5 Quick Things #406 🤔

murder mysteries, Cadbury eggs, Vegemite, & Washington explains IRAs

Hi there,

This book edits continue, but I’ve made a lot of progress this week—thank you to those of you who’ve prayed for my work; I really appreciate it. I had a quick doctor’s check-up this week, and we could do nothing but laugh at my elevated cortisol levels. Of course they are: I’ve got major edits I’m trying to finish in two weeks, a daughter to marry off in four weeks from yesterday, and a homeschooled son to graduate from high school in five weeks. Oh, and a class to finish teaching the Tuesday before the wedding. (I’m officially in my George Banks season; I’ve sent this gif more times lately than I care to admit.)

I’m hoping a year from now I’ll look back on this season in wonder how God sustained me through it all… It’s all I can do, really! That, and fight for sleep.

Still Life - Pink Roses, by Vincent van Gogh (1890) #

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5 Quick Things ☕️

1. I admittedly haven’t been reading much on the internet lately because my life is too full for such fun. I’ve read some things here and there (see below), but otherwise, unless I’m teaching or running an errand, these days it’s mostly me working on the book (often at our neighborhood coffee shop) peppered every hour or so with walking breaks. Last weekend I did, however, manage to read (via audiobook) Murder Takes a Vacation, by Laura Lippman and it was delightful. For whatever reason, cozy murder mysteries are the perfect antidote for me as I work on a theology-dense book, so unlike what I normally write. Scroll down a bit for my next mystery of choice.

2. I’m such a fan of C.S. Lewis, which means I’m such a fan of this rant from Zack Grafman: “I actually believe it’s my calling to impress on you the depth of your error before we, as a generation of Christian culture, lose touch with this great man forever. I hope you’re ready. We’re going to do it up right, with a podcast where I yell at people while they complete remedial Lewis reading, and essays where I wax pedantic about deep lore. I’m going to dig up the oddest bits of ephemera from his deepest archives and remind us all just how blessed we were that such a man lived and loved God with all his strange, wonderful, broken heart and mind.”

3. I also absolutely love St. John Henry Newman, so this surprising essay about him and …Easter chocolate? from Dixie Dillon Lane (actually, her husband) was a nice break to read in between book edits: “…this witness of mutual charity was one more step in the journey of the remarkable Cadbury family, whose frequent contemplation was the query, “And who is my neighbor?”

4. John is my favorite Apostle (the real guy, from the Bible, but sorta-kinda also the character in The Chosen), so this was fun. …Vegemite, however, is terrible.

5. And finally, this is a joke, but also not. It’s also actually a weirdly helpful explanation (bookmarking it for my high school personal finance class next year).

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Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

The Mudflats Murder Club, by Brian Thiem

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Quotable 💬

“Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.”

-St. John Paul II

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If you could suddenly, immediately acquire an expert-level skill or talent, what would you choose? 💪

I loved this reader-submitted question! And I genuinely don’t know what I’d choose because it depends on the day and in which area I’m currently feeling deficient… For right now, I’ll say my answer is a trade skill, because I’d love to help Kyle more with our forever fixer-upper renovation. But I do also wish I were a better singer.

• The arts (singing or playing an instrument, painting, writing, etc): 60.2%

• A trade skill (carpentry, electric work, plumbing): 20.2%

• A people skill (conflict resolution, meeting new people, leading a team): 13.2%

• Athletic prowess in your favorite sport: 6.4%

Find the next poll here.

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Historic Highlands: Join Our 2026 Pilgrimage to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

“There is no other place like Scotland in the whole world.” - Sir Walter Scott

Edinburgh, the Isle of Skye, St. Andrews, the Highland Games, and more… We’d love you to join us!

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Quick Links 🔗

• 📐 Create your own Rule of Life

• 🎧 Listen to A Drink With a Friend

• 📖 Read my books

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Join the next pilgrimage: Scotland!

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Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔

What are three very small things you’re grateful for?

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Have a good weekend,

- Tsh

p.s. - Sea urchins with miniature hats.