Thursday Things #103

Birthday = giveaway. (Also: Thanksgiving songs, a verrrrrry marked up book, and thoughts from the porch swing.)

Every other Thursday, I share a handful of things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. AKA the random good stuff we’d talk about over coffee, or text if we had one another’s phone number. I'm glad you're here!

Hello hello. It’s Thursday, it’s November 16th, it’s my birthday and it’s time for another Thursday Things giveaway. :)

Yes yes, there was one to celebrate TT #100 . . . but:

1. Giveaways are just fun

2. Birthdays are worth celebrating

3. It’s one way I can say thank you for being here & inviting me into your inbox

(I actually already have another one planned because I can’t help myself, but for today—birthday giveaway!)

I’m writing this from a tiny house, tucked away in a one stoplight town in Tennessee, and I’m not above admitting that I started Year 31 off with temptation—there’s a For Sale sign on one of the other tiny homes in this little community and, well, call me interested.

Granted, the lack of any coffee shops would be a struggle. And it’s further from family. But hey there’s plenty of seating for visits! And there’s a PORCH SWING. And the house backs up to a nature trail so of course there’s FALL all around.

Just, you know, food for thought on this Thursday afternoon at the start of 31.

Anyway. Onto the things?

Let’s do this.

P.s. A quick reminder for paid subscribers: There’s a birthday hangout happening on Zoom tonight! The link is in your inbox. See you soon!

The one with 30 bookmarks/highlights.

Well well well. Remember how I sang the praises of Liturgies for Hope last year? February 2024 is bringing us a new book of liturgies from Audrey & Elizabeth . . . and you guys, it’s really good. I received an early digital copy and marked it up all over the place. Put this on your Christmas list!

A bit from the book description:

Liturgies for Wholeness: 60 Prayers to Encounter the Depth, Creativity, and Friendship of God in Ordinary Moments by Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore

The lyrical prayers in Liturgies for Wholeness name our longings—the ache for physical rest, the grief over something we never had, the desire for healing in a relationship—even as they call us to notice the blessing of washing our face and watching nightfall and sink deep into an awareness of God’s presence. Divided into eight sections—including Mind, Senses, Body, Home, and Community—these liturgies can be read communally or individually to bring you into greater intimacy with God. Each prayer includes related Scripture references to offer you further opportunity for meditation and reflection.

My review:

When I reviewed the first book of liturgies from Audrey and Elizabeth (titled Liturgies for Hope), I ended with "5 stars. Please, write another." I'm so glad they did.

Once again, this collection of liturgies is fresh, lovely and honest. I smiled. I cried. I bookmarked/highlighted 30 sections (that's a lot for any book, but especially considering the length of 60 liturgies). I finished the digital ARC and went right over to pre-order a physical copy so I can mark up the pages and set it on my bookshelf — right next to Liturgies of Hope, a collection that I hope continues to grow. Here's a small sampling of liturgies (one from each section) you'll find within the pages:

A Liturgy for Right After a Panic Attack
A Liturgy for Napping
A Liturgy for a Diagnosis
A Liturgy for Waiting for a Response After Putting Yourself Out There
A Liturgy for New Seasons of Life
A Liturgy for an Ordinary Day at Home
A Liturgy for a Trip to the Grocery Store
A Liturgy for Those Overwhelmed by the News

5 stars. Please, write another. (Again.)

An article nearly a decade in the making.

I knew, even as I stood on that cracked sidewalk, that one day I would share this story. I didn’t know it would simmer so long, bubbling up every month or two without fail, doing its own work inside while waiting for the right time.

It’s not at all specific to the holidays, but I do hope that if these months bring up alone-feelings, the picture gives you the same comfort it continues to give me all these years later.

Two songs for next week.

Maybe there will be a November where I don’t share The Thanksgiving Song by Ben Rector, but this isn’t that year.

But, bonus! A new Thanksgiving song from one of our Thursday Things favorites, JJ Heller:

Always kindly.

Shout-out to the Hope Heals newsletter (so good, highly recommend) for sharing this earlier today . . . perfect timing to pass-along here.

😭 😭 😭

Birthday giveaway.

Two of my favorite fall/winter things: candles and scarves. Not together because fire, but you know what I mean. This soy candle is my go-to come December 1st, and the chunky scarf is one I reach for consistently.

If you’d like to enter:

1. Use the button below to invite a friend to Good Things! (Bonus: you’ll earn rewards, even if you don’t win the giveaway.) There are two “things” under the umbrella of Good Things—Thursday Things and All the Things. (I do like a good theme.) TT is completely free, while ATT is a paid portion that includes a bunch of extras every month. Regardless of whether your friend subscribes for one, both, or neither — if you invite someone, you’re entered in the giveaway!

2. Comment below and let me know where/how you shared! On social, in a text to a friend, etc. I’ll take your word for it!

Step one, invite a friend (you’ll also earn rewards) —

Step two —

The winner will get to select their preference of scarf color, and I’ll send both items right away so you can keep or gift-away for Christmas. The winner will be selected at random on Monday the 20th and will be announced in the comments.

---

I fully recognize that this is cheesy, but it’s also true and heyo it’s my birthday so I’m saying the cheesy thing while refusing to leave this porch swing for any reason other than a quick picture.

You, this space, this email community that often shows up in Instagram and Facebook comments too—this is one of my good things.

Year 30 was costly. So very, very costly. I lost more than I can put into pixelated words, at least for right now, but last night as I thought back to mid-November of last year, I remembered that I was just a couple weeks away from announcing and launching this space. Actually . . . the video sharing the heart and the hope behind the brand new Good Things, housing both Thursday Things & All The Things? I filmed it the week of my birthday while on a quick trip to TN. (This might be tradition now.)

I won’t sugarcoat it, there’s not much from this last year that I’d go back and pick, and therefore there are approximately two hundred and seventy-eight things out of my control that I wish had gone another way.

But it’s also no exaggeration to say that this—y’all—are one of the very best things of year 30. A very good thing. And so, thank you. You’re more of a gift than you realize, and I can only hope these emails are a gift back to you.

In the words of the great Queen Clarisse Renaldi, “Thank you for being here today.”

I’m so grateful.