May in Review
Life Lately
May in the time of year in Georgia when the pleasant warm air grows heavier and hotter. In other words, it is h u m i d. The humidity is nostalgic for me in a way. My first experiences of the south were in the summer and I’m reminded of the person I was 6 years ago and the first memories of my husband. That said, with the littles the thick humidity can be a problem. You’ve got to get outside almost before 9AM if you don’t want to be burning. The Southern Californian in me resents this but I’m learning to appreciate and anticipate the changing of the seasons here.
In terms of actual events, May was somewhat quiet for us. We celebrated my husband’s birthday at the beginning of the month with “blondies”, which make a great cookie cake substitute (his request every year), and homemade chicken and waffles. Not in that order though. Our ages are only a few months apart but this is the short time of year where we are the same age and nobody can tease the other for appearing to be a year ahead. (I’m the older one, my husband loves to point out that I will be in my 30s, 40s, etc. before him.)
The end of the month brought us to the last days of my husband’s job as a high school Bible teacher and the expectation of his start at our church. This is the beginning of the goal he’s worked toward as long as I have known him and it’s exciting to enter into this time where all his preparation will finally be applied. I am more and more amazed by his enthusiasm, his patience with people, and endless capacity for knowledge. And more knowledge never seems to weigh him down, he takes everything in so joyfully. I tend to be a more pensive learner and his example inspires me. Thinking about the entrance into ministry next month is exciting while also intimidating.
As I write this, on the last day of May, we are in Texas with my family, who had a very eventful month. I thought the tension of living away from home would lessen over time, and maybe it does for those who do not have tight relationships with their parents, but it seems to grow greater over time for me. There are so many milestones, birthdays, emergencies, and inner wrestling's that I have to watch from afar. This sometimes makes my heart ache and sometimes frustrates me when I’m longing for that companionable type of help and comradary in my own work in my own home.
In East of Eden Steinbeck has a line that says something like, “All great and precious things are lonely.” While one can argue that this is not necessarily true in the life of the Church (we ought to bear one another’s burdens), there is some truth in it. There is work that only you can do. Putting on joy each day as you make breakfast, change diapers, grit and pray for patience during toddler meltdowns, this is something one has to do alone. The great and precious day to day of motherhood can only be done by you. The choice to shoulder the work with joy and patience rests on you alone. In other words, your sanctification cannot be accomplished by others.
I’m wrestling with that lately. The longing to be closer to the people I know best and who love and help best while also realizing that our work parenting is ours alone. Even were I to live closer to family and have more everyday companionship, the job is ours.
All that to say, I am trying to brainstorm more what I can do to have deeper companionship with the people physically nearest to me. I’m sure many of you can resonate with me here on Substack, but I often feel my intellectual/reading life is in this box that I keep tucked away at home. It’s not something I discuss much outside of my husband. And it’s such a large part of myself and my thought life. I don’t want my only serious discourse to be online or with my husband. I don’t want to complain about this but never try to seek out good conversion in real life. I have some ideas about how I can change this, but I think I’ll wait to detail them online. They need to be a bit more tested before I broadcast them out in the ether. Anyways, I am open to suggestions about how to start good conversation better in real life. Especially ways that don’t make you feel like the Reader in the room. (Or is this just inevitable? I hate that feeling of everyone suddenly labeling you smart merely because you read. Reading is like breathing for me. It’s not an ego thing, I just get excited about ideas… anyone else experience this? Is this just a byproduct of a digital age?)
Books
The Known World: Edward P. Jones - A book about what it means to “own” someone else. This is not a typical book about slavery as it follows a black plantation owner in rural pre-Civil War Virginia. While the county the novel takes places in is fictional, the details Jones provides would leave you to believe it was real. A very twisted and complicated look at human pride.
The Post Office Girl: Stefan Zweig - Some people might say this book is about the dangers of capitalism but I think it would be better interpreted as about the dangers of materialism. The love of the material embitters and destroys in this novel. For being a more moralistic tale it does not read like one. Zweig’s prose is trance like making the story a quick read.
Started Faithful Reason by Andrew T. Walker this month but have yet to finish it. The first half of the book is philosophical foundations for natural law, the second half is more about specific, practical questions. Very good so far. Walker’s insistence that Christ remain at the center of natural law ethics is at the center of the book and I love that. For those of you more familiar with natural law, does Walker’s Christological emphasis sound unique?
“We are to understand all of reality - why anything exists at all - through Jesus. He is the beginning and end of all things. As the ‘true light,’ he is the illuminating principle behind humankind’s intelligible interactions with the world, regardless of whether he is expressly known to all as Savior. The practical implications of this are, literally, without end.”1
Media
’s post “Making it Easier to Hop on the Meal Train” - Some great ideas on how to make hospitality easier. I especially appreciate all the practical wisdom here with the anticipation of our family entering into more ministry related work. Also
’s post “Practicing Prudence Without ‘Planning’ My Family” - really good principles to think through here. I especially found her set of questions good to work through. ’s “You Have Delighted Us Long Enough” - Part of her series on the cardinal virtues in Pride and Prejudice. This one primarily focusing on intemperance. Some great reflections here. Pride and Prejudice is really one of those books that just keeps on giving. It both teaches and delights, as all good books do. I believe Madeline has another post out in this series b ut I have not gotten to it yet. I look forward to reading it!The Commonplace Youtube Channel - I have been LOVING Autumn Kern’s videos here. I watched a couple of her library series, “How Does Classical Education Nourish the Soul” with Heidi White (Close Reads and Commonplace colliding!!), and “The Poetic Mode”. I’ve been especially pondering what it means to provide children with poetic knowledge in the early years - via books, nature, hands on learning. My children are still really young but those of you with tips, please share them!
Coffees
This month I’ve been on a very basic vanilla latte kick. For a simple at home vanilla syrup boil equal parts water and brown sugar together and add a little vanilla extract once cooled. Store in a jar of your choosing and voila you have homemade vanilla syrup. When you don’t have that on hand, add about a spoonful of brown sugar and a dash of vanilla to your shot of espresso and stir it together. The taste is fairly similar.
I’m not feeling too creative in the coffee department lately. Anyone have suggestions for fun summer coffees?
Kitchen
Not a recipe, but I’ve gotten my sourdough starter back to bubbling! I took a break from homemade bread while on the Brewer diet and am excited to finally get back into it. The starter is hibernating in the fridge while we are gone and hopefully will still be kicking by the time we arrive home. I’m hoping to enjoy a good tangy loaf soon.
This month we’ve enjoyed lots of ground beef tacos. They’re super easy to pull together. I season the ground beef to our liking, heat up a can of black beans, cut up some onion and cilantro, and set out some shredded cheese and goat cheese. Occasionally we’ll do a salad on the side.
I discovered that the Magnolia Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe works just as well with coconut oil! So that’s a huge win while I’m dairy free. The consistency is fairly similar and is way better than any comparable dairy free recipes that I’ve found online.
For my April newsletter I shared that we started an anti-meal plan situation of sorts. For the most part this has worked out. Stocking the pantry in bulk every month from Costco has saved us a significant amount of money. Coming up with a meal everyday is not too hard. However, as I ease out of that early postpartum period (Baby P is 3 months old!!) and back into a more structured and busy life more meal foreknowledge would help. What I’d like to do is create a master list of my go to meals and rotate from there. I believe,
mentioned this idea in the post linked above. (Interesting how hospitality always begins in ones own home!) That way, the pantry is always stocked for those meals. Ideally I’d share this at some point too.That’s a wrap folks, tell me about your May!
May in Photos
Faithful Reason, Walker, pg. 85.
Congratulations to your husband! I really appreciated so much about this post, Shelby.
“There is work that only you can do.” This is the startling realization I have every day, ha. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone else could carry that cross for us? No, certain things that are simply ours. But you are right that brotherly love can truly lighten the load and strengthen the heart! With you in the difficulties of being far from home.
As far as encouraging better conversation, I’m not a huge reader. But when I do want to talk about a book, I try to reference it low-key like, “I was reading this book by Steinbeck, an American writer,” because many people I talk to don’t know who he is. Haha. There is a lot of feeling strange when you’re a thinking person, but I try to remember other people have their own gifts to offer, even if I can’t recognize them right away.
Thanks for sharing my posts, I’m glad that something I wrote was helpful to you. Keep up your Costco meal planning updates, I’m considering changing things up here so I want to learn from you haha!
My May includes Shelby and family visiting ❤️❤️❤️.