š° Lil Treasures #122: Crab Rangoons and the No's of Easter
Plus the grandma zone and a giveaway!
Greetings! Itās finally Friday - and even more significantly, itās finally Good Friday! We are wrapping up Holy Week after a strangely long season of Lent. This journey through Lent has felt slower and more somber than usual for me personally. This tweet from D.L. Mayfield (who I got to meet in real life last week!) sums up the way Iām feeling trudging my way through this week:
Good Friday can be hard because itsā purpose is to stop and take the time to grieve. It seems difficult to create that kind of space when we know itās going to be uncomfortable - especially when the last few years of our lives have been so surrounded by grief and loss. We have lamented enough at this point, and we are exhausted by it. Can we just skip to Sunday?
The words below are an excerpt from the Memento Mori study we walked through last year. I feel like they could be even more relevant now to other weary, grieved-out souls like myself. I hope you find some comfort and encouragement in them:
Good Friday asks us not to skip. By acknowledging and observing this day, by sitting in these dark and painful days, we are reminded that Jesus suffered and did not bypass that suffering. That he lived, fully embodied in overwhelming pain. Hereās why we can be comforted in this: when Jesus was on the cross, when he cried out, he was and is fully present in whatever pain you ever have or will experience. And additionally, the grief the Father experienced in removing Godās presence from Jesus, is the same grief he experiences with your own separation from him. In short, thereās a mess and we can mourn it. We donāt have to justify it or tie it up in a bow. Our desire is usually to point to the hope that is coming. And thatās not a bad desire. In fact, we are built to look for hope in hopeless places. But Good Friday stretches our sacred imaginations. It asks us to put ourselves in the shoes of those disciples who watched as the man they thought was the Messiah died. The women who left the scene to prepare materials for a burial.Ā
A traditional refrain reminds us that āSunday is coming.ā And it is. But Friday is here now, in our present reality. And there is hope in the knowledge that the God of the universe mourned it with us.Ā
As you sit in the darkness of this day, may your hearts be soothed knowing that Jesus also experiences grief and loss, and is present in our pain.
Ready for some treasures? Letās go!
š° Weāre talking bunnies and hams and the Resurrection on this weekās episode of The Bible Binge: The Noās of Easter.
šµ Inflation has been a giant bummer as of late, but iced tea drinkers can rejoice because it hasnāt touched AriZona tea, and this article explains why. Much respect for the dedication!
š This community of Lil Swipes has been such a gift to me over the last few years. I know I have been slightly absent lately in the comments, due to just life and its own heaviness. But yāall are hilarious and kind, and I freaking love that beautiful friendships have sprung up in the comments. Iāll never get over how happy this makes me! Seeing some of you meet up in person for the Popcast Live Shows has been an absolute DELIGHT. One thousand thank youās for coming out and supporting me and the PMG in person; it means so much to me! I wish the Chicago meet-up venue had not chosen that day to have a pipe burst, but itās just making me so excited for the future Camp Swipe Up. Here are a few of the faces from Chicago:
And to every one of you who are reading this, your dedication to engaging and caring for one another is what keeps this community flourishing. Thanks for showing up here every week and making this thing tick.
š This original song about oranges is going to be a major hit. Somebody sign this young talent to an agency!
š½ļø My friend Kendra Adachi (aka the Lazy Genius) has a new super fun mini-series on YouTube all about Lazy Geniusāing kitchens across the country. The first episode is officially out and features everyoneās favorite government teacher + news expert + bald eagle source @sharonsaysso! Also spoiler: you may or may not see myself and my kitchen featured in a future episode. Hereās a sneak peek:
ALSO IMPORTANT: Kendraās book will be out officially on May 3, but you can pre-order The Lazy Genius Kitchen at this link!
š§¶ This post from KJ Ramsey has been sitting with me all week.
šAs someone who is about to have a teen in her house, this article in the Atlantic on sadness in teens is a tough read, but the data is also in some ways not surprising. The article gives some good handles on what has caused the increase in sadness, and how to help if you have or are close to a teenager.
š” You all know my beloved Tara at House Peace by all the times I yammer on about her, but we are teaming up this weekend to give away a ticket to her Birmingham Home Event next week! If youāre in Bham and are curious about WHAT THAT HOUSE PEACE DO, this night will be a great way to dip your toe in. Head over to her Instagram to find the post and get directions about how to enter!
Twitter Hall of Fame:
Thatās a wrap, ladies and gents. Thank you for reading and as usual, I cannot wait to read all your treasures in the comments! Blessings to you this Easter weekend as you ride the roller coaster of grief and celebration š
š° Lil Treasures #122: Crab Rangoons and the No's of Easter
Hello dears (Mrs. Doubtfire voice)!
Hope everyone is having the best day available to them. It has been a rough 2 weeks. Last week was our spring break. Caught the Cold of Death, gave it to my husband and my youngest this week. š¤¦š»āāļøš and I myself and not yet quite 100%. Anywho, Holy Week is one of my most favorite times and I listen to Jesus Christ Superstar on repeat. Today as we pulled into church, I played Gesthemane for my boys (12 & 6). I said this is an appropriate Good Friday song. If you havenāt listened, itās Jesusās point of view on what is about to happen to him. He has doubts and is like so I want to do this? What does it mean? Itās beautiful and haunting. Each time I listen to this soundtrack, I find something new.
Happy Easter, Lil Swipes! Hoping to meet more of you some day soon! Erin, youāve built the loveliest of communities here and words cannot express how grateful I am for it. ššš
Hi besties! Long time, no see! I was locked out of my old email and could not for the life of me get my new email signed up. I worked it out, everything is fine. I believe the last time we spoke was about my experience at summer camp, which was V COOL. However, I am a senior in HS now and this year has been THE COOLEST. (For those I haven't met yet, I'm the resident VERY Little Swipe. I'm one of the #PopcastTeens and somehow I found this community and YALL ARE A BLESSING) So, to recap!
* I started in person learning by taking classes through College Credit Plus at my local university. May I just say, in person learning is a GAME CHANGER. I had been completely homeschooled since kindergarten and now realize that my ADHD brain can focus way easier in person.
* I got plugged into an AMAZING Bible study of other college students that are also trying to figure out what they believe about God and it's been so lifegiving. Literally so thrilled.
* Against everything in my being, I chose to go to a Christian college this fall. So, that'll be interesting. But, it seems like this is where God is calling me? So, we'll see how it goes. But, I did find a roommate and she's also a v quirky gal, so hopefully that's good!
* I am in counseling and it's made my life so much better. Uncovered a LOT of trauma that makes things make sense and a lil more complex, but it's getting better.
* My parents are still not the best and I want to move out more than ever. BUT my dad is no longer the assistant pastor of the church I attend, so no more weekly Sunday evening panic attacks! V exciting!
* Also. My hair is now blue in an act of rebellion. So, check my IG to see that loveliness.
@rileyjmccune
* thinking of getting a tattoo, pls give me all the stories abt tattoos*