It is really and truly November. You can know because we’ve had our hour “given” back by the all beneficent state. Moreover sun is still managing to stream between the clouds of rain through the swirling golden leaves in a lustrous, luminescent, glistering glow. The law of social media gratefulness is in full swing. And best of all, it is finally time to vote. Two of these things don’t go with the other ones, of course, and so if you’re... Read more
Yesterday was National Author Day, which I didn’t have time to properly celebrate, and so today, even though it probably doesn’t count, I thought I’d remind you of seven real live authors who have written useful and charming books, some of which I’m reading at this moment, or have recently read, or intend to read forthwith, or which I’ve mentioned before, but perhaps you forgot them and let them fall off your lists or onto the floor. [I know I... Read more
There’s the November rain. It held off through the last dying gasps of October, to my total amazement, as I was expecting to be standing at the Trunk and Treat, soaked and angry, handing out cups of cocoa to other angry parents and their crying children. Instead the afternoon was balmy and the rain, though threatening, never kept its fitful promise. And so the highways and byways were filled with people—children, parents, friendly dogs on leashes, grandparents, teenagers. My cocoa... Read more
Happy Reformation Day! Or Halloween! Or whatever crazy thing you happen to be doing. As Matt and I were saying to each other, even with tears in our eyes, Halloween is the absolute pits. Here are three reasons to hate Halloween. One Oh my word, who even has time? I don’t know about you, but I don’t have extra hours and days built into my life. I used to be a procrastinator, as in, I would put things off because... Read more
A friend sent me this interesting piece over the weekend. It takes a whack at that beloved and now ubiquitous memefied advice of Mr. Rogers to “look for the helpers.” That’s very good counsel for children, who were Mr. Roger’s intended audience, but not for adults who are supposed to be the helpers. What’s so good about the quote, as the author points out, is that it illuminates for us how helpless most of us feel in this current political... Read more
Good Morning. It’s a gray chilly day here in the northeast. Lots of leaves are still green and the rain threatens at every moment. To cheer ourselves we did up a podcast about how different Christians think about politics, what it’s ok to be certain about for sure, and the Dunning Kruger effect. Not very many nice links because I was so busy this last week and fell asleep every time I started reading. Here is Michelle writing about the... Read more
Well, there goes another bad and discouraging week in America. It’s hard to stop scrolling through the news, but also, like probably everybody, I am afraid of what I’ll see and don’t want to look. The instinct to look away is only intensified by the now routine nature of the sort of violence that we’ve all come to expect. Every few weeks or so there is some number of people killed, for racial or religious or political reasons. We are... Read more
Ah, the fake end of another long week. Why fake? Because there’s one more birthday tomorrow. One Whoever commented on my blog that Toggl is stressful—yes. I probably will give it one more week and then trash it, unless I get a pretty graph or something out of it. So far if I keep on my present course, by Saturday night I will have put in 70+ hours of various endeavors called “work.” A jumble of odd frustrating moments that... Read more
[This cat does not care how you organize your life.] All the news is depressingly grim today, so here is a picture of some kittens and an article about how you shouldn’t try to get up early. All the people who say you should get up early are insane and why would you want to be as productive as them. I’m not being sarcastic, its a really nice article. You should read it. I am reminded of that thing I... Read more
The WiFi is cutting out and I slept late. So I was wondering if it was I who had sinned, or my parents, and then I remembered that it was my children who didn’t finish their school work until 10pm last night. I mean, maybe you’re the kind of homeschooler who just goes to bed when something major is due, but I, being…what’s the word…an anxious basket case, prefer to stay up so I can scream hysterically if necessary. So... Read more
Preventing Grace
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