Hey there!

I’m typing this letter to you as I normally do, with coffee and a snoring dog next to me. But there’s one itty-bitty difference: my arms are so sore. I’ve mentioned here and there that this year I’ve started doing CrossFit, and while I’m really loving it, many days it leaves me a puddle of weak muscles and sweat. Yesterday we worked on push presses and jerks (which is basically lifting a barbell over your head), and I can’t get over how hard it was. In a good way. My arms are limp spaghetti this morning. 💪

I promise not to be one of those people who constantly talk about CrossFit. …In other news, final edits for Shadow & Light are due today, so my mind is focused on finalizing art and music choice’s for each day’s reading, and generally thinking about Advent’s Christmas lead-up even though we’re officially nearing the season of Lent. (This happened last year as I wrote the book, and it just feels weird.)

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. For this final year of AoS, once a month I’m counting down the top all-time posts in terms of traffic. Here’s number 12 — I was surprised! A walk down memory lane.

2. How to build a backyard campfire — this is one of those adulting things I’m now glad I know how to do.

3. This week’s thing on The Good List is so ordinary it almost feels silly to make a podcast episode about it. But I did, and I’m happy about it.

4. I nodded my head through this.

5. Watch this conversation if you need a quick, free therapy session that’ll leave you thinking for hours. These two men are some of my favorites.

+ One More Quick Thing… 🌏

My friend Matthew has a new children's book out — it's called When God Made the World. I have all his children's books on our shelves, even though our kids are past the typical age for them, because we all read them (really). They're such a delight, from the rhyming prose to the illustrations. It’s poetry displayed as art.

In this new book, Matthew takes us through the creation story in a fresh way, honoring both God and science (yay! much needed!). The illustrations feature a diverse group of kids in love with the wonders of a beautiful planet, which I love because I'm a believer in our families needing more diversity on our bookshelves.

This new book of his would make a great gift for a kid in your life (and I'd say even a baby shower). Matthew's incredibly talented, and I'm grateful he shares it with the rest of us.

Quotable 💬

“You don’t have to say everything to be a light. Sometimes a fire built on a hill will bring interested people to your campfire.”

 ― Shannon L. Alder

Time Machine ⏰

Five years ago, I shared why limits are a really good thing — I really needed to re-read this.

Have a great week!

xo, Tsh

p.s. This has been my favorite ridiculousness in our household this week.