do miss community. (The repercussions of this time and realizations will be very hard post-Covid as all of our friends are at this church since we made a move several years ago and this was where we met people and built relationships.) And exploring faith with others, not in this church that has wounded me and also made me very angry could be just what I need. (Also, I’m signed up for the Evolving Faith Conference. Any other Swipes doing that?)
Anyway, may your weekend be long and your turds be small! ❤️
If you were to do a group go-thru of The Comfortable Words, I am so In!! I love what you did, and I listen to an "episode" every morning, according the the day, I.e., Day 1 on the 1st, 11th, 21st, etc. and the Intro and Closing on odd days, like the 31st. Or whenever. I've also written up each day in my Commonplace book. I do other things for my spiritual life, of course. But I find each time I listen that something different stands out for me. And I land in a different place with the meditation. So I say, Yes, Do It! And thank you.
I ordered The Book of Longings to participate in my first ever online book club with The Bible Binge!!! I can’t wait!
My BFF and I are doing a 2 person book club and reading “When People are Big and God is Small” (Which, oof is so good and despite being written in 1997 really spits some prophesy about our current state of social media amplifying fear of man 🤯)
I can’t recommend enough reading through a book with one person that you feel comfortable sharing literally everything with. Being fully known is a phrase thrown around a lot in the church, but I personally feel like there aren’t a lot of truly safe spaces to do that. A two person book club is definitely one of them.
Also pre-gaming a discussion about how you’ve struggled with fear of man your entire life with 2 glasses of wine from a box? Can’t recommend enough!
I have ordered this book. https://www.bookshop.org/books/men-to-avoid-in-art-and-life/9781797202839
It is on backorder basically everywhere, but I can’t wait to get it! You can follow her on IG at @nicsigni_writes Maybe some slightly NSFW? Definitely truth and giggles.