To Be Companions

Aren’t there annunciations of one sort or another in most lives?

The perfect way to start today: “Annunciation” by Denise Levertov.

Just finished Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. Haunting, too-timely, gorgeous writing, powerful perspectives on politics and poetry and parenting alike. Highly recommend.

Also read The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, a fascinating psychological dive into the Renaissance (but doesn’t surpass Hamnet as her all-time best novel, in my humble opinion). 

I adored Kate Bowler’s recent podcast episode with Tom Long on grief, ritual, and solid theology in the face of death. Have listened 3x thus far.

Love this piece from Madison Chastain on 4 ways we can make churches more welcoming for disabled members.

My husband shared this remarkable story about Sabrina Siddiqui’s trip to Ukraine with President Biden and how she navigated it as a working mother needing to pump.

Speaking of my family, they are sick of hearing me gush about my current favorite etymology but I’m obsessed with the word “companion.” Wrote about it in my latest OSV News column. (I will always link to the Hawaii Catholic Herald when they reprint, for obvious Midwestern reasons.)

As a language-lover I was fascinated by this short video from Other Words, a PBS publication: What People Get Wrong about African-American English.

Join me on April 11th (on Zoom for free!) for a Benedictine Conversation with the Center for Spirituality and Enrichment at St. Scholastica Monastery. Register here for our conversation on joy and grief: how both shape our lives in ordinary and extraordinary times.

Leah Libresco Sargeant shared this prayer for all who write, speak, and lead. I’m inspired by it and hope to live up to it.

Finally, deep thanks to my friend Alissa Molina for the chance to join her Universal Voices podcast this week to talk about spiritual exhaustion and how to keep going—the most uplifting, hopeful conversation I’ve had in months. 

BELIEVE

I asked on Instagram for theological reflections on Ted Lasso, and folks came through big time. If you’re new to the show, try this to understand the devotion. If you want to know why Lasso is such a hit today, try this one about hope in hard times. 

If you’re a fan who loves overanalysis, here’s one for your Lent on Nate as a Judas character. If you love heady theological discourse on morality and redemption, this Catholic take is right up your alley. And (this is a niche category, but we’re rolling so why not), if you work for the church, you might like this reflection from a rabbi on what Ted Lasso could teach clergy.

Whew.

A Question for You

Speaking of being companions: we’re trying to plan our summer road trip and running into roadblocks (ha). Turns out that just because Glacier National Park opens on July 1, this does not mean the main road is snow-free and accessible in early July. People who plan would have known this before snagging the vehicle permit, but we did not. So. As we debate an August trip to Glacier vs. a July road trip elsewhere out west, I’d love to know:

Where was the best road trip you’ve ever taken? Who were your companions? What made the trip memorable?

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