👋Hello and welcome! This is your copilot Hannah speaking. I’ll be taking over this week’s newsletter while our beloved Erin is traipsing around Europe chowing down on all the best pasta and wine. She deserves every bit of this Relics and Ravioli adventure!
So, a little about me! I live in Birmingham, AL with my husband Hunter and dog Willie (pictured below as Harry Potter characters, naturally).
Erin and I met a long time ago when we were coworkers in the camp world (I was also personally influenced by the camp love bug, see husband above). I’ve been hanging out in this corner of the internet for a few years now, where I started out as an observer and now spend most of my time working alongside Erin to bring you this treasure trove each week. I am so grateful for this community and honored to be bringing you the scoop today!
We’re wrapping up week 1 of Advent, and I want to talk to you real quick about plants. Like many of my fellow millennials, I have grown a deep love for house plants over the last few years. I now have 4: two are thriving, one is surviving, and one is mostly dead. They are all very high maintenance and seemingly ready to drop dead if I look at them the wrong way. If you are a plant lady like me, let me know what kind you have in the comments!
My plants have taught me a lot of life lessons - about pruning, changing, the importance of environment to growth, etc. But something I take notice of every single day is their persistent efforts to lean themselves completely towards the light. All of my plants do this daily, stretching themselves outward and sometimes even inching into the blinds, trying to soak in as much light as possible.
Advent is a season of preparing and waiting, of sitting in the shadows but readying ourselves for the Light that is to come. A candle is lit each week in our homes and at our church services to represent this light that came into the world as a baby, bringing hope to us in the midst of darkness. The wise men set themselves towards the light (star) on their long journey and found Jesus. The smallest fragment of light can completely change our perspectives in times where we can’t see the good ahead. And in the case of Advent, the light changed everything.
So as we wait during this Advent season and prepare our hearts for what’s ahead, may we be like my plants, turning ourselves towards the light, eager to embrace the smallest sliver of light as soon as it appears. Let’s hold on to the hope that is coming.
This week’s treasures:
💼 This group of friends who hosts an annual fake work conference is everything.
🎧If you want to fill your ears with goodness this weekend, add Kate Bowler’s podcast episode about music that makes us with guest Fred Penner to wherever you get your pods!
🕯️ Week 1 of Advent is almost complete! We decided to run it back with last year’s study Thunder In the Desert in The Swipe Up+ for those who didn’t get to take part in 2021, or for anyone who needs a kind community for this season of waiting and reflecting. It’s not too late to join us, and unlike Gretchen Weiners we DO want you to sit with us.
You can join for the month of December for $6, but if that doesn’t fit in the budgets this year, send us an email at hello@erinhmoon.com and we’ll get you added, no questions asked. I hope to see you there!
✍️David Gate is a wizard of words and an amazing internet follow. He is selling hand-typed copies of his poems right now if you are looking for a meaningful prezzie for your pals! One of my new favorites is this poem below - I love a nod to embracing your weird. You can subscribe to David’s work on Patreon or DM him here to order a print!
📖 Make sure you don’t miss this week’s episode of The Bible Binge, where we’re bringing you a new Stuff We Didn’t Get in Sunday School (SWDGISS) on How We Read the Bible with special guest Pastor Trey Ferguson. Listen you do not want to miss this conversation with Trey, he dropped some incredible wisdom and I’ll never be the same!
Twitter still stands! This week’s good Tweets:
Okay you crazy diamonds, I can’t WAIT to read all your treasures from the week. It was a pleasure guiding you on this journey today. See you in the comments!
Hannah! Our monsteras are twins. Same color pot, similar mix of fenestrated and non-fenestrated leaves, and identical levels of plant chaos. I love it! Mine does not try to grow through the blinds, but that’s just because I leave them pulled up so she can get plenty of sunshine while I’m at work. 😊 Thank you for filling in for Erin while she’s on her trip. And for reminding us to look toward the light.
Oh man, the only plants I can get to truly thrive are aloe and I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing. Everyone else is surviving or on the brink of death. If something good happens with them it’s just a stroke of luck because i haven’t a clue on proper plant care!!
This weekends treasure - experiencing and exploring Lancaster city, PA. And For King & Country Christmas concert!!