Gathered Notes
September
Welcome to the September edition of Gathered Notes, a monthly collection of art, poetry, book, movie, and music recommendations that have brought beauty into my life this past month.
Art: Rocks at Belle-ile, Port-domois by Monet, 1886
Poetry: Don’t Hesitate
By Mary Oliver
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
to be. We are not wise, and not very often
kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant
when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.
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Watching, Listening, Reading
TV: Mrs. America
Summary: Mrs. America" tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly, aka "the sweetheart of the silent majority." Through the eyes of the women of the era -- both Schlafly and second-wave feminists Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and Jill Ruckelshaus -- the series explores how one of the toughest battlegrounds in the culture wars of the '70s helped give rise to the Moral Majority and forever shifted the political landscape.
My review: This show has an amazing cast, and the attention to detail is impressive. I’m only a few shows in, but what I’ve seen so far has been a highly interesting look at an important time in our nation’s history.
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Listening:
The Habit: Conversations with Writers About Writing
Reading: Nourishing Narratives: The Power of Story to Shape Our Faith by Jennifer L. Holberg
Summary: (back cover) Humans are story-shaped creatures.
We make sense of our world, pattern our lives, and reflect on what is ultimately significant through language and the words that compose our stories. But how does this relate to the narrative of the Bible and the story that God is writing through history?
In Nourishing Narratives, writer and professor Jennifer Holberg engages with words from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O'Connor, Marilynne Robinson, and more while also offering some of her own stories to reflect on the importance of story to our lives and our faith.
Here, readers are encouraged not only to understand how stories nourish our faith, but to discover how our stories are part of God's great story.
My review: Jennifer’s writing is beautiful, and her stories are full of wisdom and insight and serve as a celebration of art and literature. I highly recommend this book!
Quote of the Day:
“Love is holy because it is like grace – the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.”
-Marilynne Robinson
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Writing life: I’m wrapping up the first draft of my current work-in-progress just in time. Life is going to get more busy. I start school (as a full-time student) in a week!
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May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you; may he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm; may he bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders he has shown you: may he bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.