Writing here is bringing me joy these days. Every week I tell myself, “you don’t need to finish another essay,” but every week another one flows out again. I didn’t plan to start writing more during cancer, but whatever gives life is where I spend my days now.
And yet I’ve missed the other half of the Holy Labor, too. The regular round-ups of others’ creative work: books, essays, podcasts, articles, poems, prayers, and artwork.
One of the reasons I started this Substack was to share more goodness from others’ holy labor, especially since social media’s algorithm now tends to punish an abundance of resharing.
Here’s my solution: a new mid-week email with a handful of recommendations for you.
I’m limiting myself to five short links each time to make it manageable. Once I started gathering what I’ve been saving to share, I found that I already had months’ worth ready to go—and ease is a delightful sign of a good direction.
So look for this new offering on Wednesday mornings to brighten up your mid-week. Let me know what you enjoy!
My friend
made me cry with this essay. Who among us hasn’t asked her son’s question: “Why do sad things only happen at our house?”After this poem I wrote on friendship in our forties went viral, every variation on a theme has been a gift to behold—including this prompt from
and this response from .This photo essay caught me in every back-to-school emotion: Brotherhood is Forever by Rhonda Mason at
.Cannot recommend this book highly enough: Searching For and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Fr. Jacques Philippe. Now reading it for the second time this year.
This is a masterpiece: Welcome to Mary Oliver Garden from McSweeney’s.
This post contains an affiliate link, but buy that book from your local indie if you can!
Searching for and Maintaining Peace is an incredible book. I lent my copy out and need to purchase a new one because the Lord never fails to speak to me through those words.
Thanks for sharing our photo essay!