On Courage, Quiet, and Coping with Now
Inspiration for your exhaustion
Join me in February
I can’t wait to pray together this Wednesday from 7:30-8:30 pm CST for Renew: An Evening of Prayer for Everyone Who’s Exhausted. Find the details here if you’d like to join this free gathering.
Zoom details were sent this week, so check your spam folder if you didn’t receive it. Of the 250 of you (!) who’ve registered, a few emails bounced back so let me know if you haven’t received it.
Big thanks to Be A Heart Design for sharing last week in their newsletter, too.
Don’t forget that our next round of Create in the Chaos will start on Feb. 7th. We’ll explore the wild world of writing on social media. Check it out and register here:
Session 4: Find Your Voice–Authenticity, Vulnerability & Social Media
Overcoming imposter syndrome
Healthy practices for social media use
Presence over platform: building personal connections
For your reading/listening
A remarkable reflection on the quiet magic of motherhood from Rachael Stowe whom I love to follow on Instagram.
Amanda Gorman’s essay on why she almost didn’t read her poem at the inauguration is a powerful statement on fear and courage.
This episode of On Being with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton was fascinating: on silence as an endangered species. I’ve started listening to his recordings of natural soundscapes.
A composer in the Netherlands set my poem to music for the Academy of Vocal Arts: “When This is Over.”
A great read from Abigail Rasminsky at Cup of Jo on swimming and our need for singular focus: Where Will You Find Quiet This Winter?
My cousin Noreen Malone wrote a fascinating piece for Slate on the long-haul breastfeeders of Covid.
I just got my hands on Christie Purifoy’s new book Garden Maker: Growing a Life of Beauty and Wonder with Flowers, and it’s a gorgeous read for any garden/flower lover.
This essay on parenting in a broken world hasn’t left my thoughts—from Melissa Kuipers at the Christian Century.
I finished Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner: a heart-breaking memoir about losing a parent, but also the most evocative writing on culture and food that I’ve read in ages.
A final question
Our latest coping-with-everything technique is rewatching the magic of Ted Lasso (and trying not to hate Nate when we know what’s coming). I cannot handle TV dramas when real life is too much, so I’d love to know if you’ve got a favorite comedy we should check out?
Peace,
Laura
Find my books here: Everyday Sacrament | Grieving Together | Prayers for Pregnancy & Birth | To Bless Our Callings | Living Your Discipleship
For a fun show when I need a laugh, I really enjoy Psych-it came out several years ago, but I started watching it in 2020 when I was hit with a bit of anxiety, depression, and general overwhelm during my third trimester of pregnancy. It streams on Amazon Prime and Peacock, and the first few seasons are pretty family-friendly (there's a murder in pretty much every episode, but there's nothing graphic). It's a silly show with a whole lot of heart.
I wish I could add a good show— of course, there is Schitt’s Creek, but not for kids (IMHO). Hoping others will contribute some good ideas. I did just finish the 2010 version of Upstairs Downstairs—so sad, yet, so wonderful at the same time. And perhaps, very timely for where we are at as a nation and world…