Neighbor Notes #3: A Love Note for Your Inbox
Ice Skating, Borrowing a Drill, and Fostering a Faithful Imagination
Hello, and welcome to Neighbor Notes (the email formerly known as Snack Chats)! Think of this as a little love note from me to you, a collection of good stuff to savor.
This note is coming to you a bit later in the week than I had planned, because frankly the plan this week went hilariously awry. My kids each took turns being home sick, weekend plans were tossed out the window, and then we spent a day in an emergency room with another family member. And somewhere in the middle of it all, I tried to follow the news and process our country entering a war with Iran.
(Psst, I wrote you a poem about how I’m coping. 😮💨 I’m committed to staying at the table.)
In the coming days, we’ll celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday. We’ll make time to laugh, eat good food together, and remind each other that every day we get is a gift, even if that gift feels sort of like a hot mess. We’ll make space for joy even when life feels heavy, because our joy matters too.
Today, I’m sharing my favorite reads and listens of the last few months. It’s a humble offering that I hope can be a bright spot for you to carry through whatever surprises, good or bad, this week might hold.
And please, if you’ve got some good stuff to share, let us know in the comments! Tell me about a great movie you watched or your new baby niece or the first tiny buds in the garden. And might I recommend impulse buying some flowers for your table? It’s a little reminder that spring is coming.
Treats of the Month:
Alysa Liu’s gold medal winning skate- Normally, I watch figure skating with sweaty palms and clenched butt cheeks, but watching Alysa Liu was something else entirely. Her performance didn’t feel like a zero sum game where there can only be winners and losers. Instead, it felt like an invitation to her joy. It felt expansive! It felt like something new, and I’m going to be thinking about that and celebrating it for a long while.
This jealous koala made me laugh out loud.
Carol Burnett was interviewed on the Good Hang podcast, and it was such a delight. I especially loved hearing about her friendship with Lucille Ball, one of my childhood heroes.
This episode of Everything Happens with Kate Bowler and Catherine Newman is so tender and lovely. Funny people talking about grief might be my favorite genre.
Neighborly Notes:
Everyone is talking about community lately! (Thank you, Minnesota, for inspiring us and leading the way).
🔨 Loved this article about how the smallest act of neighborliness, like borrowing a drill, can slowly transform communities and economies.
🍽️ The Double Shift with Katherine Goldstein shared 8 Ways to Embrace Deep Casual Hosting, and it’s filled with practical tips!
👯 I have really been loving Kat Vellos’ newsletter, We Should Get Together, that’s all about building friendships as adults. She uses the acronym VEES for being Vulnerable, Earnest, Exuberant, and Sincere, and I’ve now got that on a sticky note above my desk.
💭 Trevor Noah thinks progressives’ rejection of religion might’ve left them without the faith required to imagine better futures. I’m inclined to agree. This is a FASCINATING look at how religious imagination has fueled some of the most successful political movements of the past, and how tapping into the power and imagination of faith communities could make a difference in the present.
😮💨 What We Defend Reveals What We Worship- Speaking of imagination, Darryl Harrison Ford argues that Christians are lacking in it too. This was a heavy read, but incredibly powerful.
👚 I can’t wait to host a Stuff Swap with my people this spring. All the dopamine of some new things, with the added bonus of good company and zero dollars spent.
That’s all for me! What goodness has come your way this month? Share it in the comments?