Plot Points #18 💌
PSLs, dead people, and a theology of suffering
Hi and happy Friday!
I’m feeling much better this week after beginning the CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) program in this book. I’m pretty much back to my typical sleep pattern and I now have a far greater understanding of the science of sleep (and how we view it), which has helped me release a lot of the unfair expectations I put on my body and myself. Medication was a good support for me this month, but CBT-I saved my sanity. Praise the Lord for His great mercy!
Also this week: My first PSL of the season ☕️🍂. Fall is such a deeply joyful time of year for me: It’s when Good Enough was released (almost three years ago! 🤯); it’s a beautiful season full of transformation and delicious anticipation; it’s objectively gorgeous. I don’t think I have a single core memory of fall that isn’t wonderful, so I’m grateful to be feeling better enough to enjoy these newly crisp mornings and delightful beverages.
Now if we could just get afternoon temperatures to drop below 85 degrees…
In writing news, I recently snagged a 2018 Macbook Pro for just $300 (!) thanks to our children’s librarian (another reason to use the library! Friends with cheap computers for sale!) so I’m back to working on my novel. One of the new habits I’ve put into practice now that our kids are both in school is a morning walk around the neighborhood. Moving my body is such a helpful way to clear my head for new, creative thoughts. On my walk a few days ago, I was mulling over my novel and how best to add the edits a few agents have suggested when I suddenly pictured Lucy as the main character. The idea to change my protagonist from a grown woman in her twenties to a twelve-year-old girl on the cusp of young adulthood just fell into my lap and I’ve decided to go for it. I had never considered writing middle-grade fiction before that moment, but for so many reasons I can’t explain it just fits.
Now I have to go rewrite the whole book. NBD. Send prayers and coffee.
Have a great weekend, friends! Thanks for spending some of your time with me today.
Point #1: Look to the trees.
This beautiful story about an Irish village with two 9/11 memorials had me in tears. It’s a poignant reminder that there is still more good than evil in the world and that even small acts of kindness make a big impact.
Point #2: If we avoid suffering, we avoid life.
This is a great, quick piece from
to help guide us toward a healthier theology of suffering in a culture that wants us to run as far away from it as we can. I love Claire’s work!Point #3: Technology can be one tool among many, not the master of our fates.
I loved this piece on charting the course for family technology use from
. It does more than simply raise concerns about our digital dependency (which are all, let’s face it, extremely valid); it elevates our questions into stepping stones for a path to savvy tech use at all levels of development, including adults in the family. As we continue to set boundaries for our own kids and work to honor those boundaries for ourselves, I know I’m going to revisit this post again and again.Point #4: I love a good pun.
I just discovered the historical, hilarious, highly entertaining (alliteration!) You’re Dead to Me podcast—produced by the BBC—and I’m hooked. It’s simply a show about famous dead people throughout history, but each episode brings on both a comedian and a historian to join the host so they always keep things fresh. (Haha. See what I did there?) Plus, everyone is British and it’s just more fun to listen to people talk when they’re speaking in a variety of my favorite accents. Anglophiles unite!
Reading In The Nook
This week, I finished the second book in the American Royals series, Majesty. It wasn’t quite as fun as the first book, but still a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’ve got the third one coming in from the library any moment now…
I’m also working my way slowly through Amy Gannett’s book Fix Your Eyes: How Our Study of God Shapes Our Worship of Him. Amy was one of my favorite voices on Instagram for a long time and she’s a brilliant theologian. Her style of writing makes big concepts about God accessible and her love for the Lord is infectious and encouraging. I highly recommend following Amy’s work online if you don’t already.
Finally, I’m a few months ahead of Christmas, but I found The Holiday Swap at Goodwill a while back and have needed some light, fluffy content to balance out the depression I was experiencing alongside insomnia. I’m not far into it, so we’ll see how it goes, but I can tell you that it’s already got me craving some cinnamon bread and Christmas carols…
Tell me what you’re reading in the comments below! 👇🏼
“The man who does not read books is merely not born. He can’t see, he can’t hear; he can’t feel in any full sense, he can only eat his dinner.”
—Arnold Bennett—
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