Thursday Things #115

In which I rave about a... fabric shaver? LOL. (And also: beautiful songs + good words from others)

Every other Thursday, I share a handful of good 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!

Hey, hi, hello. You’re here, I’m here, we’re making it! (Anyone else doggy-paddling through the to-dos of each May day?)

But—and thank the Lord for real—there are still good things, and I’ve rounded up a few below for TT #115. As always, the comments are open for you to share a good thing with the group… or to chime in with your thoughts about the new Wicked trailer because boy do I HAVE SOME and maybe¹ I teared up at one point, but seeing as my decades-long deep feelings for Wicked has long (and recently) been established, I’ll spare you on that below. (For now. Just wait for November.)

I guess this is 31?

When I tell you I’m laughing out loud in the coffee shop as I add this image/link in… 😂 I won’t pretend this is an exciting Thing, but what I can say it that *I* am genuinely very excited about it.

This is when I say… I’m talking about a fabric shaver. LOLOLOL.

Did I ask for this fabric shaver for my birthday? Yes, yes I did. (This is 31, apparently.) Did I use it on my couch and a few sweaters last week, and did my mouth drop all the way open at the results?

Oh, I’m not saying this will change your life (although… 125,448 ratings with an average of 4.4/5 is sayin’ something). But did it make my old² couch look new? Sure did. Five stars, two thumbs up, big fan.

Two songs.

Sure, I probably should have seen this coming… still, it took me by surprise. One of the ‘puzzle pieces’ of putting together the here, in the week of it all email series was to find and select a song that corresponded with the daily ‘theme’.

Finding one was no problem. Selecting one was a challenge. (Hence why some days included a bonus song. Ha.)

Well, my working document has 2-4 songs listed for each day with “selected song” or “bonus” or “back-up” or “back-up back-up” underneath the “a song to sit with” daily section. My dad knows music better than anyone I know, and he called half-way through the series to comment on how he noticed the intentionality of the song selection—music to my ears (pun fully intended, thankyou). I half-jokingly lamented how there are just too many great ones, how I was trying not to repeat artists but the lyrics were all just so good…

Good Thing (another easy pun, I’ll take it) there’s this thing called Thursday Things because I have a whole bunch of favorites gathered to share! Here’s one from Day Seven: For the Ones Who Are Waiting + one that wasn’t part of the series solely because the artist was featured another day. (These go together beautifully, right?)

This one is on a constant repeat loop over here, tbh:

We will trust You and believe
As it’s written, let it be
You alone will be a firm foundation
What You’ve spoken is enough
It’s the ground we’re standing on
You are God, and we will not be shaken

You know I’m a sucker for a reference to Psalm 27:13-14³. Bonus that it also includes another personal fave and ties in this one from God Will Meet Us in the Muchness:

You will return all that’s been stolen
There’s nothing that You can’t redeem
And though the story’s still unfolding
With everything I’ve seen how could I not believe
I’ll see Your goodness in the land of the living
I’ll see Your goodness right here right now
You know the ending before the beginning
I know that You have worked all things out

Four Instagram posts.

From Laura Wifler… “the terrible math of grace”:

From

Kate Lab - Kate Creates

… a poem titled “lessons from genealogies”, beautifully going hand-in-hand with Laura’s post above:

From Katherine Wolfe… “I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like the wrong dose of a person.” If you feel like too much or not enough (or both at the same time), and definitely if you have a chronic illness, don’t miss this one:

hopeheals

A post shared by @hopeheals

From David Rumppe… I’m new to this account, but a friend shared the image and I immediately tapped through. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve talked about this particular story in Scripture with friends over the last two years… well, you probably wouldn’t be all that surprised with the $$$ grand total because I’ve written some version of the last line actual dozens of times.

In my experience, Hope doesn’t shout “Try harder! Do more! Be better!”⁣ No… Hope leans in close and gently whispers “You’re okay. All will be well. I’ll stay with you as the night stretches on and even if you let go, I’ll keep holding on. I’ve got this and I’ve got you. I won’t let go.”⁣ // 2021

There’s a hand reaching out when you cannot. When you’re too weak to hold onto hope, take heart dear one… Hope is already and always holding you. You will be carried through. // 2023

I have no idea what story the next page will tell, no picture of the final image, every puzzle piece in its place. There’s no countdown clock, no guaranteed timing for any of our currently confusing timelines. But there’s a God who holds us, no matter what or how much our days hold. // 3 days ago

I could go on (or, rather, keep going back), but instead I’ll just point you to this post and the last line that still struck a chord:

dave.rumppe

A post shared by @dave.rumppe

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Okay pals, it’s below 85 degrees (praise God from whom all blessings flow) so I’m pressing send and hurrying to the local trail. Gotta enjoy the outside whenever possible because 107 is sure to make a comeback this summer. I hope you have a great rest of your Thursday night!

Note: Anything going to Amazon is just a regular ol’ link pulled straight from Amazon search.

1. We absolutely all know what maybe means here.

2. Purchased via FB marketplace several years ago, so honestly who even knows how old it is…

3. From the very first time I signed my name on a copy of Even If Not to today and forevermore, this is the verse I write below my name.