Hi there,
Yet another reminder that these 5QTs are currently brief as I finish my current book manuscript.
5 Quick Things āļø
1. Like yours, my heart has been so heavy this week with the news about both Charlie Kirk and Ukranian refugee Iryna Zarutska (and then a few weeks ago about Annunciation in Minnesota...). Thereās nothing more I can say that hasnāt been said by so many others the past few days. But I have been just gutted, for myriad reasons. Oh, that poor girlāmay the Lord be so near to her and her family. And Iāve heard from more than a few older folks that Kirkās unthinkable murder feels reminiscent to RFK's assassination in 1968. What a dark week. Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison.
2. I appreciated this thought from Bishop Barron.
3. As well as these words of encouragement about righteous anger from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
4. It was also wild that yesterday was yet another anniversary of 9/11āwild that it's been 24 years already. In 2001, Kyle and I were still just friends, and we had flown from Kosovo to Turkey that day, the horrific atrocities happening while we were in the air. When we landed and queued at the passport/visa line, TVs were playing news coverage of the footage on repeat; they were still unfolding as we stood in the long line. I asked Kyle, āWhat is this they keep showing?ā An American man behind us turned around and explained the news. āI thought it was an action movie,ā Kyle said. I did too. That night, we arrived at our hostel in Istanbul and watched the coverage in a lounge room full of other Americans, some of whom were from Manhattan and were trying to reach loved ones over the phones with futility. It was all anybody in Turkey talked about the rest of the week; waiters, taxi drivers, and other strangers would learn we were Americans and went out of their way to extend their personal condolences to us. It was such a whirlwind, game-changing weekāfor both us and for the whole world.
5. And finally, Iām only a few minutes into this, but Iāll listen to anything with Scott Hahn.
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening š»
Itās been a good week to dust off my Mourning & Hope playlistā¦
Quotable š¬
āThere's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.ā
ā Samwise Gamgee, by way of J.R.R. Tolkien
Whatās the best thing to do with a pineapple? š
I see that we are not a creative bunch when it comes to pineapples. Even though I hardly drink alcohol anymoreāor eat pineapples at all, really, Iām gonna go with making piƱa coladas. Either that, or use it as decoration. (Thanks to reader Colleen for submitting this question!)
Eat it straight: 66.3%
Put it on pizza: 11.3%
Make fruit salad: 9%
Make piƱa coladas: 6.7%
Use it as decoration: 3%
Use it as a weapon: 3%
Find next weekās poll here.
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Next summerās family-friendly pilgrimage is the historic Highlands of Scotland āĀ weāll be visiting castles, exploring the Isle of Skye, attending the Highland Games, and more. Iād love you to join me and my family! (Update: Because Iāve been asked, heads up that there are currently 33 spots left.)
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Question(s) For You to Ponderā¦ š¤
What easy-to-do thing helps you feel more human when life gets hard?
Have a great weekend,
- Tsh
p.s. - Kyleās option was birds.
The easiest thing for me to do to feel more human is to just go outside. Not to accomplish anything, and no earbuds. Just to BE outside, feel the sun and the wind and to hear birdsong. To see the trees rustling and touch something natural. It always seems to calm my body and my brain, and the effect is almost immediate.
Thank you for this post and for sharing your thoughts as well as those from Fr. Mike and from Bishop Barron. You asked, "What easy-to-do thing helps you feel more human when life gets hard?" My first thought was chores: doing laundry or doing the dishes.