I read this Advent book as an advanced reader/book launch crew before it came out last year - it is AMAZING. I'm planning on leading a group on Zoom and/or at my church for Advent - anyone in Raleigh?? Would love to incorporate in-person. It is the perfect book for this year; I'm rereading it now in preparation... I have written Advent studies before, and wrote one for this year, but as soon as the war broke out, my heart leapt again towards this book.
They really don't let us see what's going on in the dishwasher, do they? I had a needed cackle at that one.
I have an update. My grandpa passed away on Wednesday after a week of in-home hospice care. We also have Covid in the house (my mom, his daughter) and my grandma (his wife) has it too. One of my friends put it so well, "Grief is weird." I'll have this sudden rush of energy where I want to get all the things done and then I feel as though there is this weight on my chest. There are a lot of complicated relationships, faith journeys, and feelings so prayers for peace and clear communication would be greatly appreciated. I love you all.
I do have a couple of treasures in the midst of this.
-Hello Fresh. I am so grateful for this meal service. It has made life so much easier this week.
-Having a bedtime routine. I think that sleep is saving my life this week, no thanks to DST ending... but I digress.
-The Calm app. I think that I plugged this before, but the meditation on grief is one of the loveliest experiences I have had during this time.
-People. People (neighbors, friends) have been so kind. One of my dad's employees even dropped off some maple syrup that one of my dad's suppliers grows (correct word for the maple syrup industry?) on his acreage. Another neighbor brought a plant and a sweet card. We are truly surrounded by wonderful people.
Have the best weekend available to you, my friends.
Grief *is* weird. It’s still hanging on us like a shawl after 7 years of sudden trauma, continued crises, and just trying to find a new way of living with disability. I look forward to the moments of a quiet mind + unexpected laughter. I live for those pockets of joy — one came in a tv scene last night and it set off 5 minutes of belly laughs 😂. The rest of the time I give SO MUCH GRACE to myself and my mom. Neither of us can cook anymore (and I hate it anyway), so embracing the meal services has *saved* us. I hope you reach some peace in your grief, but if it doesn’t come, look for very very small moments of joy. It helps. 💙
I have a big treasure this week. I struggle with the word hero and how liberally we seem to apply it--probably the way some people feel about the word love. On Wednesday night my sister texted me that there were three fire departments at her house fighting a forest fire that had sprung up in the mountains of North Carolina. She sent pictures of the fire right at her fence line and the back blaze they were building to contain it. She then sent pictures of the firefighters drinking Gatorade in her driveway at 3 AM. My overwhelming desire was to go to each of them and look them straight in the eye and tell them they were heroes. It felt like one of those you don’t know until you *know* moments. My sister’s house, which is also her business, was saved, as were all of her dogs, and of course herself. My oldest already had plans to go visit her this weekend (he lives closer to her than we do). It delights my heart that he gets to hug her tonight and verify for me that all is well.
Living close to these fires in NC our firefighters have been heroes over and over. Glad we are getting some rain today and glad to hear your sister is safe.
That dress feels so 90s to me. How many of us had velvet babydolls? My crew would alternate between cute flats or doc martens depending on the event. Those were the days.
How is it Friday again? This week was fast and furious at my house. And somehow today is a holiday. I'd given myself all these work deadlines today and then they just evaporated in a puff of holiday magic. Monday, I guess.
🔧 Biggest treasure is we got the HVAC motor repaired just in time for rain and a cold snap, so we don't have a squealing motor that overheats and shuts off without warming the house. Now our house will be peak cozy during the rain ahead.
🍲 I have fully switched into Soup Mode. So far: chili, butternut squash, vegetable, and French onion. I'm feeling like making one of Kelly Gordon's https://www.kellygordonmn.com/recipes or Bri McCoy's (you all have that link already) this week.
📚 Enjoying The Dark is Rising series. I'd read it as a teen and remembered that I'd liked it, but had forgotten a lot. Bits and pieces are coming back to me as i go along. "I think this guy is a bad guy... that person has a secret..." but never the whole thing so I'm just as clueless as the protagonist. It's been fun to read again.
📺 I'm still in my glee era, I guess. I forgot that seasons used to be 437 episodes long. I'm in season 2 and it feels like it's losing the thread a bit? Now with the cold weather I'm going full hygge - Cranford, Larkrise to Candleford, Little Women, GBBO, All Creatures Great and Small, Mary Berry specials on PBS. I love having PBS passport so I can stream cozy shows.
Taking my surprise day off to go hiking in the foothills which are gorgeous right now. 🍁🍂🍁 will catch up in the comments when we get back. Have the best day available to you!
Erin, you said this on Faith Adjacent this week, but I just need to comment it here. You said the thing about it taking ~18 months to adjust to a major life change, and not to be dramatic, but that has literally changed my entire outlook.
In the last 12 months, I have moved cities, changed jobs, looked for a new church, got engaged, planned a wedding, got married, and bought our first house, so moved again. Nearly every major (& expensive) life change, all since last November! I've been like "Why am I not better at this?! Why do I still feel weird?! Why am I crying at the slightest inconvenience?! " Then hearing you say that yesterday literally took the weight off my shoulders, so thank you! 😂
It really changed my life! And she followed it up with "you can't kill two major life changes with one 18 month stone." You've had ALL the changes! It's so hard. Everyone gets grace, including you, Celia!
I echo this....after my father died unexpectedly I took an entire year just for the proverbial fog to lift, never mind appropriately deal with things. It was hard because I felt rushed by people around me who were uncomfortable with grief, but there was for sure some almost magical healing around the 18 month mark.
Give yourself so much grace! You've lived a whole lot of life in a very short time!
Amen and amen. My grief over leaving a church, pulling my kid from conservative Christian school over gay marriage and my kid coming out as non- binary didn’t hit for 3 months. Then it lasted for 15 months as anxiety and depression. Please please give yourself lots of grace, peace and care friends. Holding you today.
And this probably came with a huge loss of community and support, as well. It's really hard to process all of this and also be a forward-moving person!
School teacher one week and one day away from holiday break and I am dried up and done….Veterans Day show that happens two times today means I lose my blue jeans day which is basically what I live for at this point. Prepping all my kiddos for Christmas programs in the meantime…parenting two rascals, working a church job and preparing for the advent season. Treasure are the aforementioned blue jeans days, time spent with my boys watching old videos from when they were babies (thank goodness I was bored at home and took so many! They are literal treasures!), rewatching Friends and remembering how truly hilarious it is, and sleeping with my heating pad like a little old lady due to this stupid cough that will never go away and has ruined the entire left side of my body. Can’t wait to see everyone else’s treasures! May it be thanksgiving break in a blink of an eye lol
I picked up First Advent in Palestine after Advent last year and it feels super timely. I’ll be doing it either way but would love to do it in community!
I read this Advent book as an advanced reader/book launch crew before it came out last year - it is AMAZING. I'm planning on leading a group on Zoom and/or at my church for Advent - anyone in Raleigh?? Would love to incorporate in-person. It is the perfect book for this year; I'm rereading it now in preparation... I have written Advent studies before, and wrote one for this year, but as soon as the war broke out, my heart leapt again towards this book.
That is so great to know Katie! Thank you for the rec!
They really don't let us see what's going on in the dishwasher, do they? I had a needed cackle at that one.
I have an update. My grandpa passed away on Wednesday after a week of in-home hospice care. We also have Covid in the house (my mom, his daughter) and my grandma (his wife) has it too. One of my friends put it so well, "Grief is weird." I'll have this sudden rush of energy where I want to get all the things done and then I feel as though there is this weight on my chest. There are a lot of complicated relationships, faith journeys, and feelings so prayers for peace and clear communication would be greatly appreciated. I love you all.
I do have a couple of treasures in the midst of this.
-Hello Fresh. I am so grateful for this meal service. It has made life so much easier this week.
-Having a bedtime routine. I think that sleep is saving my life this week, no thanks to DST ending... but I digress.
-The Calm app. I think that I plugged this before, but the meditation on grief is one of the loveliest experiences I have had during this time.
-People. People (neighbors, friends) have been so kind. One of my dad's employees even dropped off some maple syrup that one of my dad's suppliers grows (correct word for the maple syrup industry?) on his acreage. Another neighbor brought a plant and a sweet card. We are truly surrounded by wonderful people.
Have the best weekend available to you, my friends.
I am so sorry for your loss and for all this on-going grief, Sarah. Peace and comfort to your whole household.
I am so sorry for your loss. And the extra stress of navigating cobid and strained relationships. I'm so glad you've had support as you grieve.
Grief *is* weird. It’s still hanging on us like a shawl after 7 years of sudden trauma, continued crises, and just trying to find a new way of living with disability. I look forward to the moments of a quiet mind + unexpected laughter. I live for those pockets of joy — one came in a tv scene last night and it set off 5 minutes of belly laughs 😂. The rest of the time I give SO MUCH GRACE to myself and my mom. Neither of us can cook anymore (and I hate it anyway), so embracing the meal services has *saved* us. I hope you reach some peace in your grief, but if it doesn’t come, look for very very small moments of joy. It helps. 💙
You have hard won wisdom. I'm so sorry for all the loss Jules. And you are so right about small moments of joy. 💛
I have a big treasure this week. I struggle with the word hero and how liberally we seem to apply it--probably the way some people feel about the word love. On Wednesday night my sister texted me that there were three fire departments at her house fighting a forest fire that had sprung up in the mountains of North Carolina. She sent pictures of the fire right at her fence line and the back blaze they were building to contain it. She then sent pictures of the firefighters drinking Gatorade in her driveway at 3 AM. My overwhelming desire was to go to each of them and look them straight in the eye and tell them they were heroes. It felt like one of those you don’t know until you *know* moments. My sister’s house, which is also her business, was saved, as were all of her dogs, and of course herself. My oldest already had plans to go visit her this weekend (he lives closer to her than we do). It delights my heart that he gets to hug her tonight and verify for me that all is well.
Oh my word. I am so so glad she is safe, as well as her puppers!
Wow! I live in California. We understand the heroics of firefighters. For real! Glad all is well for your sister. 😊
Living close to these fires in NC our firefighters have been heroes over and over. Glad we are getting some rain today and glad to hear your sister is safe.
I feel like I need Advent community this year.
Also, every time I turn the dishwasher on, I have this very same process of thought and it just pisses me off.
Erin you must see Six! Saw the tour here in Richmond this week with my 13 year old niece and on Broadway a few years ago. Highly recommend.
It's definitely on my list!
Have a wonderful lake trip, Erin!
Thank you Annette! It was lovely!
That dress feels so 90s to me. How many of us had velvet babydolls? My crew would alternate between cute flats or doc martens depending on the event. Those were the days.
How is it Friday again? This week was fast and furious at my house. And somehow today is a holiday. I'd given myself all these work deadlines today and then they just evaporated in a puff of holiday magic. Monday, I guess.
🔧 Biggest treasure is we got the HVAC motor repaired just in time for rain and a cold snap, so we don't have a squealing motor that overheats and shuts off without warming the house. Now our house will be peak cozy during the rain ahead.
🍲 I have fully switched into Soup Mode. So far: chili, butternut squash, vegetable, and French onion. I'm feeling like making one of Kelly Gordon's https://www.kellygordonmn.com/recipes or Bri McCoy's (you all have that link already) this week.
📚 Enjoying The Dark is Rising series. I'd read it as a teen and remembered that I'd liked it, but had forgotten a lot. Bits and pieces are coming back to me as i go along. "I think this guy is a bad guy... that person has a secret..." but never the whole thing so I'm just as clueless as the protagonist. It's been fun to read again.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-dark-is-rising-sequence-over-sea-under-stone-the-dark-is-rising-greenwitch-the-grey-king-silver-on-the-tree-susan-cooper/11946558
📺 I'm still in my glee era, I guess. I forgot that seasons used to be 437 episodes long. I'm in season 2 and it feels like it's losing the thread a bit? Now with the cold weather I'm going full hygge - Cranford, Larkrise to Candleford, Little Women, GBBO, All Creatures Great and Small, Mary Berry specials on PBS. I love having PBS passport so I can stream cozy shows.
Taking my surprise day off to go hiking in the foothills which are gorgeous right now. 🍁🍂🍁 will catch up in the comments when we get back. Have the best day available to you!
Erin, you said this on Faith Adjacent this week, but I just need to comment it here. You said the thing about it taking ~18 months to adjust to a major life change, and not to be dramatic, but that has literally changed my entire outlook.
In the last 12 months, I have moved cities, changed jobs, looked for a new church, got engaged, planned a wedding, got married, and bought our first house, so moved again. Nearly every major (& expensive) life change, all since last November! I've been like "Why am I not better at this?! Why do I still feel weird?! Why am I crying at the slightest inconvenience?! " Then hearing you say that yesterday literally took the weight off my shoulders, so thank you! 😂
It really changed my life! And she followed it up with "you can't kill two major life changes with one 18 month stone." You've had ALL the changes! It's so hard. Everyone gets grace, including you, Celia!
I echo this....after my father died unexpectedly I took an entire year just for the proverbial fog to lift, never mind appropriately deal with things. It was hard because I felt rushed by people around me who were uncomfortable with grief, but there was for sure some almost magical healing around the 18 month mark.
Give yourself so much grace! You've lived a whole lot of life in a very short time!
Amen and amen. My grief over leaving a church, pulling my kid from conservative Christian school over gay marriage and my kid coming out as non- binary didn’t hit for 3 months. Then it lasted for 15 months as anxiety and depression. Please please give yourself lots of grace, peace and care friends. Holding you today.
And this probably came with a huge loss of community and support, as well. It's really hard to process all of this and also be a forward-moving person!
That's a lot at once!
Congratulations and wow! That's a lot. I hope you can have some gentle moments this winter to recover.
The dishwasher meme is why I love the very end of 30 Rock...that's Jack's idea...a windowes dishwasher 😂
Oh my gosh, the “please release us…” I howled😂😂😂😂
School teacher one week and one day away from holiday break and I am dried up and done….Veterans Day show that happens two times today means I lose my blue jeans day which is basically what I live for at this point. Prepping all my kiddos for Christmas programs in the meantime…parenting two rascals, working a church job and preparing for the advent season. Treasure are the aforementioned blue jeans days, time spent with my boys watching old videos from when they were babies (thank goodness I was bored at home and took so many! They are literal treasures!), rewatching Friends and remembering how truly hilarious it is, and sleeping with my heating pad like a little old lady due to this stupid cough that will never go away and has ruined the entire left side of my body. Can’t wait to see everyone else’s treasures! May it be thanksgiving break in a blink of an eye lol
I picked up First Advent in Palestine after Advent last year and it feels super timely. I’ll be doing it either way but would love to do it in community!
Same here on both counts!
I'm not that weird, lol!
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/am-i-commercially-viable-enough-for
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/gimme-love