To Read: Articles
What’s The Good Of A School? // D. L. Mayfield // “…upwardly mobile parents have found ways to rig the system in their favor, often under the guise of doing what is best for their own children… In a Christian culture that often encourages people to focus on their families, this practice has been baptized in the name of common sense. Meanwhile, the common good in our own communities has suffered.”
I Raised 2 Successful CEOs And A Doctor—Here’s One Of The Biggest Mistakes I See Parents Making // Esther Wojcicki // “It’s sad to say, but I’ve noticed more and more kids completely focused on themselves. Where they want to go to college, vacations they want to take, things they want to buy. Sometimes it feels like we’re training a nation and a world of narcissists, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that helicopter parenting has played a big role in this.”
Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life Is Not A Typical World War II Drama // Alissa Wilkinson // “Jägerstätter’s refusal to bow the knee looked pointless in his time, but in its own way, it was a kind of heroic act, though not the kind that ordinarily merits the Hollywood treatment… A hidden life is worth living, and giving up, so that others may live.”
A Week By Week Guide Through Fetal Development // Rebecca Schrader // “I have been a high risk OB sonographer for 10 years and ultrasound is my passion. When used diagnostically and under the supervision of a licensed medical professional, ultrasound is the gold standard in obstetrics care. While they often produce fun and beautiful images, the primary medical use of ultrasound is to investigate anatomy and diagnose potential anomalies. For this project, I gathered accurate ultrasound pictures of normally developing babies to write this week by week guide through fetal development.”
The Threat Of A Female Body // Abby Perry // “Maybe that guy just hit on any and every female who crossed his path. Maybe I just needed to look differently, act differently, be differently.”
To Read: Books
Britt-Marie Was Here // Fredrik Backman // Audiobook // What a fun, quirky, complicated, and tender story this was. It was an especially good audio listen, and the main character is one you can really come to love.
To Watch
Old Town Road (Official Movie) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus // The cultural waves this song made in such a short span of time is quite impressive, and very amusing. They took the quality of this fun song’s video (“movie”) seriously… and it shows… down to the last detail and frame. (I especially appreciated the Vince Staples cameo.)
Higher ft. Nipsey Hussle, John Legend // DJ Khaled’s newest album had some great tracks, and I can’t deny I love a well-produced song. This video is perfect and features the late Nipsey Hussle.
argentina on super 8 film // This film speaks for itself. The credit for discovering this gem goes to Carter Moore’s newsletter Good Shout.
Josh Garrels “Butterfly” – Story Behind the Song // You’ll be glad you listened to this story. Music is a mysterious, fun, wonderful gift.
To Listen: Music
Chance The Rapper — GRoCERIES (single)
To Make
High Maintenance Pizza // Add your own fresh basil to a gluten-and-dairy-free frozen pizza for that extra boujee feeling.
Tex-Mex Fiesta Food // It’s more fun when you make a LOT.
To Cultivate
Slow and Steady Care // I repotted some plants and seedlings, and it felt good. The whole process of tending to growing things is tangibly therapeutic. In the words of Lore Ferguson Wilber:
“…gardening is an experiment. It is true. I don’t know anything except sometimes things grow, sometimes they don’t, there are always weeds, & I love it. I love it. I love it. Cliche, perhaps, but it is the best medicine for my mental, physical, & spiritual health.
I guess this is just to say if you struggle with bouts of anxiety, tension, fear, shame, doubt, anger, sadness, or any of the other membership dues of humanness, perhaps go bury your hands in the soil for a bit, pull a weed or five, watch something long enough to see it bloom.”
Fresh Air // Springtime walks in Missouri have been lush, with all the rain we’ve gotten. This past week, we walked around the park where out outdoor wedding reception took place. You can’t help but feel grateful and alive on such a gorgeously green, nostalgic walk.
Inefficient Hospitality // We miss out on rest unless we deliberately go against our tendency to productively keep going. We miss out on community unless we make an effort to see the people we care about. We miss out on joy unless we accept the good, often slow and inefficient, human pleasures.
Since being married, we’ve enjoyed inviting different folks over for a meal on some Sundays. We are bodies that need more than just to be fed in the quickest way possible to get on with whatever is next. Enjoying the process of preparing, of eating, of enjoying the company of others IS the important thing. It may surprise you how simple and life-giving it is, simply getting to know people over a lingering meal and meandering conversation.
Luminous and Liminal 
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