A Dash of This, A Sprinkle of That
Set aside the grocery list + dig into good reads, listens, and links for you
A dash to read
Last year my friend Lauren L. Murphy wrote a short tip for each day. Her wisdom carried me through the hardest parts of 2020 (also the only reason I’d check Facebook). Now she’s publishing her tips on Substack for you to read along, too.
I loved this reflection in Commonweal from Susan Reynolds on going grey and memento mori in November.
My friend Patty curated this collection of good books for grief. What would you add to her list?
Two poems I’ve been reading and rereading this past week, thanks to Twitter:
We Have Not Long To Love by Tennessee Williams
What The Day Gives by Jeanne Lohmann (h/t Parker Palmer)
A sprinkle to listen
Two podcasts that helped me tackle long-procrastinated labor around the house:
this fascinating episode of Hurry Slowly with Courtney E. Martin. I’m still savoring her curious idea of our first question.
Finding Fred from Carvell Wallace on the radical life and work of Fred Rogers. I’ve only begun the 10-part series, so I can’t wait to see where it goes.
(Head’s up that these episodes contain adult language, so they’re perfect for solo tasks. Like when children mysteriously disappear as closets must be cleaned...)
I loved this conversation with Jeanette Pascua on Permission to Pursue. We dove into creativity, calling, and the chaos of women’s lives that can still become the birthplace of dreams.
Ironically in a week when our family was forced to take up distance learning again, I got to visit The Catholic Homeschool Podcast and share about how to support families through grief.
A slice to share
Here’s my latest column for Catholic News Service on the 3 best pieces of advice I’ve heard for navigating family dynamics, thanks to our parish deacon and the story of Mary and Martha. Perfect timing for thorny Thanksgiving gatherings.
Quick reminder: you can still join us for Create in the Chaos Session 3 (or grab all 3 sessions to go back and watch what you missed). I’ve loved these virtual gatherings of writer-parent-artists, and it’s only the beginning...
If you haven’t grabbed an Advent devotional yet, check out Emmanuel: A Christmas Collection!
Finally, this week brought two delightful surprises (in the midst of much muck): your generosity to our collective fundraiser for a Flint school I love and this Spanish translation of a prayer-poem I wrote earlier this year.
Thank you for being here and reading along.
Peace,
Laura
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Find my books here: Everyday Sacrament | Grieving Together | Prayers for Pregnancy & Birth | To Bless Our Callings | Living Your Discipleship