5 Quick Things, #178 ❄️

Icicles, Beethoven, community, and the longest Lent

Hey there,

Yesterday was my oldest’s 16th birthday, which boggles my ever-loving mind. It both feels like I was 16 two weeks ago and I held her tiny body in my arms two weeks ago. ⏳ But whoosh, and today she’s going to work at a job she got entirely on her own after last night we both cried heaving tears watching Les Mis while the menfolk tolerated the three-hour spectacle. I so love this stage of parenting teens, even with all the emotions and tough conversations and screen-time fighting and late nights. I wouldn’t trade this season I’m in for the world.

She’s actually joining the ranks of all of us who’ve had a womp-womp style pandemic birthday — she wanted to do an outdoor movie theater in our yard with a few socially-distanced friends, complete with pizza and popcorn — and then a cold snap blew in. It was 70 degrees and gorgeous last weekend and today I’m literally looking at icicles on the trees outside my window (a rarity around here). What an all-too-necessary time to learn about the gift of partial solutions — she’s postponing her outdoor movie night to Spring Break when it’ll be more fun anyway.

The inside of an ice cave in Juneau, Alaska. #

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5 Quick Things ☕️

1. Ash Wednesday is next week. 🤯 How do we approach this new season of Lent when it …still feels like the longest collective Lent ever? Seth and I have thoughts.

2. “The rediscovery of community — whatever form or shape it may take — has never seemed more important or urgent. After all, we are communal creatures, which is why the worst punishment humans have ever devised is solitary confinement.” Loved this needed essay full of good reminders.

3. What Beethoven can teach us about hearing something new in forced silence.

4. I enjoyed reading this sweet homage to a husband who serves (it reminds me of Kyle 💛).

5. And finally, I was mesmerized by this guy’s ability to weave in and out seamlessly of various American English dialects. (People in Pennsylvania really sound like that?)

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Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 🎧

• Goodbye Stranger, by Alanna Boudreau

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Quotable 💬

“To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.”

― T.S. Eliot #

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Elsewhere (by someone else*) 📍

Andy Crouch @ahc

Fame is not the opposite of faithfulness. (St. Teresa of Calcutta was the real deal.) But almost everyone I have met in person who I would *really* want others to meet, admire, follow, and emulate . . . you've barely heard of at best. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.

*Because I’m not on social media much these days while I work on another writing project. But I agree with these wise words. 👆

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Have a good weekend!

xo, Tsh

p.s. An extra thank you to those of you who’ve supported the podcast with a round of drinks! A little goes a long way in helping us do this work, so we really appreciate it.