Happy Monday!

I hope your week is off to a good start! It is super dreary here today, but warm and supposedly will clear up some as the week progresses–so that’s exciting.

This weekend I went to Augusta, GA. It was a fun, relaxed couple of days with a sweet family that has a three-month-old which of course made it even better.

Baby time is the best time.

Anyways, here’s this week’s five!

‘Brothers‘ by Little Chief

This song is adorable. I started listening to Little Chief a couple of years ago and recently listened to the entirety of their album ‘Lion’s Den.’ ‘Brothers’ was definitely one of my favorites and I’ve been listening to it on repeat for a few weeks now. It’s so sweet and makes me wish I had a bunch of rowdy brothers–although I must say, I think my one is definitely enough to give me the full brotherly experience.

Thomas Merton

I’ve been slowly reading the collected works of Thomas Merton and have really enjoyed them thus far. I picked up a used edition in Asheville at the Grove Park Book Exchange (one of my favorite places there) in October and finally began perusing it in December. They are beautifully written by a monk who lived in a Trappist monastery in Kentucky during the early to mid 1900’s. I have heard mixed reviews of his writing from a theological standpoint, so I guess take my recommendation with a grain of salt. One of my favorite quotes of his thus far has been:
“To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.”
― Thomas Merton

Restored

In early December someone reached out to me about my piece, Dear Divorce. As a fellow child of divorce he said it very much resonated with him and–as it turns out–he had actually started a ministry called Restored to help others like us who have been affected by our parents’ separation. He asked me to come on his podcast to talk more about the article. I had never spoken at length about this to anyone who wasn’t my therapist, so it was a little nerve-racking. But Joey was a gentle and empathetic listener, which made it a lot easier. I’ve listened to the episode a few times now. It’s definitely heavy–but I have to say it felt good to bring these things to light. And hopefully there will be others who can learn something from my experience. I encourage you to at least check out Restored, and potentially share it with someone who might find Joey’s work helpful–or even read/listen to the content yourself. Whether you’ve been there or not, it is certainly worthwhile to know the ramifications of marital dissolution.

‘A Case for the Title Homemaker’

I’ve written a lot on the home/family before, so I won’t expand too much (again). But I do think this piece is worth reading. It’s not about ‘working’ vs ‘stay-at-home’ mom, it’s simply stating the importance of a mom as a homemaker, whether she is dedicated to it full-time or not. A lot of times there is pressure on women to do something that has financial value, in addition to raising children and taking care of the home. This seems a little disordered as our children are quite literally the future, and the home is where they grow and flourish into rational, virtuous, contributing members of society. I think–regardless of whether you work outside the home or not–this task is of monumental importance, and one worth standing up for.

This Chesterton Quote

“Each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it most.”— G.K. Chesterton

Recently the importance of being bold has really been impressed upon me. In an age where feelings are glorified as the end-all-be-all, and ‘you do you’ is the beat of our lukewarm marching drums, I’m starting to realize that I can’t keep putting feelings or even keeping the peace above honesty. Of course, the challenge is speaking truth in a way that is loving–which is always the most difficult part, in my opinion. But I think Chesterton had a point when he said that a saint is almost necessarily a contrarian.

Anyway, here’s to Mondays and being a little braver this week.

Miranda