5 Quick Things #364 🐣
egg hunts, the fourth cup, berries & cream, and feasting
Hey there,
It’s Good Friday… finally, in my estimation, because this has been quite a Lent-y Lent around here. Not horribly bad, just loooong, and I am ready for a season of feasting! And Easter indeed is — in fact, it’s the longest feasting season in the liturgical calendar, clocking in at fifty full days.
My prayer for you is that your Good Friday today and Holy Saturday tomorrow is just what you need them to be for God to meet you where you are. And then on Sunday (or Saturday night, depending on how you count), that the start to your Eastertide brings in a season of unexpected joy, restful peace, and a grounded trust that Jesus is who he says he is, and that God is always good, no matter how it seems on the surface.
A “happy” Good Friday to all… It is finished indeed.
5 Quick Things ☕️
1. In case you missed it, earlier this week I wrote my final letter to my oldest currently studying abroad: “Much of what you think you’ll remember, you won’t. Soak it all up right now — be fully present for the little things and how they feel, smell, taste, and sound.”
2. A few weeks ago I asked my two kids still at home (ages 17 and almost 15) if they missed doing an Easter egg hunt, and both of their answers surprised me… They both said they enjoyed the backyard egg hunt itself, but had zero interest in the candy inside. Which, of course, then led to them asking that we do a hunt but with money in the plastic eggs, which yeah, I walked into. We’ll see if I can scrounge up enough pennies.
3. Every Holy Week I like to listen to Scott Hahn’s renowned talk called “The Fourth Cup,” which eventually led to his equally excellent book of the same title. It’s only about an hour long and well worth the time — give it a listen sometime in the next 48 hours, if you can.
4. Eight-and-a-half months in, and I’m still eating carnivore (except for bits of travel here and there) and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. This means for an Easter treat, simple fruit sounds like absolute heaven… I did have a few bites of watermelon a few days ago, but I had to stop after only a bit because it was SO sweet it tasted like candy. Wild! This Sunday, I’m bringing to our family gathering simple blueberries and strawberries with cream on the side — it’ll be a simple blend of heavy cream, whipped, with a smidge of vanilla and stevia. Perfect.
5. And finally, I will always stop and hit play whenever I see Fr. Gregory Pine. (Here it is in audio form).
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📻
Giving my Bitter & Sweet playlist a few final listens this week
Quotable 💬
“If a willing victim, who had committed no treachery, was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”
― C.S. Lewis, by way of Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Which one is the better "sick" movie? 🤧
As I mentioned in the poll, a “sick” movie is one you've seen a hundred times but you give yourself freedom to watch when you're sick because you're lying there like a slug and you just want something mindless on in the background. I was fairly sick last week, with several days of being able to do little more than watching stuff from bed. …So naturally, this age-old question came up again.
Both are excellent movies in their own ways, and I’d argue that LoTR is objectively a better-quality classic. But one of them clearly stands out as an in-the-background, mindless, feel-good flick, which is what I require in a sick movie. You’ve Got Mail it is.
You’ve Got Mail: 69.3%
Lord of the Rings: 30.7% (any in the trilogy)
Find next week’s poll here.
Six Weeks! 🎒
It’s not too late to join us… Come along with my family and me as we float down the Rhine River this June — come along as we witness Cologne Cathedral, the Abbey of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Gutenberg Bible, and beyond, unpacking what it means to live according to a Rule of Life:
Quick Links 🔗
Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔
How can you feast in a simple but life-giving way for the next fifty days?
Have a great weekend,
- Tsh
p.s. - Speaking of pennies… (Gonna have one of our kids do this in our next bathroom addition.)
The correct answer to your poll this week is not included in the list: Cadbury Mini Eggs 😆
Tsh, I wanted to tell you that my family and I are being confirmed in the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday. I started exploring Catholicism after hearing your conversion story in various places. I have watched you closely (as close as one can get in an online space 😉) and your life has been an immense testimony to me. I cannot thank you or express my gratitude enough. It feels so good to be home ❤️!