Au revoir, November

Most years I would say October is my favorite month, but September and October were a blur this year and it’s taken me most of November to recover.

But I did a smart thing and started this month with a long walk through the Historic Appomattox Courthouse area. It’s only a few miles from my house and I take Hank there for walks pretty often, but this time I went by myself and just slowed down. There were still some colorful trees and it’s pretty quiet at this time of year. It was the perfect way to begin a new month.

The Surrender Grounds (as the locals call them because that’s where Lee surrendered to Grant to end the Civil War and apparently some people are still bitter about it) are full of trails that include markers showing where Grant’s and Lee’s headquarters were, along with a few very old houses that belonged to Sweeneys and Connors and Tibbs. There are also monuments to various regiments from different states, as well as the Sweeney cemetery and the little one that includes Union soldiers. The old courthouse is there in the village that includes Meeks General Store and an old lawyer’s office. Every time I see that I wonder how much business there could have been for an attorney in such a tiny town. But in 2022 it’s a nice place for a walk and it’s close to home, so I go there often.

My quiet walks in the woods lasted all of two days before I left for the Hope*Writers conference in Charlotte. I went to this gathering of writers with the intention of gaining clarity on a book idea I’ve had rolling around in my head for some time, but instead I came home with the freedom to write whatever I want. All the pressure to “build a platform” and “publish traditionally” was released, and I feel better about writing than I have in a long time. The pressure is off and I gave myself permission to do as I please. The conference was worth the time and cost and all the people-ing—in fact, the socializing was a highlight, and that’s a big deal coming from introverted me. Writers are my people.

One of the things I’m trying to put into practice is pausing at the end of a month to reflect on what was helpful and what was not-so-much and set some intentions for the next month. Here are a few things I enjoyed in November.

Podcast

I listened to the very last episode of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, the podcast by Mike Cosper of Christianity Today. I’ve listened to some great podcasts over the years but this one was by far my favorite. If you’re not familiar with Mars Hill, it was a church founded by Mark Driscoll in the Seattle area in 1996. It grew rapidly into a multi-site megachurch. The podcast details the abusive leadership culture that was at the church’s core until its rapid collapse in 2014. The story was often difficult to listen to because of the abuse, and I was surprised at how much I identified with parts of it, even though I wouldn’t describe my background as abusive. Still, there are little issues that sneak in when we’re not paying attention, and they build into big problems so slowly we don’t notice it happening. These “little” teachings gain power over us that we don’t realize is there until we go, “Hold on. Why do I think this? Where is this in the Bible? Is it even in there at all?”

The fact that Cosper addresses the mental/emotional damage done to members is refreshing and gives me hope that the church will begin paying attention to men who misuse the power we give them, and, even more, that we who give that power will be more judicious in giving it to anyone. Every man who pastors a church should listen to this podcast.

*Content warning: If you have small children, it’s best not to listen to this podcast in their presence because of language and sensitive topics.

Book

I’ve been able to get through—or mostly through—a few books this month. I receive weekly emails from Marion Roach Smith, who is known for teaching memoir writing. In a recent one, she recommended a list of books you should read if you want to learn to write memoir, which I am interested in. So I immediately went to Amazon and ordered a bunch of them.

The first one was About Alice by Calvin Trillin. This very short book took one evening to read and I can understand why Smith recommended it. By the end of 78 pages, you know Alice (Trillin’s late wife) well, like you’ve been friends with her all your life. You are comfortable with her as a person, and you want to sit and have coffee with her. I loved this one, and even if you never hope to write memoir, you should read this. It’s such good writing.

I’ve also read More Than Your Number, a Christ-centered approach to the enneagram (meh), most of The Gay Talese Reader (“Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” is probably the most famous essay ever written about the singer, and also a fantastic piece of memoir) (pretty good), and You Are the Placebo, which I just can’t really believe even though the author has loads of evidence for his position. If you ever read it, I’d love to hear what you think.

Food

Because what would fall be without delicious comfort food? And where would we turn but to Tieghan Gerard of Half-Baked Harvest. I’ve loved almost every recipe of hers I’ve ever made, so we tried a new one last week: One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo. (Why must great recipes have such long titles?) I made this in a 12-inch cast iron skillet and it was to die for. Next time I will use more baby spinach, but we highly recommend this! Tieghan has a lot of one-pot or one-skillet recipes and I am always a fan of that.

Instagram

On the gram, I’ve been loving Clarissa Moll’s writings on holding grief and joy together at the same time, especially as the holidays approach. She also wrote this article for The Gospel Coalition that is so beautiful. Please go read it!

And that’s a wrap for November.

Let’s see … December. Next month I intend to not be a coward about the cold (beach girl here) and get outside more. I will not give in to the plethora of junk food. (I will not. I will not.) (Says the woman who ate two kinds of pie plus cheesecake for Thanksgiving.) I’m working on a Scripture writing plan for January that I think will be fun, and I have a couple more books on the shelf that are begging to be read. I will stop procrastinating choosing countertops and I want to do a good purge of all the stuff stored in our current basement. I also have loose plans to start a small quilt project but I admit to being intimidated by it. I’ll keep you updated.

And finally, a prayer for your December …

May you make time to pause and savor the little joys we are so quick to rush past, the tiny sparkling lights in these ever-darkening days. May you gather them all together and see the bright light of Jesus.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases.)