🚲 Lil Treasures #245: Bangs, Generic Excuses + Learning How To Ride a Bike

Plus new books, theological monuments and dusty Fiddle Leaf Figs

Greetings!

I just feel really helpless and overwhelmed this week, if I can be honest. I’m still carrying a lot of grief (for the situation itself) and rage (for the lack of prevention) from this past week’s school shooting in Winder, GA. My kids just started back school a few weeks ago, and I can’t stop thinking in these terms as I sit in car-rider line:

My friend Taylor Schumann, herself a school shooting survivor, is an excellent, data-driven resource and I highly suggest following her. You can view one of her recent posts here. Taylor also wrote a book called When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough (on sale right now) so if you’re new to the gun reform conversation, Taylor’s perspective is such an extremely helpful one to have.

There are lots of voices out there who are speaking loud - some of them helpful, some of them harmful, but I just keep coming back to the fact that it doesn’t have to be this way. And my words seem to fall short.

So with that, I will leave you with this week’s treasures! Let us move forward with hope and a willingness to continue berating our politicians until we see change happen. And for today, I hope these lil bits from the internet can bring you some joy.

THE TREASURES

🎾 I loved Frances Tiafoe’s shoutout to Tony Goldwyn (aka Fitz from Scandal) after playing a match at the U.S. Open.

📚 One of my favorite humans and the cutest bookstore owner Annie B. Jones wrote a book! That’s right, our favorite book docent from Georgia compiled her years of expertise and stories into a beautiful book called Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put. Annie is truly one of the most delightful people I know, and I am just so happy that is putting her story out there for all of us to enjoy. You can pre-order Ordinary Time here!

💃 I’m not a Dancing with The Stars fanatic, but I think I’m gonna be thanks to one of the newest contestants Ilona Maher!

🎯 Have you been watching the Paralympics? I am VERY INVESTED. Currently hooked on archery and celebrating with Jason Tabansky of the U.S. who won a gold medal this week (with bugs flying in his face, I might add) and also cheering on Matt Stutzman, the armless archer!

🫶 Thankfully for all of us (maybe just me), the Paralympics have not held back on these ooey gooey romances! I’m a sucker for a Paralympic love story so please share if you stumble upon something sweet.

📸 This post capturing the beauty of everyday people who are just out there living their lives was pure delight.

🎒 There is not a woman on earth more on edge than a Mom before her kids leave for school.

💇🏽‍♀️ About every 2-3 years, I go through a “should I get bangs?” crisis of faith. Look, some of you strut confidently with your perfect, Zooey-Deschanel-like fringe. You make me reconsider my past experiences, thinking that this time will be different. Thankfully there are people in my life like this who keep me grounded.

🚲 Stories of team unity and camaraderie are one of my drugs of choice, which is why I adored the video of this volleyball team who helped their teammate learn how to ride a bike.

🗣 I’m not gonna lie, I feel like this is basically what some of my conversations with God are like.

🗿Have you ever visited Mount Rushmore? If so, you’ll be prepared well for this week’s episode of Faith Adjacent, as we’re creating our own theological Mount Rushmore and deciding which pastors and theologians would be carved in stone. All with the help of the brilliant Jemar Tisby, PhD to keep us on track! Listen to the episode here, folks.

🧹 David Gate just shared his new poem about things they don’t tell you about being an adult, and it especially resonated with me this week as I was dusting off the leaves of my fiddle leave fig. Watering plants feels like hard enough work as is, can I get a witness? What is your most annoying adult chore that you didn’t anticipate? Let me know in the comments!

🎉 Friends in Birmingham - I hope you can make it out for my friend Sophie Hudson’s Book Launch Party next Thursday (Sept 12) at Little Professor downtown! I’m extremely jazzed for Sophie’s new book, A Fine Sight to See, and will be there helping M.C. the festivities. There are still a few spots left, so make sure you reserve your ticket now if you are free next Thursday (and let me know if you’ll be there so I can give you a hug or a high five!)

🫀 This poem is helping me stay sane today and reminding me of all the things I love about this life of mine.

THE MEMES

We did it! The internet still contains multitudes (of treasures) and I’m so grateful to get to share them with you. Take care of yourselves this week, and I’ll see you back here again next week.