Thursday Things #79

A happy Target find, a hope-full quote, a favorite book, and Christmas songs.💅💬📚🎄🎵

Welcome! Every other Thursday, I share a handful of things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. In other words . . . what I'd text you about if I had your number or mention if we met up for coffee! I'm so glad you're here. :)

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I mean, I’ve got to start with YAY and thank you! I’m for real very excited that you are excited about the launch of All The Things. 🎉 There’s room at the table if you’d like to join. More on that later—first, let’s get to this week’s good things. ☺️

Nail polish

Consider this one of those small things that doesn’t suuuuuuuper matter and yet it brings such delight. In Thursday Things #75, I included a mini round-up of favorite fall things. Included in that list: My personal MVP of all nail polishes, O.P.I. Java Mauve. I joked that I was becoming concerned about it being discontinued, as I can’t find it anywhere, but declared it worth the hunt. (Narrator: She was not joking. She was indeed truly concerned.)

You guys, I’m here with wonderful news. Did I find it? No. (Godspeed, I hope you do!) But I did find a dupe that’s really, really, really close. And it’s all of $1.99 at Target.

Praise be.

Brand: Sinful Colors (Why? I don’t understand.)

Color: Vacation Time (I say all the time.)

Dawn is already on the way

So yes, I wrote this for you.

Also yes, I wrote this for me.

I deeply need these words, this truth, the promise that the story beneath the story is one of hope. Eighteen words, held within two sentences, continue to play on repeat in my head, circling around and showing up day after day.

Naturally, I wrote an entire blog post inspired by two lines. As one does.

Here’s an excerpt:

We may not know what the next chapter will look like or how we’re going to make it, but we can be confident that ours is a God who does indeed bring us through the fire and the flood. There will be twists and turns along the way, but a way will most surely be made. The end has been determined: God will walk us all the way Home.

May we remember, here in these short December days when the night creeps closer, the words we’re quick to proclaim on a bright Spring morning: Sunday is coming! He is risen indeed.

Even when the darkness is surrounding and suffocating, God hasn't gone anywhere.⁣ Even in the seasons that feel like one long Good Friday, the story beneath the story is one of hope. Even when we cannot see a way, God will not turn away. He is trustworthy and true, and the One who is the end knows exactly how the story ends. The Word gets the final word, and it’s guaranteed to be good.

As one of the characters so perfectly says near the end of the series, when they’ve made it through the seemingly impossible, “Dawn has conquered dark since the Maker spoke the world. The night is deep, but light runs deeper.”

Our hope is secure. The promise is sure. The weary world has reason to rejoice, for the story is in good hands. Dawn is already on the way.⁣ 

We’re going to be okay. We know how the story ends.

The darkest day of the entire year arrives next week.

I look forward to it, mark it on my calendar, have a countdown and all that jazz. Because the darkest day? The one where we can truly say “It couldn’t possibly get darker than this…”? It’s also the shortest day.

Light is on the way.

For you. For me. For all of us.

Tap the button below to continue reading…

P.s. If my legacy is convincing people to read (or listen to—the audiobook is fabulous) The Wingfeather Saga, I won’t be mad about it.

Liturgies for Hope

This book, you guys.

I’ve read 91 books this year and Liturgies for Hope is, no question, one of my favorites of 2022. If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for a friend, this would be a kind and gentle companion for the new year.

With this being the week of Advent that we focus on the theme of joy, I keep going back to A Liturgy for Those Looking for Joy.

Audrey, one of the co-authors, gave me permission to snap a few pictures from my copy and share it here with you. May the words encourage you tonight.

MY REVIEW:

Fresh. Hope-full. Honest. This collection of liturgies, split into seven sections (faith, vocation, health, relationships, wonder, mystery, and confession) is one you'll want to have on your shelf and on your phone, too, so the words are more likely to be nearby as you go about your day, run errands, or travel. I read an ARC via digital format and will absolutely be (happily) pre-ordering so I can return to it again and again. Here's a small sampling of liturgies (one from each section) you'll find within the pages:

A Liturgy for Those Who Have Been Hurt by the Church
A Liturgy for Paying Bills When There's Not Enough Money
A Liturgy for a Lunch Break
A Liturgy for Feeling Butterflies Around Someone
A Liturgy for Those Looking for Joy
A Liturgy for a Disappointment
A Liturgy for Those Consumed by Media

5 stars. Please, write another.

Christmas songs

“Do you have a favorite Christmas song?” my friend Lizzie asked this week. Virginia replied quickly and I sat silently, flipping through a mental rolodex, completely unable to pick just one. “Do you have half a dozen favorite Christmas songs?” That I can answer quickly: Yes.

The three above belong on my shortlist, but I’d love to hear: what is one of your favorite Christmas songs? I mentioned this last week, but since it’s still new I’ll continue to share here and there: This new email platform includes a space for comments—like an old school blog post comment section. If you scroll to the very bottom, you’ll see a button to “comment on” or “like” the email/article. I’m really, really happy to have a space where YOU can share the good things you’ve recently read, watched, discovered (etc).

So, tell us: What song do we need to know about? Maybe we’ll all find a new favorite.

ICYMI: All The Things

Thank you again for your excitement about All The Things! 💛 Even though I figured you’d like it, seeing as it includes what you’ve said you want more of, launching something new is overwhelming and nerve-wracking.

To put it lightly.

I know it’ll keep getting better and better as the months go on, but just two weeks in I’ll say this: I’ve never been so happy to stand in line at the post office with a box of gift to send out, coordinate Zoom details, share tiny snippets of ordinary days on the private Instagram account, or create surprise prints.

You can read more about All The Things in Thursday Things #78 (scroll to the bottom) or listen to me ramble about my heart and hope for it here.

But today I just wanted to say:

1. Thank you for being excited with me.

2. To those who signed up for all the extras, thank you for trusting me.

3. Last week I learned that you can gift a subscription… and this feels like the exact. right. time. to pass that info along because hello, Christmas presents.

If you want to put “All The Things” on your Christmas list, share this link with your loved one: https://kaitlynbouchillon.substack.com/gift

They can choose to gift a monthly or yearly subscription—and there’s a way to include a message or schedule the gift to arrive via email on a certain day.

And remember, if you do nothing at all, you’ll still receive Thursday Things every other week + all new articles! Nothing is going away… I’m just adding a bunch in for those who want more content or to go deeper on specific topics. If that’s something you’d like, you’ll want to upgrade here:

Thank you for being here, whether this is your first email from me or you’ve been along for the ride for the past decade. Thank you for your patience this fall as I created something new for us. Thank you for sharing your thoughts so I could make sure All The Things includes the extras you want to receive. Thank you for supporting my writing. Just, thank you.

Here’s to lots of Good Things… Thursday Things & All The Things… to come. 🎉

P.s. If you want to receive the December print and lock screen, you aren’t too late to sign up! I just made the last edit after testing the colors and spacing 73 times (give or take). It’ll go out via email to All The Things subscribers early next week!